Designer Renaissance

This place is my usual «go-​to» when I need to pick up cute new clothes for an upcoming trip or event… or just whenever! I’ve been a junk sale/​thrift store shopper my entire life, so it’s always a joy to shop somewhere that’s done most of the tougher digging/​fashion-​searching work for you. Makes for such a pleasant afternoon/​post-​work treat to come in here and just get lost looking through all the divine racks of gloriously gently-​used designer clothes and accessories…
And believe me, I’d come here more if my budget allowed, but I know that it’s impossible for me to come in here without coming out with an armload of goodies, hence the reason I have to save my visits for special occasions.
The prices are very fair and reasonable, the quality/​fashionability of everything is excellent and so well-​curated, and the staff is always so helpful and friendly. And the owner Jodi is just the coolest, always catching up with her regulars and making everyone feel so welcome and appreciated! Plus, I just dig the vibe here, the cozy cottage filled to its brim with gorgeous designer gems, the cute giant red purse sign out front, the comfortable dressing rooms… it just all works.
Anytime anyone asks me about the best consignment shops in Nashville, I recommend this joint immediately before I then suggest stopping by the nearby Gaslamp Antique Mall afterwards — it all makes for a beautifully fun day of treasure-​hunting!

Fun fun fun store with interesting selection and great staff! Check it out when they open their coffee shoppe this spring!

Guess who found more awesome clothes and Saturday made the FOURTH VISIT in a month??? THIS CHICK HERE! And the beautiful store manager (pretty lady with red hair and super cool glasses) gave me a hug! I swear I love this place! And the girls who work there are too friendly! See you guys again in about another week or so! GIGGITY GOOOO!

My 1^st visit was yesterday. It was a beautiful quaint little shop. I found some really good deals. I bought a beautiful maxi dress and dressy crop pants and a satin blouse and only paid $ 38!!! The woman working there was so helpful and nice. I will most definitely come back again!!!

I’d shop here because the owner (?) is super discerning but selling here is a nightmare. In the display window they have two headless mannequins dressed in the style of Rose and Blanche from «The Golden Girls». I drive my car there with the equivalent of 5 bags of things, most neatly pressed and on hangers as specified on the website. I’m told she won’t look at them all, but I need to pick my 10 – 12 best «think rocker, funky, Anthropologie, Lucky, nothing conservative» (so.not like the window display). Fair enough.
You need her to take 10 pieces minimum for her to even buy anything from you.
That didn’t happen for me, she maybe liked 5 of the 12 I brought in.
i’m aware of how much textile goes to waste, and how our constant changing trends and cheap materials are leading to landfills of clothing, so we really should shop resale when it works out. For our wallets and the planet.

This is a fun place to shop and find good designer clothes, shoes, handbags, furs and jeans. I have been shopping here for about 5 years and I always find something when I shop here. The staff is great and friendly! I love this store!

Great selection of unique pieces at reasonable prices. The staff is very friendly and helpful. Go when you have time to browse as there’s lots of merchandise and its ever changing! Their sales are really great too!

I thought they had a great selection of designer items, nicer than a thrift store choice for sure. The prices are higher, but for the brands and selection I think it makes perfect sense. Really enjoyed my visit.

Admittedly, I am basically a professional consignment shopper and consigner and have been to many many consignment stores in the US and abroad, so I set a pretty high bar. This place was recommended and I was super disappointed to find over priced items and VERY bad knock offs (the Louboutins were especially galling– they weren’t even close to looking legit). I would never buy high end items from a store that stocks items like this– at a consignment store I expect to feel that my item has been authenticated at intake by seasoned professionals.
But, with the way the sales staff treats customers… I’m not sure what I was expecting. No one said a word to me while I was there and I spent about 40 minutes looking through the store both times that I visited.

Very neat place!!! Being from Louisiana I was very impressed w the selected styles that was sold! Bought two leather jackets and a real nice purple flowy shirt for my sister bday present.

Love this store! The staff is friendly and helpful. I’ve added gorgeous pieces to my closet at a great price.

This place has so much good stuff! I can’t believe only yesterday was my first time there! Very broad selection of items as well as a broad price range, which is so nice! I found a fantastic brand new-​looking Betsey Johnson dress for $ 22!!! I’m honestly not much for designer clothes, I am a thrift store gal by nature, but man oh man Betsey Johnson is my soulmate for fashion! So finding that dress made my week!
The staff was so helpful and nice and excited that the dress found a good home with me!
One quick tip: beware dressing room #4 if you are at all modest, as the curtains ruffle in on the sides a good amount. in the reflection of the mirror I made eye contact with several other shoppers browsing about the racks, on the other side of the curtain who were looking in at me via the spaces between the curtain sides and the walls… So that was a little awkward but luckily I did have proper undergarments on and am not overly modest.

