Bargain Shopping at Camarillo. Your Results May Vary.

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Grid View

Expand

• Miu Miu patent oxfords for $319
• Lanvin booties for $501 at Last Call
• $40 at the Betsey Johnson outlet
• Prada lucite heels, $299 at Off Fifth
• Bottega Veneta booties, $299 at Off Fifth
• Alexander McQueen stilettos, $319 at Off Fifth
• Nina Ricci shearling lined bag, $800
• Sweet Barneys New York flats for $139
• Bottegas at Barneys Outlet, $309
• Fancy Bottegas -- so gorgeous but only one size left.
• Marc by Marc Jacobs clutch, $289, Barneys Outlet
• Stella McCartney gold jacket, $453, Last Call
• YSL pumps, $402 at Last Call
• Betsey Johnson dress, $149
• Alexander Wang dress from a few seasons ago, $153, Off Fifth
• McQ dress for a Franklin, even, at Off Fifth
• M Missoni skirt (or tube top): $159
• Alice & Olivia dress, $299, Off Fifth
• Free People dress, $65, Off Fifth
• Rag & Bone oversized blouse, $169, at Off Fifth
• Margiela woodgrain booties, $219, Off Fifth
• Richard Chai Love, $69, at Barneys Outlet
• Nude droopy-crotched spandex leggings, only $21, at the American Apparel store
• Do you even need a caption?
• A pretty look from the American Apparel store.
• Flats at the J.Crew outlet
• Some of what you'll find at the J.Crew outlet: the dresses were $69.99

We decided to hit the Camarillo Premium Outlets well in advance of the Memorial Day madness, knowing that there would be a trade-off: a better selection of merchandise but fewer sales. We went in, armed with a plan and a strategy: spend no more than 15 minutes in the stand-alone stores; do an initial fly-by in the department stores but limit the shopping time to no more than 1/2 hour.

Five hours later?

We spent an hour and some change on each visit to the three major department store outlets -- Barneys, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. Barneys is easily the tiniest of the three, but as far as clothing goes, it yielded some of the best finds. Alexander Wang pants -- not T, but actual Awang -- for $79 - $99. Much of the new merchandise was an additional 40% off, which meant you could score J.Brand jeans for a little more than $40. They also had the Current/Elliot leather leggings for under $200. Some really beautiful shoes, too: Barneys patent leather wedges for $200, and a few different pairs of Bottega Veneta heels, starting at $315. While not seasonally appropriate, those Nina Ricca shearling lined bags were a screamin' deal at just $600 (Marked at $800, but when we went, designer bags were an additional 25% off). Total investment piece for fall.

Last Call had plenty of good offerings in the designer area, but not so much in the trend area -- the Marc by Marc Jacobs rack had maybe four items on it, the Robert Rodriguez rack was similarly gutted, but if you're in the market for Christian Dior, Etro, Stella McCartney, Peter Som or any number of other spendier designers, the pickings are remarkably better. And we saw some nice bags, including a little bronze number from Marni for $490, and Tahari leather and silk clutches for $172.

The Off Fifth Outlet was well stocked to the point of being haphazard -- the main areas featured a glut of Free People, Rag & Bone and Alice & Olivia (including dresses that are easy to see why they weren't purchased at full price). We took our time burrowing into the clearance racks, where we found very pleasing randomness: Alexander Wang, McQ, M Missoni and Diane VonFurstenberg dresses starting at $100 (not current season, but we wouldn't kick any of this stuff out of bed, so to speak), wedged in with recent pieces from Seneca Rising, Oonagh by Nanette Lepore, and T by Alexander Wang.

The Betsey Johnson store is doing a big prom push, with many dresses either an additional 25% or 40% off. If you're way past your prom years, there are also a lot of very cute sundresses and?errrr, tight sparkly spandexy dresses that are perfect for Hollywood Blvd. bottle service clubs.

Of course, there was more. So much more. Click through the photo galleries to see some examples. Since we're in sales season, and every other store is having a sale every other day, it's possible that you could score additional discounts. (Your results may vary.)
· Camarillo Premium Outlets [Official Site]
· All Racked LA Road Trips [Racked LA]