Glam.com

April 2009

Circulation: 51,000,000/month

Your Recession Plan: Consign & Buy

If you’re anything like us you have several items on your spring wish list and limited funds to buy them. And in spite of the economy your closet is still overflowing with clothing you never wear. Rid yourself of clutter and make money at the same time by consigning some of your pieces with potential. We caught up with expert Elan Barish of The Stash Consignment. Here are her picks for what to get rid of and what to buy. Make money off your own wardrobe and aquire those Louboutin's you've been dreaming of without feeling guilty. Your closet will be the envy of all your friends in no time. Its quite the shopportunity.

Five to Consign:

1. Items with tags that are no longer viable for return: Oh, you know you’ve done this—we all have. We love something in the store, we buy it, we try it a thousand different ways at home but it doesn’t work with any outfit. You intended to return it, but life got in the way. Consignment is a terrific way to get something back on an error.

2. The “It” Bag: If something screams last season and you are ready to indulge in the next flavor of the month, consigning your well-cared-for handbags, totes, and clutches are a great way to get something back on what you spent. Not every fashionista buys a new bag each season, and while you may be done, yours could be the item someone else has been longing for…and, they are one size fits all.

3. Evening Dresses: You know you are not going to wear that fabulous confection to the next 4 weddings you have coming up, so why not consign it and give someone else a chance at happiness with your item?

4. Jackets: For this coming spring season especially, the jacket is THE go-to piece. If you have some you can spare, whether they are boleros, boyfriends, suede, or denim, if they are luxe designers and in amazing condition, this is the time to cash in.

5. Icons: The mere mention of their names elicits drool from even the most sophisticated. Chanel boucle jackets and the 2.55 bag, Hermès (Birkin’s, Kelly’s, and Evelyn’s), J.Mendel fur, YSL Muse…you get the gist. When these items have lived their life with you, pass on their beauty to another gal in the name of sisterhood and fashion. Good taste never goes out of style, and is most always guaranteed to sell.

Five to Buy:

1.Trends: Why not buy those purple jeans or racer back tank you have been lusting after at retail stores?  Here is your chance to buy something you want, but fear may be disposable next season. At a consignment price of at least 75% off retail, you don’t have to rationalize. Just Stashed: YSL Denim Safari Jacket $300; NWT Tsubi pruple Skinny Jeans $50; Alisha Levine lizard print racer back tank $50

2. Classics: The other side of the coin is that with the bargain of 75% off, you may actually get to possess that piece of your dreams. The point of shopping consignment is to attain access to what was once unattainable, so look for those items that make your heart skip a beat. And classics will never go out of style. Just make sure that no matter the reduced price, it is still affordable for you. Just Stashed: Hermès Bag in Box $800; YSL Green croc embossed nubuck Besace messenger bag $500; Marc Jacobs silver lame evening coat $400; Etro floral kimono sleeved top $225

3. Date Outfits: Really, what social butterfly wants to pay full price for a new outfit for all her dates? Purchase a few amazing “going out” tops and dresses and he’ll never see you in the same outfit twice. Just Stashed: Sunner eggplant ruffle dress $100, Diane Von Furstenberg paisley printed wrap dress $100, Rebecca Taylor pink ruffle top $65, Rory Beca $45

4. Fancy Dress: Sometimes you find yourself invited a jillion black tie events with the same forty people. Since most of us are not celebrities or socialites, consignment is a great way to get a knockout black tie dress at a fraction of the price. Formal is not determined solely by trend. Yes, there are designs that may be more of one moment that another, but generally, you would be hard pressed to find someone that can identify what season an evening gown is from. Just Stashed: Vintage Dolce & Gabbana tulip dress $400; Vera Wang strapless green chiffon dress $250; Just Cavalli silk leopard print dress $200

5. What You Need: Finally, and most importantly, consignment can be your go-to alternative to shopping retail. Simply put, why not buy what you need at 75% off retail?  Suits, sweaters, skirts, the gamut. It just makes sense in today’s world to add some conscience to your fashion conscious. If you can find your size, and items are in impeccable condition, this is the responsible new way to shop. And, don’t you feel better?  Just Stashed: Vera Wang long sleeved cashmere cardigan $300; Michael Kors Black & White silk shirt dress $300; Tuleh silk skirt $250; ALL SHOES (Manolos, Loubs, LV, Choos) $150.

