New Zealand Fashion Bargains
Bargain Shopping NZ
Are you on a tight budget but want to wear haute couture without the hefty price tag? Bargain hunting is a way of life that you can master, and doing so will leave you eternally stylish with cash to spare.
Are you a fashion fiend, but constantly struggling to afford the latest threads?
Being an up to the minute fashionista can wreak havoc on the pocket, especially if you are on a budget. But you can still look like a high street trendsetter without ever using your credit card in a high street shop, you have just got to develop an eye (and ear) for bargain shopping.
Nothing feels better than a designer label garment at a steal of a price. It does however, take a little time and effort to look a million dollars without spending it - but with a little practice it can become second nature.
How do I become a bargain shopper, without ending up with a closet full of stuff I won't wear?
The first rule in great bargain shopping is knowing what you are looking for. Keep tabs on international fashion trends before they hit NZ shores - buy the latest French Vogue (or if you are really on a budget - just read it at the library!) and pick out items that you like that will suit your body style. Whenever you venture out to the stores, always have in mind a particular look that you want to stick to - and stay with it for that shopping trip. This will mean you will not impulse buy something you will not wear, just because it's cheap.
Keep an eye out (and an ear open) for sales. We do not really think about the fact that stores go on sale nationwide twice a year, like clockwork, as the seasons end. This means the end of January and the end of August are the best times to plan to buy.
Get into sales early. Most retail stores will start their sales on a Saturday morning, as Saturdays are the biggest shopping days. When you find out about a sale, make sure you are at the door just before the store is due to open - get in first to get the best goods.
Keep your eyes open. Look out for the most overloaded, unorganised rack that no one else is touching, it has bargain written all over it! This is where the pages from Vogue you have memorised will come in handy: sift through the rubble for colours and fabrics that you already have in your mind.
Plan your trips to the changing room strategically. Most people who go to big sales run around willy-nilly looking at price tags and nothing else - then end up waisting time in the changing room. Put yourself a step ahead of everyone else and focus initially on the garments, not the prices. Plan what you will try on in the changing room before you are waiting in line to do so - do not grab a pair of pants, three tops and two jackets at once. Look around the shop and find all the pants you might want to try, and try them all on in one go. Then move on to jackets, and so on. Keeping your head clear is key.
Change anywhere. If you're confident enough, just change in the store! So many shoppers waist time waiting to use a changing room. Why not just find a quiet corner of the room behind a rack and change there? It's a sale, people expect to see crazy things. Make sure you are wearing flattering underwear though!
Where are the best places to start looking for bargains?
- The resurgence of vintage and retro styling is vital in bargain shopping. Savemart is New Zealand's largest retailer of recycled clothing, so make this or a similar store your first stop. Have your Vogue lookbook in your mind (or even a real copy in your bag!) and search areas like ‘label fashions' for vintage gems. Once you have found the items, look at them with a tailor's eye - think about what might need to be done at a clothing alteration studio. Recycled clothing rarely fits perfectly, so look at your garments' seams to see if they can be altered. A good idea to read up on how pattern making works to learn what the alteration possibilities are in particular types of clothes and fabrics.
- Keep an eye out for sample sales. These are the best ways to get items which will be all the rage months before they are available in stores. These often take place in a distributor's warehouse, or in public spaces like community halls or churches. Buyers travel internationally and pick up one of almost everything they think may work for the New Zealand market - then decide what to order and sell to retailers and what to pass on when they get back to New Zealand. When they have made their decisions, they sell everything off at about 1/3 of the retail price. Normally, for women's clothing these will be size 12s, and for men's size medium. You can often find out about these by looking on community notice boards and homemade banners wherever someone might advertise a garage sale or similar event.
- Check out outlet malls. They are normally far out of the central city, but worth the trek - chains like Dress Smart offer up to 70% off retail prices for out of season lines. Just because it's last season - does not mean it will look like it if you are smart about your shopping - keep in mind items that are transeasonal: jeans, light jackets, shirts, underwear, and stick to them.
- Venture across the ditch. Australian clothing sales are worlds ahead of Kiwi sales for one simple reason: there is more competition between stores. Grab cheap flights to Sydney or Melbourne at the end of any season and browse the stores for their incredible sales (often 50% off or buy two get a third free). The bonus of shopping in Australia is that you will get trends at a bargain price even before they have hit New Zealand. If you save up and do your seasons' shopping in one hit - you will end up paying less for 6 months worth of outfits and get a weekend holiday, than you would just buying similar items full price in New Zealand.
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