July 5, 2012

4th of July haul: Coach and H&M

Yesterday was the 4th of July, which is the US Independence Day. Since I couldn’t take any days off before or after, I decided to keep my vacation nearby, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Of course, it wouldn’t be a vacation for me if there was no shopping involved, and there are always huge sales around holidays :P

I really wanted a white, casual purse for the summertime, and at first I was looking in Michael Kors, but they didn’t have anything I liked :( So I headed to the Coach outlet store, which was super crowded, but they were giving an extra 30% off! And lucky me, I found the perfect purse:

my new favorite purse – Coach Kristen white leather domed satchel

Not sure how many of you shop at outlet stores, but did you know that a lot of the products they sell there were specifically made for outlet stores? And many times, the quality is inferior compared to regular retail stores, because you get what you pay for. The same goes with Coach purses. Almost all of the purses you see in outlet stores were specifically made for the outlets and are never sold in retail. However, if you’re a smart shopper, you can nab a retail Coach purse at a great price. Here’s how:

The top is a retail/boutique purse (the one I just bought) and the bottom is an outlet/factory purse

Just compare the product #. All factory/outlet exclusive purses have product numbers that begin with F. But if the product number doesn’t start with an F, and it comes with a dust protector inside, then you’ve found a retail purse which has been discontinued and made its way to the outlets :)

I also visited H&M, one of my favorite clothing stores. They always have such great styles and at such affordable prices!

H&M fuchsia skirt – $17

I really wanted some brighter bottom pieces, and since I’m too scared to experiment with colorful jeans, I though I’d start with colorful skirts :)

H&M sleeveless chiffon blouse – $15

I fell in love with the flower details on this blouse, and it was 50% off! I think I’ll wear this to work tomorrow :]

Seriously, shopping might have been the highlight of my holiday D: Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July!

17 Comments
filed in Fashion & Beauty, Tips & Tricks
  • http://fantasia.sky-song.org/ Stephanie

    Love the purse and thanks for sharing that little trick! I’ve always heard about the factory-outet specific bags, but never really knew how to distinguish it! Thanks for sharing =]

  • Sarah

    Ooh, that’s good to know about how to tell the difference. If only we had a Coach outlet nearby. Or an H&M even. T_T I’m always envious, seeing all the cute things people get from H&M! Case in point, haha.

  • http://sky-song.org/ Misaki Li

    Colourful skirts are awesome! :D I wouldn’t risk jeans yet too hahaha.

    I really like the clothes :) Makes me want to shop!

  • http://twitter.com/tiinasol Tina

    Ooh, I didn’t know that about outlet-shops. I still am confused about what outlet-shops are… The purse and the skirts are really cute! The blouse is lovely!

  • http://www.silent-white.com/ Cat

    I didn’t know about the outlet mall thing! That’s a really good tip on the Coach bags. My mom loves going to the Coach store in the outlet mall near her. I’ll have to let her know about that :)

    And great haul! I love the look of the purse, and the details on the blouse are really cute :D I’m afraid of trying colorful jeans too, but I have a couple bright shorts.

  • http://ethetica.net/ Liv

    You went to Atlantic City and didn’t gamble? I went there last October; before that I didn’t even know there was an outlet! That purse is really cute and does not look a thing like Coach with their obnoxious logos. I think my mom bought something similar in Michael Kors. Of course it was 30% off.

    I like H&M Manhattan, not H&M AnywhereElse. The styles are completely different! This is just me, but I think you might be a little old for colorful jeans. Those are really something to wear as a teenager. I have three pairs and never wear them anymore. Maybe a pale pink might still work! But you are way better at mix and match than I am, so maybe you can pull off a great look with colorful jeans. Then I can get inspired!

    • http://geekyposh.com/ Jenny @ geekyposh.com

      Haha, yeah, I usually just play the slots anyways, and those things eat up your money in seconds D:
      Really? The H&M in NYC is different? I really must check it out then!

      • http://ethetica.net/ Liv

        Eat up money in seconds is better applied in NYC, where everything is different and the lowest you can put in the slot is 25 cents. At least, the other casinos I’ve been to allow you to put in 1 cent at a time. I really do recommend H&M Manhattan; I can’t find its merchandise in any other H&M.

