Doubletake consignment boutique features top runway names in designer apparel, handbags, shoes, accessories and jewelry at a fraction of original retail prices. The Red Bank location is the third opened by boutique owner Marci Kessler. PHOTOS BY JACQUELINE HLAVENKA RED BANK — As value-conscious fashionistas continue to tighten their belts, they can still find their favorite designer labels, without breaking the bank, at a new luxury consignment shop at 97 Broad St.
The borough’s downtown is now home to doubletake, a high-end consignment boutique featuring the top runway names in designer apparel, handbags, accessories and jewelry at a fraction of original retail prices.
“It’s phenomenal,” said Marci Kessler, CEO of Doubletake Consignment Corp., which opened the doors to its Red Bank location this month. “First of all, people walk in and they say, ‘I cannot believe this is a consignment shop,’ because it doesn’t look like what people think of when it comes to a consignment shop. That’s what makes us unique.”
From prêt-a-porter to couture merchandise, the consignment shop offers a boutique shopping experience that debuts items from 25 to 35 percent off retail prices and sales are split 50/50 with consignors, Kessler said.
“If it’s something like a Chanel bag that’s current, or Louis Vuitton, we’ll price them up to 50 or 60 percent of retail,” she said. “We are looking for more current merchandise. We still pick some really interesting vintage handbags or jewelry, but we generally look for current merchandise that’s in perfect condition that’s already been dry cleaned and very wearable.”
Before Kessler set up shop in Red Bank, the first doubletake location opened in May 1992 in Short Hills after she gained experience working as a buyer and a saleswoman for wholesale fashion companies.
With the success of the Short Hills location, Kessler launched three new locations in Bergen and Monmouth counties, hoping to generate buzz in the neighborhoods as well as in surrounding communities like Rumson, Little Silver and Middletown.
“We looked for demographics that are similar to Short Hills,” she said. “We are also in Englewood, Ridgewood, and we thought Red Bank was a great town. It fit in with the demographic of what we were looking for, and it’s a great town. We love the area and we thought it was a really perfect spot.”
Due to the recession, highend consignment shops are becoming popular destinations for women looking to recycle their wardrobes, earn extra cash and save money on designer jeans, shoes and handbags, all while maintaining the quality and level of service a customer would experience in a luxury department store or a chic Manhattan boutique, Kessler explained.
“In terms of our customer base, we really have a wide demographic,” Kessler said. “We have the women who shop at Neiman [Marcus], who shop at Hermés, who shop at Louis Vuitton, but we also have women who aspire to buy those things but can’t afford them. We have the women who can afford it and know they are smart enough to come in here and buy here, but then we have women who can’t afford it but want it.”
Much of the boutique’s inventory also comes from people directly working in the fashion industry, Kessler said.
“Alot of times we get things before they hit the stores,” she said. “We get a lot of people who use personal shoppers. They will buy things directly off the runway and we will get things like Oscar de la Renta dresses that are like $6,000 that have never been worn, with tags on them. We get them before they actually hit the mass market right off the runway.”
Consigners with large amounts of items can also take advantage of the boutique’s concierge service and free parking behind the building off Linden Place, adjacent to Merrill Lynch.
“If somebody has a certain level of merchandise or a certain quantity of merchandise, we will go to their house and help them clean out their closets and we will take it out for them,” Kessler said.
Whether the designs are couture, vintage or contemporary, the boutique’s highest demand is for “It” bags featured in fashion publications and worn by celebrities.
“People are always looking for designer handbags,” Kessler said. “Our trends are the same as the department store trends. It’s really no different. People come in here looking for the exact same things they see in Vogue and all the magazines. The trends are pretty much the same.”
The management at the boutique is currently accepting designer clothing, accessories and footwear in perfect or gently worn condition for the Red Bank location.
“Any designer label that’s hot,” Kessler said. “It can be a contemporary designer, it doesn’t have to be a couture designer. We look for Chanel, Hermés, Louis Vuitton, Stella Mc- Cartney … every name.”
Some of the boutique’s current finds include a pair of sling-back Manolo Blahnik heels priced at $150, a Hermés silk scarf at $275 and a white Chanel watch adorned with pink sapphires at $7,500, discounted from $11,000.
Asable-colored Vera Wang ball gown featured upon entering the boutique was considered for first lady Michelle Obama’s Inaugural Ball television appearance, according to Michaela Tovar, Red Bank store manager.
Clothing, accessories and shoes are also available for purchase online at www.edoubletake.com. The boutique also offers a text message alert service when new merchandise arrives or when something you’ve been searching for is found.