Before I begin I have a confession to make; I am no *Carrie Bradshaw (*read: fashion maven). That’s right, high fashion to me is just one step above sweat pants. Except of course on Sunday…when sweat pants constitute haute couture. I know you’re all wondering why I chose then to write about finding online deals for high fashion. Well, the answer is simple – first, I love to find a good deal on anything and I’m not going to be impartial to high fashion. Second, maybe it’s time high fashion took on a new meaning for me (and I’m guessing I’m not the only one), and finding cheap and convenient ways to acquire runway looks might help us to find the fun in fashion.

To start with I had to check out some of my favorite websites for finding deals, like overstock.com and smartbargains.com. Overstock has a shortcut to “Luxury Boutique”, with clothing available from designers like Valentino, DKNY, Anne Klein, Prada, et al.

They have a large selection of career attire as well as evening wear. I myself am partial to Overstock with their customer-friendly website and cheap shipping ($2.99 regularly, through May only $2 for any order with exceptions of oversized items). SmartBargains also offers discount designer brands and seems to be geared towards a younger consumer. Shipping is a bit more expensive at $6.95 flat rate shipping, but the website was easy to navigate and offered a variety of search options.

Both Overstock and SmartBargains have a free newsletter which will notify you of specials and sales, including first looks, secret sales and Overstock will even send daily deals direct to your mobile phone. How’s that for convenience? Discounts vary, but generally you can expect prices that are anywhere from 25% to 80% off retail price. While it might seem extreme to pay $2,184.99 for a silk Valentino dress, knowing you’re getting a 75% discount might help to ease the pain.

Next I was off to Ebay, where almost anything can be found. My concern was not so much whether I could find good deals but whether I could find authenticity. If you know what you’re looking for, brand wise, Ebay is a good place to look – if you’re just browsing, you may have to do a bit of searching to find those high fashion steals. The good thing about Ebay is that you can leave negative feedback if you end up dealing with a dishonest seller. The bad thing about Ebay is that there are dishonest sellers (and buyers for that matter), so look for those with a high percentage of positive feedback.

Also make sure to read any fine print before bidding. A seller may have “Gucci dress” in the title, but in the fine print they may let it quietly slip out that this is an imitation Gucci. Most genuine sellers will offer some proof of authenticity, so that you can feel comfortable paying that extra markup for the real deal.

Or if you just want to look the part but don’t need to have the real deal, you might be happy to find those imitations. Just be sure you’re not paying brand name prices for imitations. On Ebay you can find items that are new with tags indicating that the item has never been worn, new without tags, or various stages of used. Once you find a seller you like, check back with them, since many of these Ebay power sellers are constantly updating their inventory. You may even be able to get discounts on shipping if you buy multiple auctions from one seller.

My search for discount fashion online turned up a surprising amount of websites. Some of these sites sell directly while some compile available discounts from other retailers and list the link to the retailer’s website. Others offer vintage clothing, accessories or access to information on designer trunk shows (topbutton.com). Of course, all offer deep discounts on retail prices.

Below is my list of sites, with my notes on what the site has to offer:

• Efashionhouse.com

This site is really a shopping cart for 5 stores; Brands Boutique, Designers LA, Luxury Vintage, Value Bags and Italys Outlet. While the site seems dedicated to accessories, apparel is also offered at the linked sites.

• Eluxury.com

This site offers search by brand or category with celebrity friendly brands such as Juicy Couture, 7 for all Mankind, Louis Vuitton, etc. The site offers shoes, accessories, beauty and fragrances, even luggage.

• Stylesell.com

This site caters to a younger crowd with trendier items such as Von Dutch trucker hats. Site advertises discounts of up to 65% off.

• Designerapparel.com

This is a user friendly website with links to other websites offering handbags, shoes, apparel, and perfume. Especially helpful if you’re searching for a particular designer.

• Dealsdujour.com

Although I found this website a bit hard to navigate, the concept is decent. The site offers links to sales at retailers, although more of the department store variety than high fashion, and not just clothing but almost anything you would find in a department store. I thought the service was useful enough to include even though it deviates from the main theme. The site also lists available coupons, by popularity, newness, and expiration date.

• Topbutton.com

For the true fashionista, this website not only lists online bargains for actual runway fashions, but notifies you of designer sample sales going on (in New York or Los Angeles). The catch is you have to register to receive these juicy tidbits of “insider” information. Registration is free!

For accessories try (these sites are also linked to designerapparel.com):

• Metroluxury.net

• Designersimports.com

For vintage try:

• Kittygirlvintage.com

• Fashiondig.com

Web-only sales are plentiful and you can receive insider clearance newsletters by registering directly to your favorite retailer – Lerner, Ralph Lauren Polo, Chadwicks, Newport News all offer newsletters. Consumer comparison sites can also be helpful if you know what you’re looking for. Sites such as shopzilla.com, nextag.com, and bizrate.com will let you type in an item to search for and return results on websites which offer that item, pricing, etc. Although I have found that these comparison sites are more accurate when looking for items such as electronics, they can be helpful when shopping for brand name fashions as well.

I hope that my foray into the unknown world of high fashion online has been helpful. I know that there is much more to discover but this head start might at least give you and me a push in the right direction – towards finding our inner fashion goddess. After all, variety is the spice of life, and sweatpants only come in so many colors.