This year, shoppers in Mumbai and New Delhi have added considerably to their collection of luxury handbags, designer denims and cult shoes. Any pair of Jimmy Choo shoes for Rs5,000. Burberry at a flat 80% discount, Dunhill at 70% off, press sample sales for Alberta Ferretti, and Moschino, and discounts at Salvatore Ferragamo and Bottega Veneta. We’ve even heard an urban legend of a sale at Louis Vuitton, but the label’s representatives firmly deny it.
A disclaimer for those who wonder why the stuff they lust after is never on sale: Luxury brands are very protective of what they call their “classics”. These bags or shoes are a regular feature season after season, such as the Hermes Kelly or Birkin bags, or Tod’s Gommino leather moccasins. They may undergo small design evolutions from time to time, colours or materials may change, but essentially, they are pieces that you will have for a lifetime. Labels are reluctant to put these classics on sale, as it dilutes their exclusivity.
Each collection has pieces inspired by the season’s trends and hot colours. These trendier pieces have a shorter shelf life and what is hot today could look dated a few months later. These pieces are usually not carried forward season after season, so they are on sale at the end of one.
Material gains: (top to bottom) Gucci’s Crystal GG Indy has a sale price of Rs71,000; the Stock Sandalo Laccetto and colourful handbags are at 40% off; and some varieties of denims are discounted at Calvin Klein Jeans.
Since our favourite four-letter word is displayed at a few fancy stores,
Lounge reviews some sales at luxury and high street labels.
Gucci
Magic words: Flat 50%
Half price in the Gucci store is a wet dream for many, and to be fair, Gucci’s sale is the most democratic of the lot. Everything is actually on 50% discount, except a few classic belts, which have 30% knocked off.
The staff are convinced that if you’re a first-time buyer, you’re going to want a bag (that’s the category which gets sold out first). New buyers pick bags with the GG monogram to flash around, while those who “know the brand” opt for new shapes. The store’s current showpiece is the Hysteria bag in croc—the Rs9.5 lakh price tag gets shaved to about Rs4.25 lakh. For those of us who are of more modest means, a more cautious demeanour, or have too much common sense to pay that much for a handbag, there are the entry-level bags, which start from Rs30,000. Our pick is the Pelham—a deep chocolate leather bag with braided handles, at a reduced price of about Rs75,000. Wallets, popular with teenagers we hear, are about Rs7,500.
Ready-to-Wear is another area where first pieces are often bought at sale time, we are told. Formal trousers for women are at Rs19,000 and shirts for men are from Rs10,000-12,000. There’s a black wrap dress with a leather-knot fastening, which has the potential to be a workhorse in a working woman’s wardrobe. But its sale price is a few digits over Rs50,000.