如何购买名牌包
BBC梅根·斯奈登(2016年2月18日)
6月和7月之间在全球范围内留意换季减价销售。
席琳·瓦克尼纳（Celine Ouaknine）承认自己有很多鞋：350双高跟鞋。还有数不清的平底鞋和运动鞋。
瓦克尼纳是制鞋商的女儿，十几岁时，当她发现自己对鞋子的热情在曾经欺负过她的女孩子中赢得赞叹时，便开始收藏鞋子。她的第一双高价鞋：2004年买的价值350美元的黑色丝绒Miu Miu坡跟鞋。
她还收藏了大概15个高端手提包，其中包括芬迪和普拉达手袋。
瓦克尼纳目前是泰坦工业公司（Titan Industries Inc）的高级设计师，该公司是一家时装公司，总部设在美国。这让她比大多数收藏家更幸运，她买东西时能够享受税收减免优惠，因为她买的这些东西被视为是研究和开发成本。
但你不必从事这个行业就能够买安妮·海瑟薇（Anne Hathaway）在2014年奥斯卡颁奖典上穿的价值785美元的黑色漆皮古琦轻舞鞋，或者哈罗德橱窗内你觊觎已久的价值1370英镑（2293美元）的克洛伊红色皮质挎肩包。
你可能需要放下拥有超高价奢侈品的梦想，比如零售价为几十万的路易威登手袋，或全世界最昂贵的手包，Mouawad一千零一夜钻石手包，该款包包由18k金制成，镶有4517颗钻石，价值380万美元。但如果你知晓如何精明购买，一些名牌产品，比如香奈儿和爱马仕，即使价值数千美元，也是可以轻松买下的。
独一无二，比如这款橙色的爱马仕柏金包（Hermès Birkin）
手包博客网（Purse Blog Network）的首席执行官米根·马奥尼·杜赛尔（Meaghan Mahoney Dusi）说，虽然经典包包可能非常昂贵，但也可能是长期投资的明智之选。由于稀缺性、名人效应和一流的品质，爱马仕柏金包自上市以来价格暴涨，这是众所周知的。
如果你买不起金·卡戴珊（Kim Kardashian）拿的那款包；可能还有其他时尚包包，能在你承受的范围内。
马奥尼·杜赛尔说：“传统上，经典品牌包括香奈儿、爱马仕和路易威登，但其实还有很多其他不错的品牌。”
为了用更少的钱买到这些包包和鞋子，关系良好的销售伙伴或时尚界巨头可以帮助你抢到独家折扣并受邀出席贵宾销售活动。
瓦克尼纳说，与精品店或百货商店的服务员建立良好关系，在他们熟悉你的购物喜好后，可能会为你将新产品或减价产品留下来。虽然这可能需要从同一名服务员那里多次购买同样的产品。经常逛逛店面也是注册电邮推广以提供交易的最简单方式。
时尚博客Shoerazzi的博客作者艾希莉·斯派克（Ashley Spiker）说，她在社交媒体上关注自己最喜欢的销售员，因为他们会定期发布自发交易。
瓦克尼纳说，内曼·马库斯（Neiman Marcus）和萨克斯第五大道（Saks Fifth Avenue）精品百货店等百货商店提供30天退货政策，这让他们优先选择较小的精品店，其通常只提供店面信用点数。而且，瓦克尼纳说，了解百货商店顾客的购物习惯帮她省了不少钱。
某爱马仕精品店开业时，顾客拿着爱马仕包。
例如，瓦克尼纳说：“在诺德斯特龙百货公司（Nordstrom）等地方，顾客怕跟不上潮流，因此高档时尚鞋卖得比较快。”
确实会发生买主后悔购买的事情。马奥尼·杜赛尔建议仔细查看包包的皮质、五金件和缝合线，以确保质量。马奥尼·杜赛尔说，如果你想要充分利用自己的投资，应选择基本颜色的时尚设计，而不要选择你不会经常穿戴的夸张颜色，也不要选择可能过时的设计。
在欧洲，名品直销中心，比如意大利蒙特瓦尔基的普拉达直销中心，是以优惠价格购买时尚奢饰品的另一种方式。倘若你是非欧盟居民，如果在一些欧洲国家（包括法国）购物，在离境时可以获得大多数商品和服务的增值税（VAT）退款。退税单必须由零售商准备并在你离境时呈递海关。
如果你喜欢网上购物，eBay和国际Runway Bidder等在线拍卖网站销售二手品牌产品，价格大大低于Gilt和Rue La La等在线折扣网站。设计师们也有自己的网站。斯派克称自己曾发现，一双正常零售价1500美元的布莱恩·艾特伍德（Brian Atwood）鞋子在其设计师的网站上售价150美元。
斯派克说，当购物与购物地点一样重要时，6月和7月之间以及12月和1月之间可在全球范围内留意换季减价销售。样品销售，对于曾摆放在狭小空间里供时装秀使用以及为顾客展示的“样品”，设计师会提供20%到80%的折扣，这也是一个不错的选择。样品销售也用来指积压的库存销售。
对于即将推出的促销，DailyCandy和260SampleSales等公司会发出通知，而这些销售产品通常积压在没有试衣间的炎热仓库、储藏室或地下室，到处都挤满跃跃欲试的顾客。即使你提前到达，也可能需要排队等上几个小时。
歌手莉莉·艾伦（Lily Allen）手拿香奈儿手拿包出席《大梦想家》
如果你认为包包是一项潜在的投资，并且你认为自己有一天可能会尝试出售自己珍视的柏金或芬迪，请妥善存放这些包包，以便能够尽量保持它们的品质。例如，不要将包包挂起，因为这会拉伸包带。而是要用气泡布或棉纸填满包包，保持其形状，然后将包包放入购买时随附的防尘罩中，存放在干燥的环境下。
