Cheap High Fashion in Los Angeles

Loehmann’s is THE rite of passage for any bargain shopper. If you’ve never been here before you will be overwhelmed as all hell when you get here, but it’s worth. They’ve got everything from designer bags and sunglasses to denim and dresses to bras and undies. Plus, they have a “Back Room” area full of designer togs from Moschino, Vera Wang, etc… And don’t worry about the communal dressing rooms— it’s just part of the initiation process.

If you don’t mind wearing someone’s discarded togs, then Crossroads is great for bargains. The Melrose location is the best IMHO since you usually get some pretty nice stuff on the racks (thanks to local fashionistas who run out of room in their closets). You can usually find a pretty good selection of denim here, and the jeans are usually pretty newish.

So I bet you’re thinking uhhh, why is Fred Segal on a list of bargain shops? Well, I’ll tell you, it’s because of their twice-yearly sales!! The Fred Segal sales are bargain heaven. The stuff is marked down about 50% at the beginning of the sale (which usually lasts for a couple days), and after that it goes down even more. And since people are probably holding back on their shopping this year’s sales will probably be extra special. The summer sale has already happened, but keep your ears open for the winter sale.

If you’re into big names, but you’re not into elbowing your way though the crowds, then you might find this Culver City boutique to be a little slice of heaven. They carry brands like Catherine Malandrino, Martin Margiela, Prada, and Vivienne Westwood, as well as more casual (read: cheaper) labels like Seven, Splendid, and Mint.

Personally, I prefer Loehmann’s over Nordstrom Rack, but a lot my friends and family always seem to find awesome bargains here (for some reason the Nordstrom gods have not taken a liking to me). You have to have a bit of stamina to shop here—you really have to look hard through the overstuffed racks to find the good stuff. But it’s there—- somewhere…

So this place isn’t exactly cheap, but a lot of the designer goods are marked down about 50%, meaning you’ll pay $300 for a Prada bag instead of $800. That’s sort of a bargain, right? And while the name sounds a little stuffy, they have a pretty cool selection of stuff, including an AWESOME leather bomber jacket from Hogan that I wouldn’t mind owning.

Like its competitor, Crossroads, Buffalo is a great place to pick up used or vintage clothes. The La Brea location is probably the best place to go. I’m sure many a Hollywood clothes hound has dropped off a thing or two here after seeing it splashed all over the pages of “U.S. Weekly.”