Catherine C.
Yelp
Phenomenal curation and maintenance of the garments. The first thing I randomly fell upon was a Sacai Luck cardigan, which fit perfectly, and I got. I tried a Marni printed silk top and T by Alexander Wang tank top-one of which was distractingly wrinkly in the front (definitely unfixable, as the lady working there was carefully steaming a bunch of what was probably new inventory), and the other was just too big on my short frame. :(((((((((
Typically, I can last only 2 minutes in consignment shops because I either feel uncomfortable being judged or disgusted by the wrinkly, stained clothes and smell of dirty shoes. Not at Castanet! The space is small and cramped but everything inside is perfectly pressed and odorless. There's no size organization and some color/style organization. I would never get whites, cashmere, jeans, or shoes secondhand so I don't usually look in those sections, and instead took the time to browse all the blacks and tops very meticulously.
There's some J. Crew, Joie, Rebecca Taylor, Theory/Theysken's and Marni, Balenciaga, Helmut Lang. I was just really shocked and excited to see the Japanese designers ex Sacai (although it was all Sacai Luck and not their original line), CDG, Yohji, and Junya Wantanabe. They also had like 2 Ann Demeulemeester pieces which was unexpected. I feel like that kind of stuff is hard to find in Boston? Like people around here mostly wear those heritage European brands and not so much the Antwerp/Japanese designers? Or so I thought, lol. It killed me to see a really pretty CDG blouse that wasn't my size.
Ended up also getting a nylon knit dress by Parker, a label I hadn't heard of, because I loved the material and fit, and the store owners kindly gave me some background info on the brand, which is apparently just a nice department store brand.
Prices are very fair-not an absolute OMG steal but definitely take serious and level-headed consideration. It accounts for the secondhand nature, and leaves out a just small fraction of the search cost (for example, priced just below online consignment listings of the same and comparable items), and is thus not exactly a true treasure-hunting experience. For the stuff I got, it was approximately 50% off typical sale prices for the brands. It's probably like $$$$ stuff down to $$$ or $$? With such pricing, I would definitely still hold high standards and look for pieces in close to immaculate condition, and would not pass anything with exterior signs of wear.
The store did have a 25% off memorial day sale the day AFTER I went in though, so I'm salty, but have learned my lesson and will anticipate the sales they have in the future. I think with 25%, this place is true treasure hunt shopping, but my sharing this info on a public platform is probably not going to be to my advantage LOL.
There are two dressing areas behind curtains and the 3 panel mirrors that let you see from all angles (very nice!), and a bunch of shoes facing it to distract you. The shoes were all really cool like super contemporary styles and dressy-casual, but I still don't like worn shoes, lol.
They have a lot of bags-some green Fendi thing, and a lot of Balenciaga. I feel like these former and current it bags have a lot of knockoffs and if you know how to tell real from fake well consignment is probably best way to go but I have no idea and would be cautious about that. I mean, everyone says everything is authentic but even anthenticity tags and forms can be forged so how do you really know? At least I just don't know how and don't want to take that risk.
There were two ladies working when I went in, and it was exactly the kind of service I prefer-personal space while browsing, and when I had a few hangers in my hand, the offer to have those taken to a dressing room, and some light conversation once I made my purchases. They were pretty nice and warm!
I'll definitely be back to browse (stalk) their inventory for these rare to be found in Boston designers though.
