BWA Shopping Love: Cosette

The only thing stopping the majority of us from stocking our wardrobes full of designer bags, clothes and shoes is one thing – price. Who wouldn’t swap their Witchery for some Celine, or their Nine West for some St Laurents if given half the chance (or a bottomless bank balance!) To find out how you can do this, read on…

BWA Shopping Love: Designer Haven Cosette

Drool-worthy Celine leopard print pump, and Celine clutch. Image:@cosette.com.au on Instagram

Alas, if your means don’t match your lust-list you needn’t miss out altogether. What you need to do is get savvy:

Forget about trying to buy the latest IT-bag or shoe right off the runway. That’s the quickest road to ruin and one you’ll surely regret after spending more than you can afford (and eating instant noodles for 6 months to pay off that credit card bill.)
Think longevity: concentrate your expenditure on brands and styles that will translate through the seasons (and ideally, through the years.)
Lastly, (and most critically) BUY ON SALE.

Saint Laurent classic Y leather clutch.. Image: @cosette.com.au on Instagram

In Australia, we often complain about being “behind” when it comes to the International fashion cycle, but when money-saving is your objective this situation works to our advantage quite nicely. Why? Because we can buy European designer fashion on sale at the end of their season, and wear it straight away.

Up until now it has been difficult for Australians to access this “fashion arbitrage” given that the better discounts happen within the boutiques themselves over in Europe, and online shopping presents only a fraction of what is actually available (not to mention a slew of potential pitfalls.)

As I was walking through Sydney’s MLC Centre last week I came upon a new luxury destination, ‘Cosette’, which is all about bringing Australians their fix of European luxury – for less.

BWA Shopping Love Cosette - street style

Gorgeous summery looks via a cream YSL tote and nude Isabel Marant sandals! Image: @cosette.com.au on Instagram

Intrigued, I went inside (by the way, it’s right across the road from BWA HQ – oh the temptation!) to take a better look around. There were beautiful Gucci shoes, Marant tops, Celine bags and much much more, all in perfect condition (no samples or seconds) and all at prices much lower than the RRP. It was so lovely and tempting I contacted the company to get the low-down.

According to Cosette, the company was founded by two Parisians with a keen eye for fashion… “We are fashion hunters and buyers of luxury clothing, bags and shoes, representing the latest trends from European fashion houses and Parisian street style. We are Australia’s newest trusted, discount reseller of some of the most coveted designer brands in fashion.”

Sounds amazing, how is this done? “Using the Australian seasonal advantage, we buy summer stock at bargain basement prices from the European fashion houses, and retail it to Australians at the beginning of the southern hemisphere summer.”

SO – Cosette is effectively closing the gap between wanting beautiful designer items, and having them. Works for me.

Timeless Gucci Shopper and Gucci leather sandals. Image: @cosette.com.au on Instagram

With two locations currently open in Sydney (details below), and more boutiques to follow, the company added “Cosette’s retail spaces are a place where women can experience the latest trends and luxury pieces in person, whilst experimenting with the fabulous range of fabrics and styles from the top designers. Beautiful bags, shoes and many other accessories can be mixed and matched to create stunning outfits perfectly suited for the Australian climate.”

So thanks to Cosette, there’s no need sacrifice on quality or buy second hand, designer items are available to see (and shop!) in person at a fraction of their original prices. This is very exciting news for all of the label-lovers amongst us!

IMPORTANT DETAILS:

2 Cosette boutiques are located at: