Designer, not duds

They’re cheap, but they’re genuine. If you’ve always coveted that designer dress or bag, but never quite got down to putting your money where your heart is, take heart. You can still own that fancy label without having to shell out obscene prices (well, only relatively).

Mumbai

Be careful—the market is full of rip-offs; so, you have to shop with care. In Mumbai, it’s safest to buyer designer labels only from their flagship stores. No, we’re not out of our minds. All designer luxury brands, as a rule, have sales twice a year—after the end of The Fall and Winter seasons, typically between January and March-end, and again, between July and September. For the first three weeks—depending on the brand—the prices are slashed by 30-50 per cent; in the last week of sale, prices are slashed by 50-70 per cent. You can then buy clothes, shoes and bags, but items such as perfumes, sunglasses and key-chains are usually not included in these endof-season sales.

So, unless you’re one of those fashionistas who wear clothes only by the “season” and “collection”, there is hope for fabulous bargains yet. Some of the brands whose End of Season Sales are a runway successes are Burberry, Fendi and Moschino. Of course, you can also pick up designer labels at sales in other cities.

Delhi

If you happen to be in Delhi, you may want to check out the Sarojini Nagar Market and Janpath, where you do find export ‘surplus’ at rock bottom prices. Clothes made for GAP, H&M, Atmosphere, Marks & Spencer, George, Levi’s, Mango, Cherokee, Tommy Hilfiger, Guess and Banana Republic are sold here for a song. All these are Made in India clothes that have been tailored for these designer brands and are sold just because they are surplus or rejects. For example, you can pick up a Levi’s T-shirt for just Rs 180 and a GAP top for Rs 140.

Bangalore

In Bangalore, you’ll find factory outlets for brands such as Lee, Levi’s, Allen Solly, Louis Philippe, Arrow, Tommy Hilfiger and Nautica in Marathahalli. Be warned: since the merchandise is often endof-season or oddments, you have to be patient while scouting for your clothes and accessories. But the 30-50 per cent discounts on their regular price tags can make your trip worthwhile. Vashi’s, a shop on Commercial Street in India’s Silicon Valley, is also a paradise for bargain hunters. You can get endof-season Tommy Hilfiger, Nautica, Reebok, Puma and Diesel garments at steep discounts to their card rates. So, happy shopping.

(With Rahul Sachitanand and Pallavi Srivastava)