Consignment Shop Virgin: Report From the Front - Michael's Consignment Shop

Don't be intimidated by the steps leading to this high-end consignment shop nestled along the ladies-who-lunch brand flagship stores on Madison Avenue. With labels like Hermes and Chanel, I expected to see a few older women hauling heavy purses, with brand names so expensive, that I had only admired them at Bergdorf as if visiting an exhibit at the Met.

Michael's is a bustling interactive high-end, cool-girl exhibit with sparkly St. John, Milly, and Balenciaga in the mix. All ages and social strata have discovered the joys of cash for clothes that were using up valuable NYC closet space - the solution to an instant Gilt-gone-wrong finale sale purchase, or sample sale finds that seemed too cheap to pass on. There are many regulars here who are both buying and selling. One lamented the Prada coat that was there only a few days before - and "walked away." Her tip: if it's a beauty, buy it - it's unlikely you'll spot it twice. Fingering a Missoni, she said, "what's there to think about? A Missoni speaks for itself." Another regular suggests googling consignment shops in upper-crust neighborhoods for best selections and noted there were several nearby.

If you own any designer names - from the big leagues like Chanel to Louboutin, or the the Bergdorf 5F ones like Milly, Diane von Furstenberg, Shoshanna or Nanette, this may be your sample sale salvation. Tips for consignment shop virgins: Call in advance to determine which brands they accept. Bring in current season only. Make sure to mothball or store your winter goods and bring them back in the Fall. Prepare yourself for rejection. Cute or crazy? The ladies at the shop will decide. That oh so hot Louboutin color that you waited five hours to buy at the sample sale, but can't stand in for more than a nanosecond may not make their carefully curated cut. Merchandise is typically priced at 1/3 of retail, and then you can expect half of the profits - although prices are marked down if they do not sell. One source so far has discovered $300 this season from a recent closet cleaning.

If you're in buying mode, check out their eveningwear upstairs- for this category of merchandise it's unlikely you'll find better prices, unless you're married to a Saks sales associate. Pause before blowing multiple c-notes for Blahniks as some seem more shop-worn than gently. Happy Hunting!

michaelsconsignment.com
1041 Madison Avenue @ 79th Street

~nancy brenner

Coco Chanel

I am watching the Coco Chanel story on Lifetime, as all shoppers, guerilla or otherwise should be doing as well. Since I'm in the middle of watching it I don't have a review, but so far it is an inspirational tale for all women trying to move and shake.

Te Casan: A Shoe Paradise

My very pregnant stringer, who I just learned is no longer pregnant, but the proud mother of a little baby girl, had informed me of a new shoe store called "Te Casan" in Soho. She had come across it in a New York magazine article a few weeks ago:

It’s bigger than Capitale! If you have not yet heard of Té Casan, and if you like shoes, you soon will: It’s a 5,500-square-foot, chandelier-hung, glass-staircased Soho store filled with nothing but women’s shoes.

OK, cutting to the chase, this place is awesome. The shoes are amazing, the salespeople attentive and accessible, the layout open and engaging...it's really an "experience," which is what any smart retailer understands is key to success, especially in New York where the competition is fierce, block after block. I think that if Sex and the City was still on the air they would have had to have filmed a few episodes in here. Why? Other than because I said so, here are some reasons:

• Three floors of footwear bliss for women only
• Shoes designed by seven up-and-coming designers who craft their art - and this stuff really is art - in Spain
• All limited editon shoes, which are numbered on the bottom, like a painting!
• Private "pods" in which you can try the shoes on
• $200-$475 a pair (not exactly cheap, but cheaper than Marc Jacobs, Chanel, etc.)
• New merchandise coming in January
• Free tea on the lower level
• The sickest in-a-good-way pair of boots that Vivienne Westwood would be proud to call her own, if only she had thought of the design first.

And lucky for me I had the pleasure of being shown around the store by Susan, who didn't even know I was a shopping blogger until the end of my visit. They have a secret weapon in her as a salesperson - very down to earth, cool and yet enthusiastic and knowledgable about the designers and the shoes. I shall return!