172: My big Prada splurge

The open-secret place I shop new, in-season, and always on sale.

My birthday is in about a week, and I just put a successful season of sale coverage behind me. So I bought something for a lot more than I usually would, for a lot less than I was able to find it anywhere else: the Prada petal pink suede blazer from the FW23 runway. Even at around $4,500, it was still half off what it’s listed at on Saks, Farfetch, and the Prada site. It was even cheaper than resale.

I talk a lot about SSENSE, and for good reason. But over the years, I’ve found so many of what would become essential pieces in my closet from Italist, where I ultimately bought my jacket from: a pair of patent white Pradas that I wore to every remotely “dressy” event between 2020 and 2023 (these are similar); the Acne Studios oilcloth tote that travels with me on two thirds of my trips away (this but in burgundy); my first-ever Vivienne Westwood corset that I consider the first step in establishing my personal archive (close to this); the Miu Miu mini skirt (her!); a long-desired Kassl Editions coat (this one); that crumpled Prada skirt featured in a big way on this newsletter (not that you needed a reminder); and so many more.

I shop there for my bigger purchases for the simple reason of, where else can you find these brands—new and in-season—on sale? Think about it.

The reason it works is that Italist is technically a collection of a bunch of individual boutiques in Italy, which go on sale earlier than most US-serving sites. On Italist, those pre-sale prices are marked as the retail prices. This is the crux of it: Most things you find on the site are already up to 40% off what they’re listed for elsewhere, but you’d never know it unless you comparison shopped.

On top of that, Italist also runs sales itself, taking those pre-discounted prices even lower. It’s really a wild sight navigating to the New In page and seeing a sea of red text denoting discounts on the absolute freshest pieces. This is truly the land of never-pay-full-price-for-anything.

I talk about Italist here every now and again, but in light of my Prada jacket purchase, I wanted to take the time to demonstrate just how good the platform’s prices are, if not to the naked eye.

Loewe Blur-Print Silk Dress, $1,895 $2,222 (compared to $2,900 at Matches) / The Row Sofia 10.00 Shoulder Bag, $3,719 $4,881 (compared to $4,500 at Moda Operandi) / Max Mara Bimba Belted Wool Coat, $456 $733 (compared to $600 $1,395 at SSENSE) / Bottega Veneta Bloc Leather Ankle Boots, $569 $923 (compared to $1,450 at Bergdorf’s) / Brunello Cucinelli Lace-Up Suede Sneakers, $585 $819 (compared to $995 at Farfetch)

Jil Sander 'book' Shopping Bag, $331 $526 (compared to $650 at SSENSE) / Jil Sander Small Scrunch Bag, $432 $1,022 (compared to $681 $1,360 at Farfetch) / Max Mara Teddino Biker Short Coat, $1,305 $1,528 (compared to $2,990 at SSENSE) / Bottega Veneta Drop Hobo-bag In Leather, $2,148 $2,520 (compared to $3,100 at Matches)

Bottega Veneta Strut Leather Boots, $754 $1,230 (compared to $990 $1,500 at SSENSE) / Marni Pants In White Viscose, $586 $769 (compared to $714 $1,050 at SSENSE) / Lemaire Knitwear In Black Cotton, $363 $471 (compared to $381 $595 at SSENSE) / Lemaire Croissant Shoulder Bag, $977 (compared to $1,495 at FWRD) / SportMax Tenda Pants, $263 $337 (compared to $745 at Matches)

---

I may earn some money if you make a purchase through one of the links above. If you liked this post from Magasin, why not share it?

Follow us on Instagram at @magasin.ltd