Last week, I checked out one of the new Saks Off 5th Canada locations, at Vaughan Mills. I’ve shopped till I’ve dropped at Saks Off 5th in Florida… and even scored a Phillip Lim bag for under $250! I was so excited to hear that Off 5th was coming to Vaughan Mills and Tanger Outlets in Ottawa, and last week I finally got to shop the store myself.
Saks Off 5th Canada entered the Canadian market to provide customers with a high-end discount store. The focus is on curation, and assuring customers will find something exciting without having to sort through duds on a rack. Because everything is bought specifically for the Saks Off 5th Canada stores, the merchandise is a lot more fresh! There’s also one of a kind finds coming in straight from the newly-opened Saks Fifth Avenue stores as well.
I also loved to hear that the buyer herself is Canadian, and has been a buyer for Hudson’s Bay for decades! She knows what the Canadian customer wants (i.e. lots of layers, coats, practical winter shoes) which sometimes can be a miss when US retailers open in Canada. Another exciting element to this is that there are Canadian brands peppered throughout the store. I spotted Lazypants, Löle, Matt & Nat and a couple jewelry brands from homegrown talent! This helps strengthen the store’s Canadian identity, and is also an amazing opportunity for these local brands to grow their customer base.
Product categories range in the store, and I was impressed with a meaty mens’ section, so if I come here with my boyfriend he won’t just be pouting in a corner while I try on shoes! There’s also a small kids section, offering similar brands to women’s and menswear, so they can be little mini-mes, but it’s also the perfect place to pick up a special gift!
My absolute favourite part of the store was, without a doubt the shoe section. The Vaughan Mills location has over 10,000 pairs, which is pure bliss! The shoes are organized by size, and I easily had about 7 rows to go through for my size 8-8.5 feet. With mid to high end brands, I loved seeing newcomers like Schutz, mixed in with mainstays like Kate Spade, Sam Edelman and New Balance. I also spotted some high end designer pieces (for over 50 per cent off) like a pair of gorgeous tall brown boots (whose brand escapes me… perhaps Chloe, maybe Miu Miu… I can’t remember!), and a stunning pair of Charlotte Olympia pumps. There were probably even more designer finds in other sizes too!
Saks Off 5th also stocked their house brand – Saks Fifth Avenue, which featured on-trend designs with great quality. I spotted some Mansur Gavriel look-a-like bucket bags at a fraction of the price in thick, soft leathers, as well as some pretty lace up flats. I have a quilted wallet on chain from the house brand that I absolutely adore!
PS if you don’t live near a Saks Off 5th Canada location, you can also shop their online store duty free when your purchase is over $100!
