Advent, Day 3 : Secret Stores (Hermes, Chanel, Armani)

A few tips for great fashion stores, from fashion editor friends...

HERMES SALES

Once or twice a year, Hermès runs a private sale, or Ventes Promotionnelles, where the company discounts stock by up to 90%. It isn't held at the flagship store but at Palais des Congres in Port Maillot. The summer sale usually begins around the 4th of July and runs for several days. The winter sale generally runs for four days during the third week of January. The sale features a lot of Hermès products but if you're on the hunt for wallets and bags you'll have to go very early as they go first. (The line usually starts queuing at 6am.) Tip: Don't wear any Hermès as they'll think it comes from the sale and will make you purchase it.

ARMANI FACTORY OUTLET STORE

A great place to buy heavily discounted Armani. (All the fashion editors love it: they race here after the Milan Fashion Shows.) This outlet carries all of Armani's ranges, from Giorgio Armani down to the diffusion lines. To go by public transport, take the local railway line that goes from Malepensa to Como NL. (From Milan you can catch this train at Milan N CA. Note that this is not the central train station, and the train leaves every hour. The train station you get off is: Fino Mornasco (from Milan it is 45 min; from Como NL it is 15 min.) There are taxis outside the station, and the taxi will take around 15 min and will cost Euro 11 one way. Provinciale per Bregnano, 12 | Vertemate, Italy. Ph: 0039 031 887 373.

VINTAGE CHANEL JEWELLERY

One of the best places to buy vintage Chanel jewellery is actually in New York, at the Showplace Antiques and Design Centre. This enormous upmarket flea market has hundreds of small stores where stallholders sell authentic costume jewellery for very good prices. Many of them sell vintage Chanel. Last time I was in New York, I was almost tempted to buy a beautiful long Chanel necklace and a classic Chanel cuff – both would have been great investment pieces. But I'd already spent my shopping budget on books! It's just near the Flatiron Building, in an area famous for great flea markets. 40 W 25th Street, New York. Ph 212 633 6063.