 

 

 

TheLuxurySpot.com

April 2009

Circulation:  85,000/month

Something old, something new…

Wedding bells aren’t ringing, but that’s no excuse not to be raking in the gifts.

The Stash Consignment, founded by the fab Élan Barish - has made a name for itself by selling straight out of some of Manhattan’s socialistas’ closets, at rock - think: Harry Winston - bottom prices. And now, as if her social-social service wasn’t enough, she will be hosting an event in her home (yes, her home) on the 29th from 7-9pm, boasting everything from Miu Miu to Peter Som at AT LEAST 75% off. Plus, a portion of her profits will be donated to the Genetic Disease Foundation - does that qualify for a tax write-off? - talk about generous.

 

 

Wowowow.com

March 23, 2009

Circulation: 524,600/month

Norwich: Reselling Clothes for Cash on Manhattan's Posh East Side

For the past several months, as the economy has been going south, a friend has been parading north up Madison Avenue earning cash by charging big-price-tag items from Dolce & Gabbana, Yves Saint Laurent and Bottega Veneta, just to mention a few of her favorites, to her husband’s still-operative Amex card, and then turning around and distributing her purchases to a series of consignment shops in Manhattan and in the Hamptons, where my pal and her husband have a weekend house.

"At some point he will have to pull the plug on my shopping, but in the meanwhile I can stockpile some real cash," my friend explained, saying that the best consignment shops, such as Encore, on Madison Avenue — Jacqueline Onassis is said to have sent things to Encore when her marriage to Aristotle Onassis entered trouble waters — can yield a monthly return of about 40 to 50 percent of the purchase price. Not bad when you’re talking fashion boutique items that always seem to be over $2,000. My friend feels no guilt because, she tells me, her husband is "a cheap bastard." Aren’t they all?

Of course, my friend is not the only spouse in the city working a high-fashion recycling program, shopping for a rainy day if and when the money runs out or if her — or his — marriage is kaput, or both. (The kept husband or beau is not immune in this economy either.)

Red Alert Shoppers! Although buried in this weekend’s edition of the Financial Times, a short article has nonetheless waved a very big red flag and will make this scheme much harder to pull off.

(By the way, is anyone watching the service entrance of Bernie and Ruth Madoff’s building to see what goodies Mrs. Madoff might be shipping to the consignment shop of her choice? I’d also keep an eye on the back door for dry cleaning in case of any detours — furniture, paintings, rugs, jewelry repairs and fur storage as well.)

When Joan Lacey, described as a personal shopper to the Hollywood elite, is asked to make high-priced purchases and immediately return them for re-sale, she "can predict when a woman is about to leave her husband by the purchases she makes,” she tells the FT’s Syl Tang.

According to Tang, the situation has generated a niche business: the consignment personal shopper. Tang reports: "Last August Elan Barish launched The Stash Consignment, which focuses on the privatized consignment of such labels as YSL, Hermès and Chanel."

Barish tells the FT: "Consignment is definitely a way for a woman to gain some financial independence. Even as the Market was crashing, I was able to sell Hermès bags and Chanel jackets. A client asked me to sell her Birkin [handbag]; she said her ex-husband had given it to her and it was bad karma. That bad karma turned into $1,200."

The consignment trend is expected to increase, not decrease, especially as women in the baby boomer generation, who decided to stay home and raise their children, have difficulty making a living in this tough economy should their marriages fail.

"Women who are driven to do this" — recycling purchases to consignment shops — "are terrified that they will be destitute the next day. I had a client who would do this at Neiman Marcus because she had no cash for groceries or her kid’s school lunch. Reselling clothes has become a means of surviving when joint assets are inaccessible," says Lili Vasileff, president of the Association of Divorce Financial Planners.