花些时间来证明包包的真伪。Bag Borrow or Steal首席运营官罗伯特·特里夫斯（Robert Treves）认为，拉链不好用、仿冒商标和低质量皮革应该是最简单的假冒品。Bag Borrow or Steal是美国的一家专门租赁和销售二手手袋的公司。特里夫斯说：“他们永远不会复制出与原产品一模一样的产品，因为工艺非常奇特，值得他们花上所有的时间。”
Authenticate First等公司针对通过私人卖主和寄售商店或eBay销售的产品提供购前评估服务。该服务需要序列号、照片以及清单链接，产品购前大约需要7.5美元，已购产品大约需要15美元。
租用二手包包手袋租赁相当普遍。Bag、Borrow 或 Steal提供针对各种价位的包包提供按月租赁，包含保险和维护费。特里夫斯说：“与购买新产品相比，通过租赁，你可能省不了多少钱，但你有机会在自己喜欢的场合用上自己喜欢的包包。”Chanel Classic Jumbo Flap的零售价近5000美元，但你能够以每月500美元的价格租用它。
租赁不能给你带来的则是购买时很有面子的体验。瓦克尼纳说，由于对鞋子有着共同的钟爱，她与一些自己经常光顾的精品店的经理成了最要好的朋友。
瓦克尼纳说：“也许我们的朋友关系是从表面关系开始的，但之后这种关系开始深化。这就是鞋子的力量。”
（责编：腾龙）
Make your friends jealous
By Megan Snedden,18 February 2024
Celine Ouaknine admits she has a lot of shoes: 350 pairs of high heels. And that doesn’t even tally her flats and sneakers.
She has so many pairs of shoes that she keeps the majority of them in storage because they don’t fit in her Los Angeles apartment. The daughter of a shoe manufacturer, Ouaknine began amassing her shoe collection in her early teens when she realised her passion won her popularity among girls that once bullied her. Her first pricey pair: $350 black velvet Miu Miu wedges purchased in 2004.
“It’s just really cool to have a shoe everybody wants,” said Ouaknine, 32.
She also owns a collection of 15 or so high-end handbags that include Fendi and Prada.
Ouaknine, currently a senior designer for US-based apparel fashion company Titan Industries Inc, is luckier than most collectors since she is able to get a tax break on her purchases because they are considered a cost of research and development.
But you don’t have to work in the industry to be able to afford the fabulous $785 black patent leather Gucci pumps that Anne Hathaway wore to the Oscars in 2014 or that ￡1,370.00 ($2,293) red leather Chloé shoulder bag you’ve been staring at through the Harrod’s window.
You may have to put aside a dream of owning a Louis Vuitton handbag that retails for hundreds of thousands, or the most expensive purse in the world, the Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse, which is made from 18kt gold and coated in 4,517 diamonds, costing $3.8m. But brand names such Chanel and Hermés are well within reach— if you know how to buy smart — even though they can cost thousands.
