A Vivienne Westwood corset on sale.
Photo: Emilia Petrarca
This summer, I found myself near JFK airport — bags in hand, seeking escape — but I was not on Long Island to catch a flight. Instead, I made the hour commute from my apartment to visit a new outlet mall called Belmont Park Village, which includes a Vivienne Westwood, a Missoni, and even a Thom Browne — all offering discounts up to 65 percent off.
The selection is broad enough and prices low enough that I might miss a flight on purpose in the future. And the mall is not even fully open yet. Eventually the Village will host 150 designer boutiques including Valentino, which opens this month. Coach, Levi’s, Kiton, and more are set to debut throughout the summer, along with a VIP private-shopping space, plus Ganni and Acne Studios in the future.
From left: A Thom Browne marked down. Photo: Emilia PetrarcaPhoto: Emilia Petrarca
From top: A Thom Browne marked down. Photo: Emilia PetrarcaPhoto: Emilia Petrarca
Regardless of one’s travel plans, visitors can get to Belmont Park any day of the week by car or by taking the Long Island Railroad to UBS Arena, which is located next door — perhaps before an Islanders hockey game or a Billie Eilish concert, or maybe on the way to the Hamptons. If you live in Manhattan or Brooklyn, I can’t say it’s convenient. But neither is Woodbury Commons. If there’s a good deal, people will come. Including me! I don’t need an excuse for a shopping adventure.
On the day I made the journey to Belmont Park from Brooklyn, it was unseasonably rainy and cold, but that meant that I had the Village basically to myself. I started as any smart shopper would: with fuel. Specifically, a snack from Pret a Manger — the first on Long Island.
One store employee described the Village as being like a college campus, and I found that to be pretty accurate. Once you step inside, you feel like you are in a self-contained organism. There are no tall buildings or cars, and each store is housed in its own small brick unit. The walkways are spotless. Everyone who works there knows each other, which adds to the collegiate energy. But as a shopper, I think it’s arguably more like a chic ski village in terms of look and feel. (You can even get a rare Emilio Pucci ski suit at Fusalp, should you want to hit the slopes in style.)
From left: Photo: Emilia PetrarcaA Missoni dress on sale. Photo: Emilia Petrarca
From top: Photo: Emilia PetrarcaA Missoni dress on sale. Photo: Emilia Petrarca
Once I regained my strength after the commute, I made a beeline for the mall’s holy grail: Thom Browne. This is the brand’s first outlet in the United States, and it looks just like every other Thom Browne store I’ve been to — complete with uniformed employees and an officelike décor — only it’s slightly smaller, and, of course, everything is on sale. What likely convinced names like Browne, Missoni, Valentino, etc., to open at Belmont is the fact that the Village is part of the larger Bicester Collection, a well-established group of luxury outlet malls located across Europe, the U.K., and Asia. The higher-end brands are in good company, but there’s still a nice mix for everyone.
At Thom Browne, I found a small blue Hector bag (named after the designer’s dog) for $830. Not cheap, but, unfortunately, I consider under $1,000 a good deal for a luxury bag these days. In the dressing room, which was freezing and therefore very on brand, I tried on a $2,500 dress that retailed for $1,250 and a matching skirt suit that was $1,800 combined, down from $3,000. (Hot tip: At every store, be sure to ask to see what inventory they have in the back.) If anything, I felt even more thankful for outlet malls, given the fact that luxury prices are now so insane. Shopping at the Village is mostly still a splurge, but for some, at least, it brings luxury more within the realm of possibility.
At Thom Browne, I found a small blue Hector bag (named after the designer’s dog) for $830. Not cheap, but, unfortunately, I consider under $1,000 a good deal for a luxury bag these days.
Photo: Emilia Petrarca
Next, I stopped by Roberto Cavalli, just to see if I could make my Sopranos dreams come true. It turns out that I could buy a similar dress to Adriana’s iconic leopard-print one … For about a grand … But I did find a full leopard-print jumpsuit for just $163.50, and the store employees showed me an “archival” rack behind closed doors. I also stopped by TWP, a trendy new brand that’s a little Kallmeyer-esque because it specializes in tailoring, to try on some suits. It’s not a name you’d expect to find at an outlet mall, and I appreciated that element of discovery and surprise.
From left: A Roberto Cavalli find. Photo: Emilia PetrarcaA Rains coat on sale. Photo: Emilia Petrarca
From top: A Roberto Cavalli find. Photo: Emilia PetrarcaA Rains coat on sale. Photo: Emilia Petrarca
I wanted to save my money for Vivienne Westwood, though, where I found one of the label’s iconic corsets in my size for about $900, down from $1,635. A high number, still, but a piece like that would retain its value, so much that you could potentially make a profit from it on a resale site like The RealReal. Same for a rare blue tartan skirt suit and a “Drunken” blazer with a collar shaped like a heart. The accessories and jewelry section was more affordable, with necklaces, earrings, and ties for under $200. My jaw also dropped seeing huge pink platform pony-hair mules, and I thought about getting an oversize costume-jewelry pearl necklace. But instead, I snagged the corset with the help of a gift card.
A Vivienne Westwood corset find.
Photo: Emilia Petrarca
At the end of the day, I bought a raincoat at Rains, just as the sun began to peak through the clouds, because it was under $100 and I simply could not pass up such a steal. I was also very tempted by a beautiful Missoni beach cover-up for about $300, and the brand’s selection of towels and robes. Hand towels were just $30! Should I have gotten a beach towel, too?
Overall, I had a lot of fun trying on designer clothes in a friendly, spacious environment and scoring a good deal or two wherever possible. I will definitely be returning as more stores at Belmont open up. And, who knows, maybe I’ll “accidentally” lose some luggage next time I fly home to New York for an excuse to shop the discounts at Tumi.
