Last month a publicist friend of mine invited me to check out the Santa Monica headquarters of Shop Hers, an upstart high-end consignment website. Intrigued, I jumped in my car and drove right over, pulled up to the non-descript industrial style building, walked inside and--and, well, nearly had a heart attack. The entryway alone was filled with pristine Celine totes, Louis Vuitton luggage, and Chloe dresses. The publicist introduced me to the site's founder, Jaclyn, but I could barely say hi, let alone converse, because all I could focus on was the masterfully curated racks (and racks and racks!) of Chanel and Hermes (Birkin!) bags, Prada dresses, Alexander McQueen blazers, Lanvin gowns, Alaia shoes, etc. all for sale at serious discounts. It was insane! Rack tour over, my first instinct was to put my dark sunglasses on, shield my face, slink back to my car, drive home, make the site my homepage, and never tell anyone (not even my identical twin) of what I had just seen. Of course, by the time I got home, the saner, more altruistic version of me had taken over. So, I emailed five friends about accompanying me on a return visit to shop the warehouse, which Jaclyn had kindly offered to host. Within five minutes I had received five positive responses, and a few days later we found ourselves back in the candy-store, champagne glasses in hand, and yes, it was as good as I remembered. Our shopping spree netted several gorgeous Chanel bags (including the two clutches in the snap, above), a Balenciaga dress I wore on LE CATCH last month, a YSL ruffled jacket, a J. Mendel floor-length dress and various other to-die-for big ticket items at great prices.

Needless to say, I am excited to share the secret with you, and although the warehouse unfortunately cannot accommodate the simultaneous physical presence avec champagne of all LE CATCH readers, the website can. Here are a few of my fave MAJOR-designer pieces from their current selection: some cheeky-sexy Dolce & Gabbana sandals, a recent season floral-lovely Proenza Schouler dress, a forever-chic mint-condition Hermes saddle bag (along with a highly coveted, impossible-to-come-by, unused Birkin), a nicely-priced, infinitely wearable Elizabeth and James LBD, and a major, mouth-dropping Tom Ford-designed Gucci dress. Yes, amidst the deals there are, of course, some bank-breakers as well, but I suspect that diligent monitoring of this site over time will likely yield some investment pieces at rock bottom prices.

P.S. One good shopping tip: I've found that searching by designer turns up more desirable, easy-to-wade-through results. For example, check out the best of Chanel offerings here.