How to buy it
While a classic bag might be costly, it could be a wise long-term investment, said Meaghan Mahoney Dusil, chief executive officer of the Purse Blog Network. The Hermés Birkin is known to skyrocket in price after it’s been purchased because of its scarcity, celebrity appeal and quality.
If you simply can’t afford what Kim Kardashian is carrying; there’s likely a stylish bag out there in your price range.
“Traditionally, the classics include Chanel, Hermés and Louis Vuitton, but there are so many more,” Mahoney Dusil said.
To get those bags and shoes for less, befriending sales associates and fashion industry moguls can help you snag exclusive discounts and invites to VIP sale events.
Loyal relationships with boutique or department store staff might inspire them to set aside new or reduced-price items once they’re familiar with your taste, said Ouaknine. This may take a few consistent purchases from the same attendant, though. Being a store regular is also the easiest way to get signed up for email newsletters that offer deals.
Ashley Spiker, author of fashion blog Shoerazzi, said she follows her favourite sales associates on social media because they regularly post spontaneous deals.
Ouaknine said the 30-day return policies of department stores like Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue make them preferential over smaller boutique stores, which usually only give store credit. What’s more, Ouaknine said understanding the shopping habits of department store customers has saved her money.
“At places like Nordstrom, the customers are slow to get on trends, so high fashion shoes go on sale quickly,” for instance, Ouaknine said.
Buyers remorse does happen. Mahoney Dusil recommends closely inspecting a bag’s leather, hardware and stitching to ensure its quality. If you want to get the most out of your investment, opt for sleek designs in basic colours instead of loud colours you won’t wear as often or that might go out of style, Mahoney Dusil said.
Designer outlets in Europe, such as the Prada outlet in Montevarchi, Italy, are another way to buy into the luxe fashion life without busting your bank account. If you’re a non-European Union resident, shopping in some European countries including France allows you to get a refund upon departure on value added taxes (VAT) charged on most goods and services. The refund documents must be prepared by the merchant then presented at customs when you leave the country.
If you prefer armchair shopping, online auction sites such as eBay and the international Runway Bidder sell second-hand design brands for significantly less than retail as do online discount sites like Gilt and Rue La La. Designers also have their own websites. Spiker said she found a pair of Brian Atwood shoes that normally retail for $1,500 on sale for $150 on his website.
When you shop matters just as much as where, said Spiker. Worldwide, look out for end-of-season sales between June and July as well as December and January. Sample sales, where designers offer 20% to 80% off “sample” merchandise lots that were created in limited sizes for fashion shows and demonstrations for store buyers, are also a good bet. The term sample sale is also used to refer to overstock warehouse sales.
Companies including DailyCandy and 260SampleSales send out notifications about upcoming sales, which are usually held at hot warehouses, stockrooms or basements without fitting rooms that are crowded with eager shoppers. Even if you arrive early, expect to wait in line for several hours.
The fine print of ownership
If you consider a bag a potential investment — and think you might try to sell your prized Birkin or Fendi one day —preserve their quality as long as possible by storing them correctly. Don’t hang bags, for instance, because it can stretch the strap. Instead, stuff items with bubble wrap or tissue paper to maintain their shape, and store them in their accompanying drawstring dust cover in a dry environment.
Take time to prove the item’s authenticity. Robert Treves, chief operating officer of Bag Borrow or Steal, an American company that rents and sells pre-owned handbags, said poorly installed zippers, imitation logos and low-quality leather should be the easiest counterfeit giveaways. “They are never going to duplicate the real deal because the craftsmanship is amazing and it’s worth all the time they put into it,” Treves said.
Companies like Authenticate First offer a pre-purchase evaluation service for items sold through private sellers and consignment shops or on eBay. The service requires serial numbers, photos and a link to the listing, and costs about $7.50 pre-purchase and about $15 for already-purchased pieces.
In someone else’s bag
Handbag rental is fairly common. Bag, Borrow, or Steal offers month-to-month rentals of varying price tags, including insurance and maintenance. “With renting, you may not have saved a lot of money versus purchasing a new item, but you get the opportunity to wear what you want, when you want,” Treves said. The Chanel Classic Jumbo Flap retails for almost $5,000, but you can rent it on the site for $500 a month.
What renting can’t get you is the added bonus of face time while shopping. Connecting over a mutual love for shoes, Ouaknine said some of her best friends are managers of boutiques she visits.
“Maybe the relationship starts out as a superficial relationship, but then it transitions. That’s the power of shoes,” Ouaknine said.