Designer Runway Items You Can Buy for Under $300 on The RealReal
All my best finds along with a step-by-step guide of how I find them, so you can too.
Some people scroll TikTok until the wee hours of the morning, I happen to scroll the Vogue Runway Archives. I have a knack…okay, more like an obsession for spotting designer runway pieces at ridiculously low prices. It probably comes from spending years scouring resale sites for pieces *worthy* of my effort to resell, but it’s a skill I’m highly proud of and definitely don’t use enough these days. While everyone else is spending hours aimlessly scrolling The RealReal hoping for a lucky find (if this is you, don’t fret, I will be dropping a goldmine of tips on how to shop The RealReal effectively in the coming weeks), I’m out here looking for potential, running quick Google checks to confirm runway legitimacy, and pouncing on deals that’ll make your head spin. Here are my top finds from this week. Along with a little instruction manual to help you replicate similar results.
Step 1 - Evaluate potential
To evaluate whether something could have been on the runway I use some very proprietary criteria I developed…not really, but I trained my eye to spot them simply by knowing what to look for.
It has to stand out - in a sea of similar looking silhouettes, patterns and colors, I look for any distinguishing features. Designers’ runway pieces often showcase the boldest designs - think unexpected prints, exaggerated silhouettes, or unique embellishments. It also helps to familiarize yourself with the “usual” designs and silhouettes of the designer so you can learn how to spot something more special.
For example, in a sea of neutral, solid Christian Dior blazers, this sheer patterned number caught my eye.
After some Google Lens sleuthing, my suspicions were confirmed and it turned out to be a runway piece from the Fall 2018 collection.
You can get your hands on it for just $279 (size M) here.