Outlet shopping with Khunnai

Dear Khunnais,

I miss fellow khunnais so much, and apologize for having disappeared for quite some time! You know, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do! I've been busy going to parties after parties, going to numerous eating trips, sight seeing trips. Then after Christmas been busy going back to Thailand .. shopping, massage, eating, partying, more shopping. Really... I mean... busy buying presents for myself! What a difficult life!

So now I'm back. It's freezing & snowing outside. What would be better than writing to all my fans...yes, all fellow khunnais out there. Plus there is no American Idol or Grey's Anatomy tonight (and Kru Kook is already over). So I figured, to come back, I have to come back big. What's bigger in life than shopping?

No... that doesn't sound right! OK, let's try again. What's bigger in life than shopping fabulous designer handbags at discount? Now we're talking!

But I know that I'm not talking to a typical person but I'm talking to a shopping guru like you, Khunnai. So a shopping guru like yourself would know that 90% of the time you cannot find decent things at the outlets. Most stuffs are outdated, oversized, just plain leftovers that nobody but those who fall prey to "discounted prices". But a super guru like yourself would know too that there are a handful ones that is worth our time & effort. Today Khunnai will take you to two of them. They are close to each other so you can manage to visit them both in one trip.

The first one is simply called "The Mall" [Via Europa 8, 50060 Leccio Reggello, Florence, Italy]. It sits on the beautiful hills of Tuscany. So if you go in spring or summer, you will really enjoy the scenery. What I love about this place is that there are not that many shops, around 20 shops in total. So you can easily manage to see every single one of them if you'd like. Because every single one of them is absolutely worth checking. The quality of shop lineup is incomparable. Just incomparable to any place else.

Shopping with tuscany scenery as a backdrop

OK, here is the lineup: Bottega Veneta, Burberry, Fendi, Armani, Pucci, Ferragamo, Tod's, Hogan, Sergio Rossi, Marni, Ermenegildo Zegna, Valentino, Yves Saint, La Perla, Loro Piana, Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, and of course Gucci.

I can guarantee you that each shop has enough space to carry numerous items that will make your wallet lighter. But it's not just space, the assortment is great. You would find stuff that were sold in the actual store in the previous seasons there, and there are great stuffs to buy, unlike typical outlets where they are just stuffs nobody wants. If you are a fan of Italian brands, this is absolutely a must.

I'm not a big Gucci fan, but this tote is too me to not have it.

But if you a big fan of Prada (and Miu Miu to some extent), then listen, listen very carefully. SPACE is where you want to be [Levanella Spacceo, Strada Statale 69, Montevarchi, Italy]. SPACE is the name of the outlets for all Prada and its other brands sell stuffs from previous seasons. I don't know how many outlets Prada have in the world. I've been to four of them. And this one in Florence is the best of them all. Don't ask me how many times I've been to SPACE. Don't ask me how many things I got from there. These questions are irrelevant! I'm here to spread the goodness, so no judgment needed, oki?

SPACE is the size of a football field. Or bigger even. Just know that it's so big your eyes will pop, your feet will turn cold, and your hands won't stop trembling. It has a-b-s-o-l-u-t-e-l-y e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g! Leather bags of calf skin, or the famous wonderfully soft & light deer skin, or exotic & rare snake or crocodile skin. Cloth bags. Cloth bags + Leather deco. All these in all styles: Tote, Shoulder, Hobo, Satchel (messenger), clutch. Or wallet, cosmetic bag, traveling bag, card holder, etc etc etc.

The first of many to follow. Once you start, it's kinda addictive you know!

Have I mentioned shoes? You know... the likes of ballerinas, pumps, flat heels, high heels, very high heels, boots, in colors you don't even imagine available. Oh sunglasses. Dresses. Tops. Skirts. Coats. Down jackets. Ties. Belts. Suits. Evening gowns. Perfume. Face cream. Key chains. Scarfs. I'm tired just typing.

A messenger bag that fits with everything & anything. My all-time trip companion.

So yes. If you are the devil that enjoys a bit of discount, it's the dream comes true. If you are not, it's the perfect place to start. Just bring lots of credit cards (with available credit), and passport for tax refund opportunity (>154 Euro, you can get 12% back).

Viper. The last one to add to the family. Ultimate bargain really!

But again, we are talking about outlet not a paradise. Of course you won't be lucky every time and find everything you want. The trick is to go there now & again, just to check what's available. Just know that it usually stores the stuffs of the same season but from 1 year before for clothes, but for bags, usually 1 or 2 seasons before. And know that during the mega sales period, the stuffs at outlet would have discount on top of outlet prices.

Enjoy shopping. At the end of the day, "those who loves themselves can truly love others."

NB: All bags featured are from the mentioned outlets. The behavior is individualistic. Please carefully think through before taking any major decision.