After about 50 minutes by train from Manhattan’s Grand Central Station and 15 minutes by car heading north to Armonk, NY, you’ll find an unassuming little shop on a busy street. At least, that’s how I found it. Other shoppers I met while walking around the store Luxury brand store drove from everywhere – including a three-hour drive from Boston – to inspect the items.
The store was founded in 2016 by friends and business partners Lisa Dorsett and Jessica Moran and has lived at the location for about 5 years. At first glance, it looks like an old house, complete with a full kitchen upstairs. But unlike most two-story houses, this one is filled with unique and rare pieces of design. A limited edition Hermès Kelly bag sits near an untouched coat rack from brands like Gucci; On the other side of the store is a rare Chanel shelf. All are old.
“You have to have a keen eye for these things to deliver a good experience for everyone. We review and test every little detail ourselves.”
This is certainly not a new concept. Consignment stores have been around forever, and luxury resale apps like The RealReal have made shopping for designer items a more accessible experience. But the owners of Luxeluxurylabels have started to make a strong connection with their customers and, of course, the clothing. “What we offer here is something different,” Dorsett told me from behind the register.
In our conversation, she does some small unboxing of products sent in from customers for sale. “I know whose this is, and it’s going to be great,” Dorsett said as she lifted the tabs of the giant brown box and pulled out a familiar orange box: a Hermès bag in perfect condition. . In the pockets below were dresses by Alexander McQueen and a dress by Victoria Beckham with a small stain on it. “We love Victoria Beckham here,” she said. Pointing to the barely noticeable mark on the skirt, she told me part of the service was tailoring and cleaning—especially for the clothes that were worth the price. “You have to pay close attention to these things to make it a good experience for everyone,” she explains. “We looked at and tested each piece by ourselves.”
Although Dorsett and Moran started the business in 2016, it wasn’t until the pandemic that things really started. Above Instagram, they started making Reels of their new items, working with model Alicia Devo, their social media model-turned-friend. There’s nothing particularly unique about the videos; it’s just Devo getting dressed and holding a bag as she moves around, but for some reason followers flock to. One client (who happens to be the mother-in-law of fashion designer Joseph Altuzarra) overheard me asking the owners about it and pondered: “People come from Instagram because we can see clothes to wear. know what they are.”
“Fashion is fun; what’s the point of being cocky?” Dorsett added. And Moran put it like this: “How lucky we are to be able to have these pieces around us every day? We want it to be a good experience.”
It goes without saying that the owners saw an opportunity in working with customers who both wanted to sell and buy expensive secondhand items. But they also believe in extending the life of fine clothing with care that you might not get from larger dealers. They personally bring in items to be adjusted, customized, and cleaned as needed — adding the in-person touch feature you might expect when shopping for new luxury items but aren’t always You also get if you shop for resale.
While the majority of their merchandise is high-end luxury goods, there are still plenty of modern, reasonably priced items for sellers and customers alike. Works by Isabel Marant, Veronica Beard, Proenza Schouler and Rotate are strewn across store shelves, with prices ranging from $50 to $500.
While there are some prices that run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, the owner emphasizes that the goal is more than just making sales; it’s about their love of fashion. “We like it when people come in just to browse for hours,” says Dorsett, explaining that some of their most loyal customers stop by just to admire the clothes. I told her it was almost like a library, where you sometimes come to read and other times just come between the books and feel their energy. “Exactly!” both owners say emphatically.
Luxeluxurylabels’ next phase is going online. Yes, that’s right — the only online presence the store currently has is Instagram, where sales take place via DM. Soon, however, anyone could browse through hundreds of entries selected by Dorsett and Moran and authenticate by hand.
I asked them if they were worried about the growth rate as their mission was to deliver an authentic and intimate shopping experience, to be honest, that’s what sets them apart. “We’re control freaks, so we won’t let anything get out of our control,” Moran said. In other words, as the brand continues to grow and develop, their love of fashion will remain intact.
Image source: Luxeluxurylabels
