I have many Polo Ralph Lauren T-Shirts and a few sweaters and wind breaker, all from outlet malls and most purchased in Australia. Ralph Lauren T-shirts can last for years as their quality is good. However, since 2019, I have switched to Hugo Boss (now Boss or Hugo) because the fabric they use is softer (thus more comfortable for me) compared to Ralph Lauren.
Another thing I learned from my decades of burning money is – (1) only get Coach handbags from Outlet Mall especially if you are in the USA and (2) when in Europe at Outlet Mall(s) you must drop by Bottega Veneta, Gucci and Prada where you can get 50% or more off retail price.
Click here to My USA (Hawaii) Trip 2019 and you will see that my wife purchased more than 10 Coach leather items and I myself bought a Coach Academy Sling Bag for just USD100 and still using it daily up to today!
Click here to read My Europe Trip 2019 – Girls Day Out At The Mall – where we went to Florence Outlet Mall in 2019, my daughter got a Prada bag, my wife on the other hand bought Bottega Veneta wallets for one third of retail price and a pair of Ferragamo shoes.
I went to Southern Italy in October 2023 and visited Sicilia Outlet Village.
However, the Sicily Outlet Village did not have Ferragamo, Bottega Veneta or Prada (it was closed) but they had Coach, Furla, Gucci, Armani, Ralph Lauren and Boss.
As I mentioned, the best place to purchase Coach items is in USA Outlet Malls and therefore my wife did not even enter the shop as my youngest sister who resides in USA can purchase Coach handbags for my wife.
The first place we headed to was Boss and then Armani where my wife insisted that I must get a few collared T-Shirts and a proper Armani shirt for dinner functions. But because she assisted me in selecting the shirts that look good on me, I told her she can go purchase a Gucci handbag haha. We had 4 hours to kill at Sicilia Outlet Village.
So at Gucci, the first handbag that caught our attention was a Small Ophidia with leather on the top side and metal chain. The price shown was EUR17XX and after discount was EUR1185. The SA kept telling us it was their last one and it is a very nice small bag for everyday use.
But my wife saw another Gucci leather shoulder handbag in gold color leather (to me it was light brown or dark beige and Gucci called it gold) which she liked and asked if they had a new one but the SA said it was their last one too. So my wife inspected it carefully and there were three (3) scratches on it! Here is the thing, items at Outlet Malls are either off season items or have defects! When purchasing stuff at outlet malls, especially leather goods, you better inspect carefully. Previously in 2019 at Prada Florence Outlet Mall, I also saw a Prada leather bag that was selling at a really low price but after I inspected it, I noted there were defects at the bottom.
So my wife gave the Gucci gold color handbag a miss. I then pointed out a Gucci Dionysus Mini in maroon leather to her and she said it was nice but she reckoned it would cost more than RM10K. Well, before I tell you the price of this said Dionysus Mini Maroon Leather Handbag, I will first show you the price listed at Gucci websites.
Price of Gucci Mini Dionysus in USA, Italy and Singapore
From the above:
Gucci Dionysus Mini Leather Price in USA – USD2,600 (about RM12K)
Gucci Dionysus Mini Leather Price in Italy (Europe) – EUR2,150 (about RM11K)
Gucci Dionysus Mini Leather Price in Singapore – SGD4040 (about RM14K)
And below is the price of the Gucci Dionysus Small Leather in Singapore – SGD5,270 (about RM18K). RM18K in Singapore for the Gucci Small Dionysus!!! This Dionysus Small leather is selling for R15.3K in KL. Our Ringgit damn weak. The days of shopping in Singapore is over. Even if the Malaysia government imposed 10% Luxury Tax today, it is still cheaper to get the Dionysus in KL! If you ask me, the Malaysia Government should take advantage of the weak Ringgit and promote Malaysia as a Shopping Haven where tourist can also get refund for whatever taxes imposed (e.g. Sales Tax in addition to Luxury Tax).
So I told my wife to go check the price of the Gucci Dionysus Maroon Leather and she was pleasantly surprised to see that the final price was EUR1,260 (about RM6.4K) which is like 50% off! She liked the maroon color as she does not have a hand bag in that shade – ladies lah must match this and that.
As for the Gucci Ophidia Mini Top Handle with Metal Chain Shoulder Bag I mentioned earlier, I googled and it was previously selling at Gucci official store in USA for USD2200.
But the Ophidia was being sold at EUR1,185 at the Gucci Outlet. So I told my wife that I will get the Ophidia for my older daughter as a birthday present.
So in the end, the damage to my pocket was EUR2,445 which I paid using my credit card and was charged RM12,678 (which eventually will be less once I get my tax refund of more than 10%). Basically I purchase the Gucci handbags for about half price or it is like buy one free one, haha.
As for my recent Southern Italy Trip 2023, where I went to Mt. Etna which was an active Volcano amongst other historical places, I will tell you this, unless you have been to Rome, Florence and Venice, forget about Southern Italy.
My Wife’s Other Handbags Purchased in 2023
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