"During the Holidays I took your advise and I cleaned out my clothes closet.
What I have left are some very nice Nordstrom business suits. Brands include Nordstrom Entier, Garfield & Marks and some Chico's clothes. All are in great condition but the women's suits are from the mid-to-late 1990's.
Do you have a recommendation for a Los Angeles consignment store that may benefit from my closet therapy? Signed-- Dated Darling"
Dear Dated Darhling,
We think we can give you some advise, but you may not like what we have to say.
The kinds of clothes you speak about are difficult to sell because (from what you said) the age of the garments range from 8-12 years old. How much are they really worth?
Styles for women's clothes definitely change. Are the suits in perfect condition? Let's say they are-- the consignment stores we know of are either a.) trendy (Crossroads, Buffalo Exhange, Wasteland) or b.) high-end (Closet Therapy on Wilshire, Decades on Melrose).
You need a women's resale store that takes items that accept conservative business suits.
But the issue is the age of the garments. The jacket lapels may be outdated, the pants too tapered, and the colors not current.
We have researched this for clients, and haven't gotten anywhere-- because LA is a terrible place for business suit resale. The best bet is someplace in the San Fernando Valley, or even Orange County, Riverside or Palm Springs. You'll want to research women's resale business suits or casual wear and start from there. But again, the suits HAVE TO be kind of current.
You should see the look on the sales girl's faces when we've tried to sell the store a suit that isn't trendy-- or current. It's tough.
The other possibility is to donate the clothes to Dress for Success, the wardrobe room at Covenant House or Clothes the Deal in Downey, just south of Los Angeles.
Hope this helps. Readers, if you could provide some advise-- please do so!
- Picture courtesy ViaTerra
- Deluxe garment rack from Stacks and Stacks
