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So Gilt should probably swing some money my way for the sales pitch, but I'm so excited about it, I can't help but rave.

My boyfriend was recruiting at a career fair last week and saw a girl with shoes he knew I would love (stop and take a second to go: awwwww) so he asked her about them and that is how Gilt.com came into my life.

Gilt is an online start-up with a "flash sale" scheme, meaning certain designers are highlighted for a period of 36 hours, starting at noon every day. In other words, designer stuff on the serious side of cheap.

And I'm not talking about the ugly leftovers in impossible sizes that they can't sell and that are only marked 20% off and you can probably find for 40% off somewhere else.

Legit designers, with the latest stuff, and a huge range of selection for 50-70-pushing 80% percent off. There's women's, men's, kid's, and homegoods, and a link to Jetsetter with deals at luxury hotels around the globe.

For a girl bored with suburban malls, yearning for the shops and sample sales of SoHo, Gilt is a light in the darkness.

Another thing I like about them is that they showcase some designers I haven't heard of. Sure I know DVF, D&G, Missoni, Inhabit, Tart, etc. But I hadn't heard of, for example, Daryl K, Marais USA, or Magaschoni. It's been a great way to increase my designer knowledge beyond companies I baisedly self-select to learn about and hence I've gotten a better range of understanding and helped hone my fashion sense.


However, BE INFORMED:

As I got closer to actually purchasing from Gilt, I obviously figured I should do a little investigating about a company that seems a little too good to be true.

I'll let them first speak for themselves: http://www.gilt.com/company/about

Hopelessly economically oriented, I've wondered about Gilt in context of the recession and its implications on designers. Is it expanding the reach of designers, helping them to long term increase their business pool and exposure? Or is it cheapening the image they've worked to build by practically throwing their clothes at us? What are the ethics behind this, given they are obviously thriving off of companies struggling through the recession (my capitalistic answer: totally ethical and don't you dare think otherwise). How is the "cheapening" of these goods effecting the way that high fashion is perceived and consumer demands? (for example, are people feeling more entitled to these goods, decreasing their luxury status, and consequently decreasing their elasticity, which has effects on their pricing and purchasing patterns). What would Meryl Streep in the Devil Wears Prada do?

All these questions are rather obvious and thus it's not surprising that New York Magazine has a 6 page article asking precisely the same things I've been asking myself: http://nymag.com/fashion/10/spring/63807/

Overall, I'll let you make your own decision about Gilt, but it should be pretty clear how I feel about them.

[And if you want to be the nicest person ever, shoot me your email so I can refer you before you sign up so I can get store credits :)]

P.S. They're main competitor is Rue La La, but my evaluation of it is that they're don't have as good of brands or as much stock. And the styles are a little different, probably due to different buyer's tastes. The discounts might be a little deeper, but it Gilt makes it look like an outlet mall.