Spam, spoils via Gilt & Swirl: Superga & LiaMolly

So, you know how it typically goes: the things you want are usually not the things that you end up actually buying. But in this case, not so: I saw the shoes, I desired, and a successfully pursued when I saw them on Gilt. And slight sizing issues aside (my left foot is smaller than my right), I would call this buy - Superga Classic Navy Canvas sneaker - a success.

Lemme tell you, for a person that usually doesn't wear sneakers, I've worn these babies pretty frequently in the two weeks I've had them. They're even a little bit scuffed.

And I suppose it's best that I restrained myself from buying the red shoes I'd initially been attracted to - to add a bit of brightness to my black and gray dominated wardrobe - I suppose navy is a bit more versatile.

The mailman also brought my first purchase from flash sales website Swirl: the "Julia top" by LiaMolly. With this top, I'm indulging in my desire for high-quality basics with great details. Light shoulder pads, origami-like pleating on the puffed sleeves, buttons on the shoulders... I was also pleasantly surprised by the texture and slight translucence of the black knit, as well as the thoughtfully placed zipper on the back of the garment to keep you from messing up your hair or makeup when pulling the top over your head.

Flash sales websites are riding the recession wave, according to this AP article and a bunch like it, and I've ambivalently jumped on the bandwagon, accepting a morning of spam in my inbox that I dutifully review - if with a scanning eye - at work. (I consider it essential to my editorial research, haha - I do write for a fashion blog.) Frankly, you tend to see some overlap among the Gilt/Ideeli/Rue La La crowd, which I guess makes sense -- some retailers just have a lot of unsold stock from last season. You also start to distinguish between the types of retailers and designers that will have sales in each stores -

Reader, whoever you are, you should sign up too:

1. Gilt: flat-rate $5.95 shipping and numerous high-end brands. To name a few: the trendy 3.1 Phillip Lim, the luxe La Perla and celebrity jean brand Seven for All Mankind have been sold on Gilt. And that's just the women's clothing section - there are sections for men, children, home and more.
2. Rue La La: Like Gilt, Rue La La has a good selection of well-known brands. Right now there's Tumi and Sperry Top-Sider for women, but I can't wait for the June 12th Lanvin sale, even just to admire.
3. HauteLook: If you've read a news article about flash sale websites, you've probably heard of HauteLook. It was acquired by Nordstrom and I'm not sure if that has to do with the website's slightly more "corporate" look (sign up and you'll see what I mean). Can't say that the selection is as, er, couture as Gilt or cool as Rue La La, but I may just be all-over biased haha.
4. PLNDR: Here's a flash site that specifically aims to offer "the best in streetwear," so it's all denim, hoodies and tees.
5. Beyond the Rack: If I were to compare Beyond the Rack to a brick-and-mortar department store, I would say that it was a Macy's: their 48-hour sale right now includes brands Kensie and Jessica Simpson. According to a TechCrunch article, this flash sales site is all vetted to take on Gilt Group with $12 million more in VC funds. Competition is better for the consumer, I hope?
6. Swirl by Daily Candy: Something about this one - which features sample sales - screams FUN, and that may be the reason why I'm most inclined to pore over Swirl's sales and actually consider buying shit. The labels tend to be ones that I don't know but the styles are casual and feminine tending toward bohemian. Maybe it's this slightly Anthropologie/Urban Outfitter-ish aesthetic that gets me.
7. ideeli: Not much to say about this one, because I haven't used it extensively (probably because I used to mark their emails as spam two or three years ago). It's very popular though

Seven may be a lot, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. All these links are riddled with my invite code, for full disclosure. Consider it a favor for letting you know?

(I wanna work for these cool fashion/design startups, but apparently a bunch - including Gilt and Tumblr - are based in New York. Ah, life.)

-Kim