Unlike regular shopping, cruising around the net for sales and discounts on new clothing can be such a drag. Some people I’ve talked to gripe that they should be given three credit hours just for the amount of work they put into scouring the web for sales. Whether or not time-consuming online research warrants school credit is debatable, but what’s certain is that constantly checking up on each of your favorite brand or designer’s web pages for mouthwatering deals can be outrageously tedious. What starts out as a leisurely page-hopping treasure hunt can quickly turn into a frustrating guessing game—when the discounts will finally arrive, if ever. It’s like Christmas on a rolling calendar. And that’s no fun.
The fact is you need a better way to get the skinny on deals, and there won’t be a way to dress up your neglected GPA when you finally find them. Well come hither dear reader, it’s time I tell you where to direct your browser on those tangled interwebs to procure the remedy for what ails you.
Gilt.com is a membership based website that provides steep discounts on looks from the most elite, high-end designers. The site operates as follows: each day a handful of collections from various designers will go on sale–usually at noon–for 36 to 48 hours. Once the sale starts, the fashion feeding frenzy begins. Big name suits and shoes go like hot cakes while sneakers and dress shirts simmer for a day or two before they sell out. Sales are set about a month or so ahead of time on the sale calendar so you can get organized for Deal Day, but the collection is kept under wraps, so as not to ruin the thrill of the hunt.
In an exciting move for men, Gilt.com created a page just for us guys in October to better serve its clientele of the male-dressing persuasion. (Yeah men! Manly chest bump on word of a new fashion page!) Gilt.com also runs a blog for men called The Guilt (Man)ual, which offers cheeky fashion advice and tips related to what the site is featuring that day. For example, last week Testoni dress shoes were on sale so the (Man)ual ran a post discussing different ways to lace your new wingtips.
But don’t forget, it’s still a member only site, meaning you need an approved e-mail address to log in. Fear not, one can request membership or get invited from a current member (who, by the way, subsequently receives a $25 credit when the person they invited buys something) so show this destitute columnist some love for the tip and let him invite you to what’s in online.
Accept Keenan’s offer at ktimko@ georgetownvoice.com.