First off let me say there is some good stuff here! Definitely good brands and cute items. You know how sometimes you go to a thrift store and it might be a Michael Kors top but it’s from the 90s and awful? Not the case here.
That being said I feel like everything is a bit to a lot over-​priced. Admittedly these ladies clearly know their brands and what they are worth at full retail. But the clothes aren’t brand new! Here’s a few examples: Joe’s Jeans for $ 68. You can find them brand new at Nordstrom Rack for $ 80. Anthropologie Jeans also for $ 68. I bought the exact same pair on clearance at Anthro a few weeks ago for $ 60! Admittedly I did end up buying the DR pair because they were marked down on clearance to $ 17, I guess everyone else thought the original $ 68 was too much too. I could see the prices making sense if you loved something in-​store when it was new and missed your shot at buying it then were elated to score the same item at DR a while later.
As for the service: the staff was very friendly and helpful – until I questioned the pricing on a dress. It was $ 36 and I very politely asked if they would bring it down to $ 30 because it was a little too pricey for me. The woman at the counter (who I think might be the owner) took me asking for a few bucks off as a major insult. I didn’t mean it to be insulting, it was just a little too expensive for ME! She could have handled it a lot nicer than the snotty attitude she proceed to give me while she rang up my jeans. Then as I was pulling out of the driveway I remembered the Scout Mob deal for 50% off and came back in to get the dress. MAN were they not happy to see me! This time the entire staff not just the woman who was checking me out gave me a snotty cold shoulder. I really didn’t appreciate the attitude.
Summary:
Merchandise selection: 4 stars
Prices: 2 stars
Staff: 2 stars (they did have adorably styled mannequins)
I still plan on going back I just hope the staff is nicer next time. I didn’t mean to offend!

I love thirfting, but found DR just alright. I completely realize consignment shops are ‘hit and miss’ on certain days and seasons, but I was not wowed by the ‘designer’ component of the shop. I saw quite a few wal-​mart, target and macy’s brands on the racks for more money than the items would have been on the sale rack in the actual store — brand new.
I also completely own up to having little to no idea what used Chanel or Prada should be priced, but I do frequent the Nordstrom Rack in a lot of places and know what a new clearance Tory or Marc runs (TB blouse/​swim cover; $ 65 and some designer shades missing their case $ 25 HOLLA!) so DR seems a little pricey for USED items.
My last slightly ridiculous example is this: I found a purple half zip lululemon running top priced for $ 100. Online a brand new full priced Lulu half zip? $ 108. Um, an $ 8 discount for someones used running gear? I get that they retire certain styles at the end of the season so it could be in demand new with tags, but I mean, it was used athletic gear.
Ending on a positive note I will say the staff was very friendly and into chatting and helping out, so that’s really cool. I’ll be back to browse the sales I’m sure, just watch the prices…

As someone who never wants to pay the big bucks for a «pre-​loved» piece of clothing, I was quite pleased with the reasonable prices at Designer Renaissance. They had a nice selection of clothing ranging in different colors and styles. The staff was very friendly and helpful but not pushy.
I look forward to going back another time.

As someone who is a fan of vintage and high end fashion, Designer Renaissance is one of my favorite consignment boutiques. This is not your average resale shop! I’ve picked up never worn or worn-​once, Chanel, Marc Jacobs, Lilly Pulitzer, just to name a few. Also… they have gowns worn by celebrities and socialites. I was searching for a gown for my cruise a couple of years back and found a gorgeous, Oscar worthy dress w/​train for…$ 20 dollars! YES you are seeing right! It must have been a mispriced, but alas, I got it for that price. *happy dance*
Oh and make sure to hit the ‘last chance’ rack! That’s where I found my Marc Jacobs skirt for $ 10 =D an Alberta Ferreti dress for $ 30 and lots of LIlly Pulitzer goodies for summer. Of course you pay more at the couture rack, but it’s sooooo worth it!
The staff is incredible and very friendly! Tell them I sent ya! ;p

If I could have given them 3.5 stars, I would have. Over the years, I have found some good stuff here. The best deals are in the small clearance rack in the corner. I recently found a cute halter top with tags ($ 59) reduced to $ 8!
The staff person I dealt with most recently was cold. She didn’t engage me or tell me about the daily sales nor did she offer to start a dressing room for me. So, that’s a big thumbs down. On the other hand, I have also encountered an incredibly chipper, chatty employee in the past. Bring her back!
Some of the stuff seemed over-​priced for what it was but, as mentioned in other reviews, you might find 1 – 2 things for every 20 you try!
The design of the store itself is cluttered. They have big bins of shoes & accessories, so rummaging through stuff on your knees doesn’t exactly lend itself to the «boutique» feel for which this store strives!

