This whole phenom of the fresh-from-the-runway pre-order website is sort of genius, if you ask me. It gives you a smug sense of self-satisfaction from ordering a style before any of your friends will have it, the utter delight of delayed gratification when the goods arrive months later and you’ve nearly forgotten about them, and the sweet, sweet luxury of paying for half now, and half later…which usually ends up equating (in my twisted retail mind) to having gotten them for half price.
I loved Moda Operandi when it launched…and truly, it still has its charms. But their prices have risen and their featured labels have gotten fancier and fancier, and more and more mainstream. Also, they’re very apparel-focused these days, which is fine, but it’s hard for me to imagine ordering a $2,000 dress ever in a million years if I don’t even know how it’ll fit.
So when I heard about Bonfaire, I got all giddy. It has that exclusive pre-order thing, but it’s all accessories – mostly bags and shoes – and all brands that are beautifully, perfectly under-the-radar, which of course makes them infinitely cooler. So, instead of the latest from Proenza Schouler, you can score, say, a pair of fall boots from Coye Nokes, one of my very favorite under-the-radar designers, before the summer’s even fully bloomed.
Check it out, and if you join Bonfaire via this super-special, SMC-only link, you’ll get $100 off your first order. And I don’t know about you, but just knowing I have $100 off a new-season Be & D bag is most definitely burning a hole in my pocket.
