this is life in austin & aspen

Driving down Burnet Road the other day, I was stopped in my tracks by the Designer Clearance House. This rarely happens to me, but who am I to turn down Designer clearances? I turn my car around and pop into the little shop to be greeted by a friendly man named Lalo. I ignore him in favor of the shoes … Sam Edelman flats, Loeffler Randall heels, Dolce Vita for $39?! Another section with shoes for just $59?! Then, another section with shoes for … well, more, but still deeply discounted?! So exciting.

Plus, they have clothes! All of their clothes come from an exclusive deal with Houston upscale retailer Tootsie’s and are offered at an astounding 75% off of retail price. There was a stunning red Badgley Mischka strapless dress for a mere $112! Lalo told me all about how they started as an appointment-only designer shoe clearance house, but then they made the deal with Tootsie’s, and now they have a permanent home (this one, on Burnet) with real store hours: Mon-Fri 10-7, Sat 10-6 & Sun 12-4.

And then the sweet man said to me, “We just have a lot of fun. We love it.”

A retailer who just loves selling shoes on the cheap and fancy schmancy dresses for super-marked-down prices? Dear Lalo, we’re going to have a lot of fun together, and we’re definitely going to love it.

From their website, written by Lalo’s daughter-in-law, Spring:

A recent arrival at the store is designer and couture apparel at HUGE discounts! We currently have the following clothing brand (to name a few): Fabulous party dresses from Nicole Miller, fun summer shifts from Diane VonFurstenburg, loungewear from Juicy Couture, street wear and party dresses from BCBG, separates by Elie Tahari, mother-of-the-bride suits by Armani, occasion dresses from Kay Unger, and all sorts of goodies from Alice and Olivia, Trina Turk, Theory, Robert Rodriguez and Nanette Lepore.

Right now, we have shoes from Loeffler Randall, D&G, Tori Burch, Cole Haan, Moschino, Michael Kors, Bolo, Ashley Deerborn, Guiseppe Zanotti, London Sole, Martinez Valero, Rafe, Dolce Vita and MANY more great brands.

Go check it out; I know I need to get back!!