
Before I was lucky enough to be a fashion editor, I was a fashion fan. I trolled Style.com, watched the Clothes Show on the BBC and idolised British designers like Christopher Nemeth, Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen. While it was a lusty and heady affair with clothes, I had one thing missing: the money that it takes to acquire them. I had the sartorial equivalent of eyes that were bigger than my stomach. Until I heard rumblings of a designer discount village, just a couple of miles away from London and reachable by train. Bicester Village promised a champagne lifestyle on my meager lemonade budget.
I drove down there and managed to score a handbag that I only could have dreamed of. A McQueen tote bag, from the era when the late designer was at the helm. Black leather with gold hardware that I cherished until recently, when I decided to part with the item to a young fashion fan who reminded me of myself and promised to take good care of it.
Now, an established editor and a (self-confessed) supremo shopper, imagine my delight when I found out that these luxury outlets exist in Paris by way of La Vallée Village, and the newly opened New York location, Belmont Park Village
La Vallée Village
The Bicester Collection is a family of destinations across London, Dublin, Frankfurt, Milan, Barcelona, Madrid, Shanghai, New York and Paris, amongst others, so there are plenty of locations to consider. After a gruelling ten days in the French capital for fashion week, I needed some R&R&R (rest and relaxation and retail!) at their Paris outpost.
La Vallée Village was a pleasant 45 minutes from my hotel, and on arrival, I was whisked away into the comfort of their VIP lounge, The Apartment, and started with a delicious cappuccino before we began perusing the boutiques. Avid listeners of The Good Buy will know, I consider myself a shopper who knows what she is doing. Give me a credit card and watch me work. With over 120 shops, prioritisation is key. I hone in on the stores I know that I have to hit, Balenciaga, Ferragamo, Loewe and my mecca, Prada.
The Miu Miu and Prada are all housed in one space which is incredibly convenient. After ogling some Miu Miu pieces (the Lotta Volkova years), I score big. And I mean autumn/winter 2017 is big! The beaded mohair pieces have been on my must-acquire list for years, so imagine my joy when I see several pieces in glorious technicolour and the price made them too good to pass up. I chose orange over the pink and left with a knowing smirk of someone who knew they got a great deal.
I was sure I couldn’t beat my Prada steal, but the footwear Loewe came in late in the day with another must-have item. Jonathan Anderson’s tenure at Loewe is encapsulated in these near-surrealist shoes. These loafers as with jean-style rivets and pockets are incredibly comfortable and a quick Google search uncovered they were wildly discounted. And so, with me they went, collected by their hands-free shopping team before popping up as if by magic, in my car upon my exit.
In a city known for shopping at its purest and more perfect form, La Vallée Village takes the toil out of shlepping from one store to another. All the brands are beautiful, and the experience is as luxe as a day on the Champs-Élysées.
Bicester Village
It had been over a decade since I had been to Bicester Village, the original location in the Bicester Collection. Nestled in Oxfordshire, it’s a stone’s throw away from chic hotels like SoHo Farmhouse and Estelle Manor, where I stayed, which means you can really make a luxurious trip of going there, even for a couple of days. The property is as spotless as I remember it, and has been upgraded with even more amenities. A pasta lunch at the glamorous Cecconi’s had us readily fueled for an afternoon of rummaging through the rails. This trip, I was particularly interested in going to Saint Laurent after a recent reconsideration on if I could pull it off.
I found two versions of a runway jacket that made the group chat green with envy. The well-trained eye will knows this faux-fur trimmed jacket is a remake from a design of Mr. Saint Laurent himself and showed in the autumn winter 2022 runway show by current creative director Anthony Vaccarello. The staff were amazing in all of the stores. Not skimping on any of the details of the items, outlining how much you were saving and suggesting other items that might round out your purchases.
Bottega Veneta was next on the agenda. The brand doesn’t discount their product so outlets like the one at The Bicester Collection are your only chance to get things for a steal. With the current designer musical chairs, you have to grab collections while you can. A Matthieu’s Blazy-era embellished tank was stunning but I decided to go with a pair of slingback shoes for a wedding I had coming up and a momento now he’s on his way to Chanel.
Belmont Park Village
Belmont Park Village serves as a two-fer. Connected to the newly built UBS Arena, you can quite literally be browsing boutiques in the day, and seeing Missy Elliott at night. Trust me, I did it. Accessible by the Long Island railroad, you can be at Belmont in under 30 minutes from Manhattan and is a really great option for those who need a pit stop on the way to and from the Hamptons. There is a Thom Browne (the only outlet in the US), Aquazurra and Missoni. Full disclosure, Belmont Park is still adding in boutiques (Valentino opened recently), but its lush, manicured lawns hark to a European piazza and make for a charming visit nonetheless. I was given the VIP treatment at Vivienne Westwood, where the lovely (and incredibly knowledgeable) sales staff kindly pulled a rack of things they thought I would like, based on my size and style preferences. The service made it feel like I had my very own shopping concierge. Ask, and they will deliver!
I snagged two pairs of sunglasses from the Sunglass Hut that I thought would serve me well for my summer travels. A pair from Tom Ford and a shield-style pair from Versace that give a little Blade Runner, in a good way.
At the time of my visit, the brasserie, Hundredfold, headed up by James Beard Award-winning chef Timothy Hollingsworth, wasn’t open, but I’ve been promised his steak frites alone are worth a visit.
In conclusion, if you’re serious about the art of the bargain, but want to double down on it feeling premium, may I suggest forgoing crowded shopping malls and giving La Vallée, Bicester or Belmont a try. I can guarantee two things: you won’t regret it, and your wallet will be a little lighter after.
This article originally appeared on Harper's Bazaar.com
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