It seems like outlet retailers are becoming increasingly popular in recent years. However, most of the branded clothes sold at Nordstrom Rack, Saks Off Fifth, etc are made specifically to be sold in the outlet and are of worse quality than the main lines sold in actual Nordstrom or Saks.
Personally, I have no interest in paying full price for premium high street products (i.e. Theory, Veronica Beard, Rag & Bone, etc.) so I’ve started buying these items from second hand retailers like Poshmark and The Real Real. However, the rise of outlet retailers has made it difficult to tell whether the garments sold are main line or a lower quality outlet version. I don’t want to buy a subpar quality item just for the label so it’s getting pretty annoying to sift through Theory blazers advertised as being main line, retailing for $395 when the garment is obviously from the outlet and was never sold at that price. However, sometimes it’s not that easy to tell.
So I was going to share the tells I’ve noticed for some of the brands, but I was hoping others could chip in with tips for how to spot outlet items in general and from specific brands?
Theory
For Theory suiting, what I’ve noticed is that the main line is produced in the US whereas the made for outlet version is produced in Vietnam. I don’t think this is true for other garments though. It does seem as though the care tag for main line items is a substantial fabric tag whereas outlet version is a flimsier tag that has a paper feel.
Images of main line vs outlet tag
Vince
I could be wrong but it seems as though main line Vince has a white or a grey label, while the outlet version has a grey label with white outlines. The care tag for the outlet items is also cheaper, paper looking while the main line has a shiny fabric tag.
Images of main line vs outlet tags
Please add your tips for distinguishing made for outlet from regular branded items!
Source link
