The Fall Haul

Although the Canadian dollar is not strong there are still deals to be had south of the border. Troy, Michigan is favourite road trip because of the abundance of retail. Great Lakes Crossing is a great outlet mall. The layout is very similar to Vaughn Mills but the stores are better. Saks 5th Avenue OFF 5TH outlet is a great place for shoes. Wide selection of high end brands like Kate Spade, Coach, and Saks own line of shoes are high quality. Handbags and accessories are also great deals. Clothes are hit and miss because a lot of searching through racks is required. Another great outlet mall is Birch Run. Another great outlet store is Nordstrom Rack. As you can see a trip to Troy is a full-on shopping experience.

The full price mall I like to visit is Somerset Collection. It has 2 sections separated by a bridge. Section one has Macy’s, Nordstrom, Sephora and many other mid-priced retailers. Across the bridge you will find luxury brands and department stores like Neiman Marcus, Saks 5th Avenue, Gucci, and Louis Vuiton. A great tip is to browse at Somerset Collection; note the styles you like and then find them at the outlet mall. It takes some work but it can be done.

Example:

One of the trends I saw was legging trousers or super skinny trousers. I spotted them at Ann Taylor for $89.99 (40% off) and then at Khol’s I found a similar pant from the Simply Vera Wang line for $26.00. This was my favourite score of the haul.

Accessories Haul

One of my favourite brands is Kate Spade. I love the designs, use of colour and whimsical touches that are the DNA of this brand. I never miss an opportunity to visit the outlet store. This time I was looking for an evening clutch as I have some events and parties coming up. I love the clasp on this bag. It’s very geometric and it actually holds quite a bit of stuff so I won’t feel restricted. I also picked up a “geek-chic” pair of reading glasses. Since I have started to need them, I always look for unique colours, shapes or patterns so i can change them up often. Finally I picked up a cute phone case with bird cages and birds. So whimsical!