Let’s just say I am «Thirfty»…okay, I’m cheap! My Mother owns a shop and Anitque/​vintage shop and is also a bargain hunter and buys wholesale so that just adds to my already «thrity» shopping habits, it isnt often I am willing to pay full price for ANYTHING.
I am a bargain hunter. I am the friend everyone asks «Where did you get that?» and I reply «.at a thrift store for $ 5!». So… when I first entered this place I was a bit put off by the tons of labels I saw and while much less than retail, the high prices (for me El Cheapo). I could care less in most cases about fancy shmancy labels… I am not a Brand Wh**e by any means, although I do enjoy Betsey Johnson and a few others brands for their style and fit, I won’t pay $ 200 for jeans or a purse.
BUT, I was pleasantly surprised after a few moments of browsing. The Sales Woman, who was adorable — great hair cut, great outfit, very friendly and helpful directed me to the sale area… score! I spent my entire time in this section. She explained the ticketing and discounting as well, then off she went. They checked in with me periodically but weren’t pushy. The owner asked us about our baby, and was very friendly.
The shop is small, but clean, well organized and every thing is labeled properly and neatly. There are some real gems in this place! If I didnt have to spend most of my paycheck on diapers, formula, Girl Scouts, and school projects — I dare say I could spend at least one in here in a single visit.
Like I said, I am a sale junkie and will only buy discounted stuff, but the sale items while maybe out of season for those in the «know» were fine to me and in great condition. I found a cute Fedora hat and a pair of H&M jeans and spent less than $ 20. nuts.
Had I not had my other half with me and possibly a girl friend instead, I know I would have spent a lot more time perusing the racks. Definitely worth visiting and like them on Facebook to get updates on stock and sales!
Berry Hill is worth visting and this place should be on the list of places to shop while there.

So if you aren’t familiar with Berry Hill (and I mean REALLY familiar) start by setting your GPS otherwise you are going to zoom right past this place… pink purse outside or not.
The store is way smaller than I thought, but the place consistently gets tops for ‘Best of Nashville’ which is less of an inventory thing and more of a label thing in my opinion. Items are really well displayed, clean, tagged well and there are lots of dressing rooms. Sizing is strictly for the XS-​L set, so don’t hope to score your mom any designer duds here.
I dropped off a boat load of my Coach purses, some BGBM clothes, J Jill sweaters just to see if it was in keeping with their styles. Everything I brought in was evaluated quickly (even though it was 530pm and the joint was jumping) and taken for consignment.
The store is way better than Tickled Pink or other so-packed-you-can’t-move places, but I think I went too close to XMas (first week in December) so things were somewhat picked over.
Owner is spunky (possibly slightly insane) but funny and clearly knows her client base but don’t go in here expecting to find ‘that dress’. Its more of adventure shopping but if that’s your thing, this is your place. Oh, and pick up one of my Coach purses. Baby needs some new shoes!

If you are craving an adventurous dig for designer + gently worn fashionable apparel/​accessories/​shoes, Designer Renaissance is your mecca.
NOTE: If you are looking to make quick cash from unloading your has-​been Pradas. Guccis, + William Rast jeans… well…not so much.
I certainly don’t mean that this isn’t a fantastic source to sell your wares as there is an already engaged customer base shopping here that may be interested in your stuff but you should know that Designer Renaissance only pays out their consignment deals quarterly. If you need a quick turn around for cash, Craigslist, Ebay, Etsy, or even a good ol’ garage sale may make more sense.
With all of that being said, when I made the shift to my Vegan lifestyle, I unloaded 3 healthy shipments of my shoes, purses, + some clothing at Designer Renaissance. When you drop off your items, expect to sign a contract that outlines the consignment process + expectations. This makes me feel much better because I know that I will be paid fairly and that it will be an organized process. The staff have all been super helpful and offer great advice on why they accept and don’t accept certain items.
On the flip-​side, you can really find some diamonds in the rough here. Both high-​end designers and contemporary brands are available.
I already have my eye on a GORGEOUS Tory Burch belted dress that still has the original tags attached, and with a price tag at $ 150, I will probably buy it in the next few days. Most of the inventory appears to be priced at around ¹⁄₃ of what the original price would have retailed for.
You can also find Marc by Marc Jacobs and Theory for under $ 100. The vintage area is small but after a little digging, I was able to find a cute green + white striped summer dress (circa 1965) for just under $ 38. Shoes can be hit or miss here but Designer Renaissance always has a healthy selection to choose from. I was even able to stock up on some Chanel toners + facial cleansers that were unused + packaged in the original box for just under $ 40. If I were to head to the nearest Chanel counter, this purchase would have been much closer to $ 80.
This is not somewhere that I would propose if you are in a rush but if you have an hour or two to spend, it is a comfy and cozy shop to dig through and explore. This is also a fun way to spend a lazy Saturday morning with a galpal. You can then check out some of the other cute shops and dining establishments in this quiet Berry Hill neighborhood.
TIP: Each time that I have popped in, Designer Renaissance was running some type of promotion or sale. Be sure to ask what they currently have going on.
A sale area is always available too. Be sure to check it out before you leave as you can find items for just a few bucks sometimes!