An Old Favorite : Harper’s Wholesale Ladies Clothing sells top-flight women’s wear at rock-bottom prices.

In today’s constant push for the latest and the newest, we sometimes lose sight of the old standards. It’s surprising how many sharp shoppers have a tendency to forget some of those discounters who have been around a long time but who maintain a very low profile.

I was asked the other day about Harper’s Wholesale Ladies Clothing. How could I have forgotten about my old favorite spot for career clothes? I rechecked into Harper’s to see if it is as wonderful as it used to be some 25 years ago, when it was my No. 1 shopping spot.

How reassuring to discover that Harper’s is still offering huge reductions on highly advertised name brands. You won’t find frills in any of this chain’s three stores. It’s concrete floors and communal dressing rooms, but if that doesn’t put you off, you can save big bucks and look like a million.

“The recession has hit everyone,” says Paul Kalsman, co-owner of Harper’s, “including manufacturers who end up with overruns and unclaimed orders along with all those items department stores can’t sell.” That’s where Harper’s buyers step in. If Harper’s were allowed to advertise its prices and the labels, it would probably cause a riot.

There are many top names on the racks. The inventory is not always in depth, i.e., you won’t find every size in every color in every style. But you’ll find current, first-quality merchandise, all drastically reduced, always to below wholesale prices.

On the rack was a good selection of rayon summer dresses--very appropriate for the professional--for $29. Retail on these was $126. Some silk bomber jackets (still very popular) that I had seen at a specialty store for $130 were $43.

At sale time, one major suit manufacturer’s product costs $159.95 in a major store. The same suit is at Harper’s for $39.95. This particularly dazzling deal is the result of some “slubs” in the fabric (they actually look like a natural quality of the fabric) that designate these as “irregulars.” Thus the reduction in price of $130. It’s not often, however, that there is anything but first quality on the racks at Harper’s, and most of the inventory is current.

The accessories offer super bargains as well. Kalsman says they sell 1,000 pairs of earrings a week at $5 per pair, which speaks well for the shopping prowess of L.A. women, since these same earrings have been going for $50 to $80 at many Southland stores.

The main reason that Harper’s gets the overruns is that it has maintained long-term relationships with many top manufacturers and has consistently adhered to its promise not to advertise the labels. This trust pays off for Harper’s--and for the sharp shopper.

WHERE TO SHOP

Locations: Harper’s Wholesale Ladies Clothing, 22766 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills; 15616 Ventura Blvd., Encino; 8588 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Credit Cards: Visa, MasterCard, Discovery.

Call: (818) 347-3633, Woodland Hills; (818) 789-5837, Encino; (310) 839-8507, Culver City.