Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, founder of the Gilt Groupe and chief merchandising officer, may have one of the most desirable jobs in fashion.  She travels the world in search of great fashion, and cultivates relationships with designers.  Her main objective, to acquire samples from said designers to sell on her private online website by invitation only.  The website is less than two years old, but is already a success.  They sell fabulous items at affordable prices, what could be better?  Designers like Carolina Herrera, Marc Jacobs, Matthew Williamson and many more have been featured on gilt.com.  The video highlights a day in the life of the fashion executive, and her schedule is full. 

We’ve already discussed the need to be budget conscious in this economy, all while remaining stylish.  A great way to get high-end items on a budget is to shop online luxury retail sites.  These web sites require you to sign up for free membership, and you are then invited to shop the sample sales from high-end designers like Marc Jacobs, Diane Von Furstenberg, Tory Burch and many others.  Check out the video.  Here is a list of several online retail sites to shop for luxury apparel and accessories at deep discount prices:

• Haute Look
• Ideeli
• Billion Dollar Babes
• Rue La La
• Gilt Fuse- Launching August 12th 

The good news for online luxury retailer, Bluefly, is that women are still buying, they are simply more conscious about their spending these days says Bluefly CEO, Melissa Payner-McGregor.  She goes on to say that women are buying fewer ‘it bags’, browsing more from site to site, and taking more time to decide on purchases.  It’s about having new stock every day, being on-trend with seasonal and current items says Mrs. Payner-McGregor.  The luxury online retailer believes they have educated customers to expect value, and women will no longer want to pay retail after receiving deep discounts during the last holiday season and even beyond.  All of this spells good news for the stock price because it’s up 76% this year.  A part of their success may be attributed to their commitment to customer service and treating customers to a full price experience.