Interview with Veronica – Part Two

I hope you all enjoyed meeting Veronica yesterday (Part 1 here)! Wasn’t she amazing?

What designers do you think still make gorgeous clothes that are worth investing in now?

Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Gucci, Oscar De La Renta, Balmain, Christian Lacroix, Hermes and Chanel of course.

What are some of your favorite consignment shops in the area?

Part of the reason I started the site is because I wanted to give people that don’t visit this area access to these amazing deals.  So just because you are not in the area, don’t feel like you cannot benefit from these stores.  If you see a piece that you are interested in on the blog, I can help. Some of my favorites are Dina C’s Consignment Boutique on Dixie, they get amazing finds all the time at very reasonable prices.  City Girl Consignment also on Dixie are best overall for amazing vintage and current accessories at great prices.  Red Balloon in Wellington gets an amazing selection of designer pieces and they have an amazing sale every month. Fashionista and Attitudes in Palm Beach also have amazing vintage and current pieces.

My favorite online consignment shop is IfPocketsTalked.com.

What personal/style/fashion advice have you learned over the years that you would like to share?

For me, it’s all about comfort and staying true to who I am.  Try everything on, even if it’s your size.  Beware of buying something just because it’s cheap, pay attention to quality, the way a garment was cut and how it fits your body.  One of my pet peeves is having a lump or crease in the fabric that should not be there.

I imagine you are used to seeing killer deals. Do you ever pay for luxury goods full price?

From time to time I still do.  It’s hard now to pay full price for something after getting so spoiled.  When I was younger I splurged a lot and would have probably met the criteria to be diagnosed as a shopping addict.  I remember I would having nothing in my bank account until my next check, because I thought I would literally die if I did not buy an item I wanted.  I have learned that true luxury is buying what you love and still having money in your bank accounts.

What are some tips you can share about finding great pieces/deals at consignment shops? 

Patience is key.  You have to search every single rack and sometimes even look through them twice because there is something you may have missed the first time.  Always ask if there is a sale and always ask if they are willing to do better on the price of an item you are interested in.  There are times when an item has been there for a while and the store is willing to negotiate to sell it.  Always inspect the item and make sure it is in good condition.  If the item needs repair, it’s OK too.  You can negotiate a better price and invest in repairs.  For example, shoes sometimes may need to be taken to a shoe repair shop which may cost you $20 and if you paid $40 for the shoes, it’s still a great deal depending on the brand of course.

Finally, please share something surprising about yourself that most people don’t know!

Jay Z is one of my former bosses, and I am also a certified Addiction Specialist and have helped women recover from drug and alcohol addiction.

Isn’t Veronica so fascinating? I adored interviewing her and I love that she has such a fresh perspective – no doubt because she has such a fantastic and unique background. Thank you again to Veronica for providing your insights into style, and letting us all have a peek at your amazing consignment finds! For more of Veronica and Best of Palm Beach Consignment, her blog is here.