Today on Sew Fetch, we’ll be discussing the art of the steal. While I love designer investment pieces as much as the next girl who posts pictures of herself on the internets, my favorite type of shopping is that of the discounts-and-deals variety. I’ll delve into my rules and advice for big ticket purchases in a later post, but below are some of the best online resources I’ve found for snagging designer goods at a major markdown.

Shopstyle: This site is like having a highly OCD personal shopper right at your fingertips. You simply type in what you’re looking for (ie: “black backpack“) and it combs through the web’s best retailers (including Shopbop, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales and more, but also local and international boutiques) to find items that meet your criteria. You can narrow down by Category, Brand, Price, Color, Sale Only, etc., and save any items you like to organized lists. Shopstyle is perfect for when you sort of know what you want to buy, and are looking to find the best product and deal.

Hukkster: This downloadable plugin lets you “hukk” (save) any products you like while online shopping, and sends you an alert the second they go on sale. Hukkster is an ideal tool when you’ve been eyeing a couture piece for a few months, and want to make sure you don’t miss out when the spring collection hits the racks at 70% off–but don’t have the time or stamina to feverishly check Net-A-Porter every morning.

Online Trades: A number of recent sites let you list your unwanted pieces and trade with members for theirs–it’s like an online consignment shop, without any of the hassle or wait. For high-end goods, I love Snob Swap. For mid-priced wares, Bib and Tuck offers a variety of goods and best of all, curates tastemakers’ closets into their own little online shops. For the luck of the draw, Poshmark allows you to shop other women’s closets in an Instagram-esque feed. Finally, while it doesn’t allow for a swapping option, The Real Real is essentially the Gilt Groupe of luxury consignment. With flash sales as well as more permanent collections, it’s both the ideal place to find a classic vintage Chanel bag, and last season’s Stella McCartney dress you dug, at 65% off retail price.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll introduce those of you based in New York to my favorite brick-and-mortar consignment and vintage shops in the city. Below, I’m wearing a 100% silk, perfectly cropped, shoulder-pads-removed, ivory button-down that I dug out of Rena Reborn‘s $1 bin (that’s right: ONE DOLLAR. I could get half a Smartwater, or this top, and electrolytes aside, I think I made the right decision), suede-and-leather vintage brogues from Diamonds & Cole, and a Philip Lim for Target bag that I deserve none of the credit for: my boyfriend’s amazing sister lives in Chicago and scoured several Midwestern targets for this steal.

Further outfit credits after the jump.

• Sunglasses: Ray Ban (last seen here, buy em here)
• Blouse: Vintage via Rena Reborn
• Harem Pants: H&M (buy similar here from Urban Outfitters or here from Arden B).)
• Shoes: Vintage via Diamonds & Cole
• Purse: Philip Lim For Target (sold out in stores and online but you can buy it on Amazon or Bonanza for 4x the asking price, if you are, quite honestly, a bit of an idiot)
• Scarf: Fendi via Roommate (old, buy similar here)
• Necklace: BaubleBar