Fashion Girls Know This Is a Top Place to Find More Affordable Designer Gems

After six years of working in the fashion industry, I've learned that my tastes will always be bigger than my budget. While I'm not discounting my ability to someday find financial success (a girl can dream), the unfortunate truth is I'll never be able to drop dough on designer collections each season. But that hasn't stopped me from finding creative ways to get said items into my wardrobe.

Just because I can't afford designer digs from the outset doesn't mean they're completely inaccessible. There are the traditional outlets like finding sample sales and using rental services, and then there's my favorite little known resource: shopping at Need Supply Co. The Virginia-based retailer has been a fashion girl gem for the last decade. Not only is it a great spot for discovering up-and-coming and indie brands, but it also holds some of the best sales known to the industry.

When Need Supply Co. markdowns arrive, they're always ones worth perusing. Unlike its e-tailer behemoth counterparts, the site's sales don't start small. My past purchases have included an MM6 dress for under $50, a Rejina Pyo jacket for the same the cost as my monthly subway pass, and my favorite pair of A.W.A.K.E. Mode pants for almost 80% off. But don't just take my word for it. We're blowing the whistle on our best-kept secret and showing you where you can find affordable designer gems (they're all under $250) up ahead.

Up next, 46 cheap and chic staples worth buying for spring.

Contributing Editor

Ray Lowe is a contributing editor for Who What Wear. She's spent the last decade living in New York, but now that she professionally works from home, she's slowly been going back to her roots by splitting time between NYC and L.A. A year ago, she left a four-year stint as a fashion editor for Refinery29 to explore the freelance life. Nowadays, she does just about everything from penning online articles (for Who What Wear, Refinery29, Elle, Cosmo, and many more) to writing scripts, styling, and finding ways to fuse her love for both Disney and fashion. Her main beat is fashion (trends, emerging brands, affordable finds, you name it), but you may find her dropping in with a beauty story every now and then. As for her personal style, she'd best describe it as a balanced blend of basics and contemporary trends, often with a dash of Mickey Mouse thrown in for good measure. In her spare time, she can be found coddling my pets (a French bulldog and a rescue cat), curating travel itineraries for her friends, scrolling through Instagram for up-and-coming brands, and watching so-bad-they're-good films.