The Art of the Designer Find

There are very few feelings that compare to spotting a designer piece tucked between a rack of ordinary clothes. It's the thrill of the hunt, the little rush when you realize, "Wait... is this real?" (And when it is? Pure magic.)

Here's the thing about designer shopping: I don't believe luxury has to come with a luxury price tag. In fact, some of my favorite pieces in my closet weren't bought in a boutique with champagne in hand. They were found after digging through racks, checking labels, inspecting stitching, and trusting my instincts. Thrifting teaches you patience, but it also teaches you style. You stop chasing what's trending and start recognizing what's timeless.

A great designer piece isn't valuable because of the logo. It's valuable because of the craftsmanship, the quality, and the story it gets to keep telling. Giving those pieces a second life feels good—for your closet, your wallet, and honestly, the planet too.

Will you leave empty-handed sometimes? Absolutely.

But every once in a while, you'll find the vintage Gucci loafers or a pristine Louis Vuitton Sac Platt. That's the beauty of thrifting.

If you've made it this far, here are my tried and true spots, my never miss locations and some you can skip.

All the details you need for an unforgettable day are below:

Miami

Resale Concierge: 8811 SW 132 Street - Huge selection of carefully curated designer items. Their 2x a year crazy sales are what dreams are made of and the owner, Renata could not be cooler. Follow them on IG for live shopping or ask them for a link to anything you see.

North Miami

Uptown Cheapskate: 14861 Biscayne Blvd - Huge, amazing selection of bags, shoes and Lululemon but you've gotta know your stuff. Amongst the original and well priced LV there may be a fake! Go with a pro.

Fly Boutique: 7235 Biscayne Blvd - Exactly what a vintage shop should be. Treasures in every crack and crevice. Beautiful selection of bags, both "current" and vintage. The owner is also VERY honest and transparent about condition. 

Lost & Found Vintage: 4760 NW 7th Street - What a cool spot. Vintage shirts (way over my budget but amazing to look at and reminisce) and a handful of stunning bags and accessories at great prices. The sales guys are also 10/10. Don't be scared to haggle and take a risk and role the dice ;) ... you'll understand once you're there. 

Delray/Boca

Ritzy Reracks: 4900 Linton Blvd - Amazing selection of bags, tons of Lily Pulitzer, and a huge selection for men but what really got me here is the little perfume popup with excellent prices and the sweetest owner. 

Affluent Finds: 809 George Bush Blvd - Cutie shop with tons of Longchamp and teeny tiny clothing sizes. Worth it to pop in and take a look but I didn't walk out with anything except the memory of the pink sequined jacket/dress I tried on.

A Blast from the Past: 812 East Atlantic Avenue - Pricy and not a huge selection of things that I liked but if you're in the area, and can find parking (eye roll), make it a stop. Def don't ask to use the bathroom, it's out of order. 

SoFlo Finds: 916 SE 5th Avenue - Parking was tricky but once we found it, what a gem. Beautiful selection of home goods, art work, records and tons of kitsch. The owner was so cool and offered drinks and a bathroom and that deserves praise!

Designer Resale: East Palmetto Park Road - Mecca. Holy smokes this place was 100/10. It was way over my budget but if I had a couple thousands dollars I could do some real damage. They did have bags starting at $600 though. My favorite thing about this place was that almost everything was out and accessible to grab, feel, touch and inspect. No need to ask the sales girl 700x if you can see something. I will be dreaming of a yellow Prada for the foreseeable future. 

Posh Consignment: 40 North Federal Highway - Tiny but mighty. Tons of super upscale designer items and hard to find pieces. Pricing is expensive but worth the stop!

Uptown Cheapskate: 929 East Commercial Blvd - Unlike their sister store in North Miami Beach, which I love, this one is a definitely a skip it! Overpriced items, messy store and rude employees ... no thanks!

I have another four handfuls of spots I haven't yet gone to yet so stay tuned!!  Let me know if you have anymore spots to add to the list in the comments.

Thanks for always following along. 

xx, 

Nikki