Do you really have to be rich to wear high-quality designer pieces? The short answer is, sometimes. Undeniably, you’re not going to prioritize getting your hands on the latest fashion items when you’re still saving up for next month’s rent - yet, it’s nice to know that the Internet is home to a few corners of incredibly marked down treasures.

It’s how the average fashionista manages to continue with their hobby without spending all their savings and it’s how you’re going to up your wardrobe and feel fantastic without breaking the bank as well. Here is a much-needed guide to the hidden designer outlets and how you, I and anyone in between who has already paid their rent this month can treat themselves.

First: The shopping mindset

Before we get cracking, it’s important to do a quick recap on not only how and where you should shop - but also how you should think when shopping. If you find something that is a bit pricier than you originally had in mind, yet oh-so-perfect, you’d want to make sure you’re going to wear it a lot.

We’re talking seasonal coats that will work during spring as well as autumn, a classic dress you might wear to the next work event as well as your mother-in-law’s birthday, a leather bag you’ll take with you everywhere, you get the picture. It needs to mean something to you, be worn with love and preferably passed on to your children and grandchildren.

The Internet: Find Outlets

The easiest and least energy-consuming way of shopping is, of course, to go online. As everyone seems to prefer this method, it’s starting to get a bit confusing out there and shopping sites have reached a number that few of us are able to search through in one sitting. So let’s break it down for you; Net-a-Porter and The Outnet are most fashionistas go-to sites for designer pieces that have been marked down.

Yet, there are more hidden gems out there than these. Saks Off 5th Avenue and 6PM feature marked down designer clothes and, if you pop by once in a while, you’ll be able to take home a proper bargain. If you are looking for something specific, it might be a good idea to go straight to an outlet that features the brand you want; check out these Air Jordan 1, for example, and you’ll know what we mean.

Look for flash sales

Even when you’ve found your ultimate shopping site, you may not have found the prices you had in mind. That’s why some sites specialize in flash sales; the kind you often have to sign up for and that will continue to send you annoying emails.

Nonetheless, it is the price we have to pay (at least a part of it) for high-quality clothes at a low price. Keep an eye on sites like ideeli, Gilt and HauteLook for great discounted deals as well as occasional flash sales.

When you’ve become used to paying the same for a skirt from Marc Jacobs as you would pay for one from Topshop, it’s easy to see why discounted designer clothes can be so addictive.

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