Everyone Does It

Who wants a little turquoise box anymore? I only cry over midnight-black boxes with my favorite four gold letters emblazoned on its dark exterior: GILT. It’s an invite-only site, which deters some. (Ha!) The air of exclusivity that Gilt Groupe brings to its members-only homepage is actually enticing. More so may be the fact that the editors of Allure, celebrities like Gwyneth and even the CEO of Gilt itself are fighting the masses to grab the sample sale items like Marc Jacobs purses, Errebicasa Italian lines, Penguin shirts, and the other items you’re used to fighting for Lumineered tooth by manicured nail at boutiques through Tribeca and into the West Village. And who has time to keep up on the sample sale newsletters? Or the trip to NY? Gilt is the unspoken trick thousands of fancy rich girls (and guys) keep up their cashmere sleeves. Gilt has grown six fold in the last year by luck – they change the store every night. And here I was thinking I was on top of the fashion secret when I went to invite a high-profile friend in NYC, my designer-loving shopaholic coworker in Philly, a jet setting financial guru in Australia and my custom-tailored suit buddy in Texas—they were all already members. And no one told me! Don’t let this happen to you; please accept my personal invite to you, dear reader.

(And for those of you who were already privy to Gilt, and who are turning your perfect noses up at me, let me ask you one question: where’s your invite for Gilt Noir?)