Encore Designer Collections

Ooof. [Insert grimace]
This store feels like it caters to the dated 50 to 60 year old. And not dated like a classic vintage or mature woman wearing expensive cruise ship wear sort of way.
Dated as in my mother owned these items and purchased them when I was a small child dated. Lots of wool blazers (which few women wear nowadays), lots of heavy jackets and bead work.
Which would be fine, if they were priced like the costume, one off pieces they are. But they’re priced right up there with the current style consignment at Our Secret, who I gotta tell you, caters to a similar, if not slightly younger age range and still manages to feel fresh, youthful, and now.
The store is also quite small, or petite and not well laid out. Cluttered and feeling hoardery, the overwhelming jewelry display pushes it towards antique. Another reviewer states not to come here with expectations and frankly, that’s right on target.
I doubt I’ll be back. I’m definitely not the age range they’re shooting for and frankly, I’d be offended if someone thought I should dress this way when I am that age.
Ooof. [Shakes head]

This review is long overdue. I consigned a handful of clothes a few years ago with Encore. The sales girl told me that they sold, however, they charged me $ 5.00 per item for «ironing» and that the items did not sell for much. No breakdown was provided. Thank goodness I did not leave anything worth a lot of money with these people as I believe they would have had the same response/​outcome. Consign at your own risk. SHADY store…

A Mans View.
Like most designer thrift stores they have very little for men. Though if lucky you can come across something good once in a blue moon, but for the ladies there are plenty of choices.
Note:
Encore Designer Collections sells illegal designer knock-​off purses behind the counter, ie. Louis Vuitton etc. A friend of mine purchased a fake $ 150.00 LV purse which lasted about three weeks. One of the gromits pulled away from the bag. The gromit was made of a thin bendable plastic that cannot be repaired. I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did. Also she was informed there are absolutely no returns or refunds. Not sure how EDC gets away with this, but they do.

Disappointment. I was really excited to start my consignment /​thrift shop outing last Friday. Let me preface this — I love consignment/​thrift store shopping and try to do so in every city I visit. Boston and New York OMG! La Jolla is pretty great. That said — Silicon Valley, not so good.
I have a bunch of really nice but ill-​fitting clothes that I would like to get rid of and need to augment the closet a bit. With all of the great reviews from Unilocal,I went over to Encore. Luckily, I left my bags in the car and strolled around first.
1– It is small
2– It targets a mature woman (which is good)
3– Some of the brands are solid.
4-​The lady behind the counter seemed nice, but we did not interact.
5-​There was nothing there that would fit. I may be small, but I could not find anything.
I left without buying anything or even taking in my items.
(Quick aside — I did email the store to find out more about the particulars of the place, such as the brands that they are looking for and jewelry requirements. I got no answer.)

LOVE this place! The staff is awesome and helpful! Christie actually called me one day to tell me an item i was interested in was going to super sale and then she came back to the store after it was really closed to let me try it on. I was working til 5 and she hung out til 7 for me to have a private shopping session. I’m no millionaire, so what’s more awesome than that!!! I ended up with 3 fabulous outfits for work and i feel like a fashonista when i wear them!

I only went in for one thing and didn’t find it, but I think I could have done some damage if I had more time. Small, cute store with some nice things. I’ll definitely go back. The young woman at the desk was very nice and helpful.

This place is definitely geared toward the middle aged and older crowd. I’ve popped in here twice now and haven’t found anything that’s really tickled my fancy but I had fun just browsing around. Some of the prices do seem a little high, but it is in Los Altos after all. They have a nice selection of designer bags and while the store seems a little crowded everything is pretty organized and clean.

I got VERY lucky one day and found a brand spanking new (with protective film on the hardware and original tags) Fendi clutch. Here are some pointers when coming here:
–Have a good eye for things
–Don’t get discouraged by the old items and the clutter
–It’s a small store
–Come here with no expectations
I spotted my rare Fendi clutch in the verrrrrrrrrrrrry back of the store, hiding far away in a glass cabinet, barely noticable and actually face down… it was meant to be! It was on sale that day too!

This store and Red Robin seem to be some sort of sister stores but in comparison with Red Robin, I like the selection here better. I completely agree with the last and only other review on this place, Encore is less costumey. I feel like I found better brands and more modern looks at Encore but again, the pricing was pretty high for me and what I’m used to paying at other consignment shops. Could be because of the downtown Los Altos location? Anyway, they had designer bags like LV and Tory Burch for discounted prices (in decent condition too).
They had a 20−50% off sale the other day when I went but I didn’t end up buying anything. Everything I wanted seemed to be the ones that were only 20% off and even if they had been 50% off, the prices were still too high. I would definitely come back here though.

I simply love Encore. I’ve visited Red Robin and although it’s bigger, Red Robin is one of those stores you go into when you’re looking for something to wear for a costume party. Encore has more middle-​aged woman styles but if you look around carefully, you can find some really good stuff.
The last time I went, one of the associates showed me a cardigan with REAL chinchilla fur. It was soooo soft. Sadly, it wasn’t my size.
Also, their jewelry collection is pretty decent. They let you try on anything you want, one at a time. And they’re super patient. I’ve got this ring I bought from them and wear it all the time now. I love it. =)