High Fashion, Low, Low Prices

You might have to hunt a bit to find the prize purchases, but many boutiques and specialty stores are still holding their end-of-season sales on women’s fall designer merchandise, at savings up to 75%.

In fact, some of the best bargains are yet to come. The super bowl of designer price slashing--Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills’ notorious “last call”--begins Monday. Prices on couture items, sportswear, furs and fashion jewelry, as well as menswear, are traditionally slashed up to 65%. Everything will be marked down for a third time for this sale, and there should be more bargains than usual because renovations are forcing the store to clean house. Best of all, sale items are returnable here.

Most stores have no sales signs in the windows, nor inside for that matter. You have to go in, for example, to discover that there are considerable savings on goodies at the new Christian Dior and the even newer Valentino stores in the Two Rodeo shopping complex. We’re talking four-figure savings.

At Dior, the season’s signature suit, a stunning black dinner outfit with D-I-O-R spelled out in jewel-encrusted letters, has been dramatically reduced from $4,500 to $2,700. Another signature item, a long-sleeved black wool cocktail dress with bejeweled bees at the neckline, originally priced at $2,319, is 40% off.

At Valentino there are accessories galore, including chiffon shawls in pink and violet, for 60% off $655. One of the designer’s prettiest nighttime looks, an evening gown with beaded sweater bodice, originally $4,605, is marked down 50%.

If those numbers are still steep, walk around to the other side of the shop. There, among Valentino’s moderately priced Oliver collection items, are 50% discounts on brocade evening suits (originally $620), Black Watch tartan blazers (originally $620) with coordinating mini-kilts (originally $225), gold and silver metallic sweaters with pearl buttons (originally $200), and for the next cold blast, massive hooded blanket coats in bold brown or orange stripes (originally $1,055).

Now is a good time to invest in basics at Chanel on Rodeo Drive, which is discounting everything except handbags. That includes standard clip-on faux pearl earrings ($130, minus 30%), white silk blouses ($1,630, less half), even sling-back, two-tone--bone with black toes--pumps (originally $350, now 50% off). There are cashmere turtlenecks with one gold button in such colors as pumpkin, black, fuchsia and copper (originally $1,150, now $575).

Polo Ralph Lauren on Rodeo Drive is also discounting cashmere sweaters, with 30% off on cable-stitch crew-neck pullovers (originally $545) and turtlenecks (originally $590). Cotton tuxedo shirts (originally $165), paisley shawls (originally $425), colorful, Southwestern blanket shirts (originally $170) and skirts ($290) are also marked down 30%.

At Giorgio Armani, a few doors away from Polo, fall and winter merchandise is selling for 40% off, which means a classic three-piece wool crepe suit--skirt, trousers, jacket--goes for $1,458, a price almost equal to the original tag on the jacket alone ($1,250). The colors--sage, curry, chestnut and brown--can be worn year-round. The silk blouses that go with them are also available ($600 to $700, minus 40%).

Armani’s super-luxurious, coral-pink sequin and beaded pantsuit, with a Chinese-style collarless jacket and classic trousers, is 40% off the original price of $17,700. The money saved is enough for a down payment on a condo.

At Gallay, on Sunset Boulevard, the best values are Romeo Gigli wool-knit and Lycra dresses, long and short, in cherry red and black (originally $688 to $792, now $200). Other bargains include Maud Frizon black-leather-and- faux -leopard handbags (originally $528, now $264) and Robert Clergerie suede oxfords in brown and black (originally $244, now $122).

At Madeleine Gallay, across the street, Bella Freud lambs’ wool cardigans (originally $422) and matching tube skirts (originally $244) imported from England are marked down 75%. Chic little suits by Chantal Thomass of Paris come in black or gray-green wool gabardine, with jackets that have slits along the hem (originally $1,117, now $559).

You can still get plenty of mileage out of Ecru’s private-label Lycra tube skirts, shirts and mini-dresses, in white and black, at Ecru on Melrose (originally $85 to $195, now half off).

And Stradivari, on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, is discounting Dolce & Gabana suede flats in shades of purple and pistachio (originally $295, now $200) and Lerre shoe boots in seven colors (originally $330, now $200).