$100 Gift Certificate Giveaway - Calling All LA Shoppers on a Tight Budget!!!

Calling all shoppers on a tight budget pretty much means everyone these days, right? Before I had a mortgage, I would buy whatever I liked or wanted when it came to clothes. Now, I never went too crazy like buying a $1000 dress here or there, but I love certain name brand dresses that have a price range of $300-350. I have to admit...I have it bad for Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dresses. But once I bought my condo, those days of walking from my old apartment down the block to Bloomie's at the Sherman Oaks Fashion Square when I wanted something new to wear to someone's birthday party became a thing of the past if I wanted to make my mortgage payment.

Between then and now, I started checking out resale stores/boutiques and thrift shops instead of the mall and kept finding at low costs making it easier for me stay away from "retail." These days, I rarely even think of going retail as I have found myself consistently spending a fraction of what I would spend at the mall without lowering my standards of clothing. If find something I liked at a retail or department store, I would hear this little voice in the back of my head saying "you do realize that you could get two to four Diane Von Furstenbergs for that price if you take the time to look?" I'll admit it was time consuming going to resale stores figuring out which shops were good and which were crappy, but it was so worth it in the end.

I have adjusted to making my monthly mortgage payments for the past three plus years, but I've kept these new shopping habits and thought I would share my most recent experience with you. I'm quite proud of how much money I save and hope it will help you to be more stylish for less. It actually has to do with a good friend of mine, Heather, and my favorite high-end women’s clothing and accessories resale designer boutique called Past Perfect.

Heather left her teaching career a few years ago to raise her two boys, so now the family depends on one income. She has seen the wonderful purchases I’ve made ranging from casual wear, dresses, shoes and purses at Past Perfect. She’s not only friend, she’s my neighbor, so I’d run over to her place with excitement as soon as I got home to show her.

I was flattered when she approached me a few weeks ago to see if I would help her find a dress for an upcoming dressy-casual wedding in hot Arizona her family would be attending. Her ideal situation was to find a summery dress and some cute, comfy shoes (no heels) for no more than $100. Of course I recommended Past Perfect. Unfortunately, Heather never got a chance to break away from the boys to go check out the boutique with me. Luckily for her, I went to Past Perfect on a regular basis and kept an eye out for her.

I totally scored for Heather and myself! I came across such a cute, unique dress with a beautiful pattern for her.

It sounds like there's a lot going on with the dress, but it was carefully put together. The base was a spaghetti strap dress with an empire waist. At the arms and chest, the sleeves were created with a sheer material with the same pattern as the base.

At the edges of the sleeves and at the bottom of the dress, there were these little gold noiseless bells.

Namebrand was Plenty by Tracy Reese which usually retails for $200-300 at places like Macy's and Anthropologie.

Past Perfect's price was...get this...you ready?...$45!!! I took a chance on it and bought it for her. She loved the dress when I showed it to her! We loved everything about it except for how the sleeves sat on the arms. So I thought "what about if we took the sleeves up to make it a sleeveless dress?" We used two twisties to see. We had a winner. Off to the tailor to attach some type of snaps and invisible straps to create this sleeveless look for $15. Now, she can wear it this way when she undoes the snaps…

or this way with the snaps…


So far, I spent $60!!!
Shoes were kind of easy once we figured out what would look cute and be comfortable for Heather. We saw these sandals on J. Crew’s website on sale now for $59.99 from $98 and these for $149.99 from $238! I work in Downtown LA by the famous shopping area called The Alley aka Santee Alley right off of Los Angeles and 9th Streets. I found these look-alikes for only $20!!!

And then I loaned her a pair of matte gold hoop earrings that had bling and a simple white shawl.

I dressed Heather for the wedding for as little as $80!
Hopefully she'll send me a pic of her at the wedding so you can see the finished product when I announce the winner.
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I don’t think I’ve ever left Past Perfect without buying something. Kris, the owner, makes it a point to have a great inventory. Available for purchase are practically new designer clothes, shoes and accessories according to what season we’re in which makes it easier to shop. Nothing like when you walk into thrift shops or other resale stores for a sundress and all they have are tattered clothing. Kris's staff (including her daughter, Rachel) is personable and pleasant. They’ve always given me their honest opinions and I’ve never felt pressured to purchase anything. I hope you’ll take my advice and will check out Past Perfect. It’s located at 22565 Ventura Blvd. in Woodland Hills and the phone number is (818) 591-0101. Parking is easy.

Kris has been generous enough to provide Dear LA Concierge with a $100 gift certificate for my giveaway so a lucky Follower can go check out her boutique on her!!!

---Giveaway---
Tell me what was your favorite item that you got for a steal? First 30 Blogger in the Los Angeles area who sign up follow me and leave a comment on this blog about his/her best find get entered to win the $100 gift certificate to Past Perfect. By entering into this giveaway, you are promising to do two things for me if you win…Once you have gone to Past Perfect, 1) You promise to be the one to go to Past Perfect to make the purchase and 2) You will email me the answers to the following questions: 1. What did you purchase with $100 gift certificate at Past Perfect? 2. What did you like most about the store? 3. What did you like the least? 4. Would you go back/Would you recommend Past Perfect to a friend? Why or Why not?

Good luck to my future followers!!! I look forward to you signing up with me. To give you an even better idea of Past Perfect deals, here is list of a few of my favorite finds from Past Perfect...

----Fun, white Ella Moss sundress with sunflowers embroidery for $28----


----Colorful hippie top by T-bags for $20----

----Beautiful and sophisticated yet sexy navy dress by Catherine Malandrino for $98 (pics don't do it justice)----

---Classy, basic black suede Manolo Blahnik pumps for $198---
---I don't think the previous owner ever wore these out---

----This timeless Chloe satchel I bought for $350 in mint condition----

Hasta luego,
Cindie
Dear LA Concierge

Need an idea on gift items or a meal in the LA area and where to go for the best deals? I'd love it if you'd write me at DearLAConcierge@gmail.com and ask.
I'd be happy to help.