If you’re style-conscious and active on social media, you’re likely to face a particular first-world problem: what do you do with a perfectly good outfit once you’ve already Instagrammed it? “I need to keep things fresh so it doesn’t look like I keep repeating,” says Uptown resident Christina Beauchamp of lifestyle blog Fashion & Frills.
The dilemma may be one reason upscale consignment is on the rise. Last summer, the Chicago-based shop Luxury Garage Sale rolled into Snider Plaza. A few months later, the owners of the Arizona boutique To Be Continued poured nearly $1 million into a Lovers Lane outpost. Dallas women now have a bevy of luxury resale options.
To help Beauchamp pick a place to consign, we took her barely used goods (see above) to the best shops in Dallas. Unless otherwise noted, all prices mentioned were strictly best guesses by staff and not officially agreed upon.
Five-Star Service
Luxury Garage Sale
Description: Has the smallest in-store stock of the shops, but each piece—from high-end designers like Hermès and Christopher Kane—is a stunner. Also accepts hot-right-now contemporary labels like Rag & Bone and Self Portrait.
Consignor Commission: 60 percent, or 70 percent if paid in in-store credit
Consignment terms: 180 days. After contract: staff calls to discuss a discount on unsold items. LGS never donates without consignor approval. Consignors get paid automatically via check or PayPal two weeks after each item sells.
Benefits: Offers at-home pick-up and will even dig through clients’ closets to help find consignment gold. Props to the stellar online shop and no-fuss payment system.
Shortfalls: A minor quibble: items are sent to the Chicago headquarters for authentication and pricing, so it takes a little over a week to get quotes.
Feedback on Christina’s items: The dress didn’t cut it. The client relations manager figured HQ would price the skirt at $85; shoes, $350; and the bag between $1,900 and $2,100.
Vintage Couture Nirvana
Vintage Martini
Description: Welcomes current labels, but Vintage Martini is best known for carrying designer frocks that date as far back as the Victorian era. Racks are organized by decade, holding everything from like-new Alexander McQueen to 1960s Oscar de la Renta dresses.
Consignor commission: 50 percent
Consignment terms: 120 days. After contract: may keep fab items longer, otherwise they’ll mail a letter to request pick-up or permission to donate. Monthly checks automatically sent once a consignor’s account reaches $100.
Benefits: No need to track an account and the shop doesn’t do discounts, so prices quoted in the beginning are what items will sell for in the end.
Shortfalls: They require a minimum of eight items to open an account, though exceptions are made for outstanding pieces.
Feedback on Christina’s items: Staff waived the eight-item minimum because they loved the bag and shoes. Clothing estimates were $70 to $80 each; shoes, $300 to $395; and the bag, $898.
Luxe Bags Galore
To Be Continued
Description: Has an impressive collection of Birkins and other big-name bags in its swanky digs, many kept behind glass, plus a sea of Chanel tweed, and lines like Alice + Olivia, Rory Tahari, and Elizabeth and James.
Consignor commission: 50 percent on luxury; 40 percent on contemporary; extra 10 percent if you’re paid with an HPV gift card
Consignment terms: 120 days. After contract: consignors must call to discuss a markdown, pick-up, or donation. Consignors must request payments.
Benefits: Will send recognizable items to the Scottsdale location if consignors don’t want friends (or frenemies) to see them.
Shortfalls: Consignors must request checks. Also, unsold contemporary pieces become TBC’s property if the items aren’t picked up.
Feedback on Christina’s items: Staff said the YSL bag would sell “almost immediately.” They took pictures for the manager, who quoted: dress, $85; skirt, $125; shoes, $445; and $1,895 for the bag.
Dig the Deals
Clotheshorse Anonymous
Description: Been in business for more than 40 years. Cocktail dresses are big here, as is Lululemon and Lucy athletic wear. Fur lovers can warm up to an entire wall of plush coats.
Consignor commission: 50 percent for items priced less than $500; 60 percent for those over $500
Consignment terms: 60 days for items under $500, 90 days for over. Consignors must track and retrieve unsold items before they’re donated. Monthly checks are automatically sent to those owed $50 or more; less is paid at the end of the contract.
Benefits: Has a loyal patronage plus a passable online shop.
Shortfalls: Prices are lower than LGS and TBC, and there is a 25 percent markdown after 30 days. Great for shoppers, not consignors. Donates without permission.
Feedback on Christina’s items: An unprecedented surplus restricted in-take to a shortlist of brands. Shoes were too worn, but skirt was cute, and they always take cocktail dresses. Bag estimate: $800.
Best for Basics
Clothes Circuit
Description: The 7,200-square-foot shop has a department-store feel. It also has the widest range of labels spanning Gap to Versace.
Consignor commission: 45 percent for items priced less than $250; 60 percent for those over $250
Consignment terms: 60 days, or they’ll sell items until end of season. Donates without permission, but never big-ticket items. Monthly checks are automatically sent to those owed $100 or more; less than $100 paid at season’s end.
Benefits: This place is the busiest by far. They accept most brand names, so consignors might be able to dump a season’s worth if it’s in tip-top shape.
Shortfalls: No online shop, and items get marked down every couple weeks. Bring only the pristine: they’re uber-picky about condition. Will donate without notification.
Feedback on Christina’s items: Staff didn’t like the shoes’ condition, suggested professionally cleaning the bag, the dress wasn’t seasonal (red = holiday), and they weren’t selling skirts at that time.