  • http://lolitium.net/ nyuu

    Good tip! I never knew about the outlet thing :) But of course, I’ve never bought a high end purse before lol H&M is one of my favorite store, as well! I’ve never been to Atlantic City, but it sounds like a fun place ^^

  • http://rachel.nu/ Rachel

    I did know that about the Coach outlet store, but I figured finding a “real” purse there was like finding a needle in a haystack. Was it hard to find yours? I bet it was irritating looking at all the serial numbers.

    • http://geekyposh.com/ Jenny @ geekyposh.com

      There definitely aren’t as many boutique purses in outlet stores, but there’s definitely a difference in the design and details between the 2. Boutique purses, imo, are generally better designed and have more intricate details. So I usually just look at the product no. of the purses that I think look nice, and I usually find a boutique purse among them :) Maybe it’s because I’ve done this so many times, I don’t think it’s hard at all, haha

  • http://www.mallorymaloney.com/ Mallory Maloney

    Oh my God, I just typed up a rather large comment and then lost it. I’ll try to recreate it, ugh! ><;

    First I congratulated you on finding that legit, top notch Coach purse. I know how hard it is to find actual designer products unless you buy them directly from a Coach store in the mall or something, haha! And I actually had no idea that were different 'levels' of designer quality. Interesting!

    Then I went on to discuss the coloured jeans topic. You should DEFINITELY try them, they'd look absolutely stellar on you! I have hot pink and bright red skinnies, and they're always so much fun to wear. They really brighten one's mood and I've never received anything but compliments when wearing them!

    Also, I don't believe in the notion that certain fashion is for certain ages. That's ridiculous and limiting, both wardrobe wise. You simply have to know how to wear them to suit your own style, that's all! I don't like fashion 'rules' that limit one's creativity … You probably already knew this, though, haha.

    Okay, hope this posts this time! Blarg~

    PS: I love that you're using a Pikachu Favicon. Made me smile when I noticed it!

  • http://www.rinnysbeautydiary.com/ Rinny

    The bag is really nice! I normally don’t like Coach bags much, but I like the structured shape of this one and the fact that it doesn’t have the logo all over it. I really like Michael Kors bags too :)

    Do you live in Jersey? I’m about 2 hours north from Atlantic City. Had no idea you lived nearby :D

  • http://justrealized.info/ Bonnie L

    Nice tip! Never knew that about outlet stores, I usually buy my coach purses at outlets :)

  • http://twitter.com/blistersinmay Latrina McNeill

    I swear I learn something new every time I read your blog, haha. Great tip on the bags! I never knew that. :o Now my husband is going to be curious as to why I’m searching and reading the tags inside of purses on our next shopping trip… :P

  • Sue

    Hi Jenny, I just happened upon your blog through Latrina’s blog. I’m also hosted by Misaki.

    I had no idea about the outlet bags being different from regular retail ones, but I don’t shop that much. Somehow I’m not that interested in shopping – not that I dislike it. Sometimes it is fun, to go with friends to hang out and look at stuff. It’s still interesting to learn stuff like this. Who knows, maybe a few more visits to your blog, I’ll shop more XD . It looks like you got some really good shopping deals. I really like the blouse. It’s also surprising to see a coach purse like that where the logo doesn’t pop out.

    I really like your favicon by the way. It’s random, but makes me smile. That’s impressive that you’ve been into Web designing since 5th grade. I wasn’t into computers back then. It wasn’t until high school that I go to into it. I didn’t even know what a blog was until end of sophomore year/beginning of junior year.

  • http://the-exquisisticbox.com/ Carol

    Hello Jenny! I’ve been so out of blogging lately. Its the summer sales in France and I just visited factory outlets! Still waiting to blog about it ;) I found it weird that you didn’t find anything at Michael Kors! Whereas i, found lots of stuffs that attracted me, but unfortunately i’ve been spending too much; so instead i got a cardholder for my friend instead. White bags are always lovely! But they are a high maintenance too!

    These days I have not been able to get anything from H&M. I think the last time i bought something here was like a year ago. In france, i find that their quality is deteriorating ;X It feels as though their products wouldn’t last any washing in washing machines ;S Instead, I’m splurging a lot on Zara instead! ;D Love that white blouse!

    As for colorful jeans, aha! I took up the courage to test a glittery golden jeans ;D i don’t know how to explain, but it’s a little bit black based, and golden powder on it, and i’m enjoying every bit of it. I also tried out a pale mint jeans. I think they are not bad too ;) Mint jeans would be simpler to fit with other clothes, while the golden one is rather edgy!