Dolce & Gabbana, Diane Von Furstenburg, Herve Leger… there is a magical place where you can find all of these labels and more for half the retail price. That place, ladies, is Shopbop. While the popular site boasts low (well, lower than you’d pay at Barney’s) prices on the top designers, you shouldn’t type in that URL without being prepared. Before you you venture into the world of designer discounts, there are a few things you should know.

How to Shop Shopbop

Know the concept
Shop brings fashion from the runways into the closets of everyday women. This is great, but keep in mind that it’s a long road, and it takes a while for the clothes to get there, so expect to find this season’s garments on the site just yet. Also remember that deals like these are hard to get, even for the folks at Shopbop, so there won’t be an Endless supply of that dress you love, and once it’s gone, it’s gone. Therefore, if you see something you have to have, pounce. There may only be a few in stock.

Personalize your Experience
Shopbop carries a massive amount of clothing and accessories, but it may not all be of interest to you. When you form an account, you can narrow down your favorite designers to make your search easier. You can also create a wish list and a personalized selection that suits your particular tastes. This allows you to conveniently shop your favorite categories, sales and finds without sorting through the rest.

Shop the Sales
The items at Shopbop are already marked down, but the site offers sales on those discounted prices as well. You can shop 30, 50 and 70% off sales, or you can check back throughout the week to see what just popped up for cheap.

Visit the Boutiques
One of the best aspects of Shopbop is its selection of boutiques. You can shop the designer boutique, where the likes of Gucci, Calvin Klein Collection and YSL are all joined. Or you can pop into our favorite: the basic essentials boutique which gathers worthy investments for building a solid wardrobe.

Peek at the Lookbooks
We die for the Shopbop lookbooks– it’s like reading an interactive catalog. Browse images of gifts for mom, fashion week, the hot trends and more. The bonus? You’ll know exactly how to get your hands on everything you see. Warning: attempting this during the work day could lead to low levels of office productivity,.i.e. major distraction.