Pumps & Pleats: Time to shop! T.J. Maxx is coming to Brooklyn!

Story and photo by Michèle De Meglio

Have you ever wondered how Brooklyn’s fashionistas can afford $600 Rebecca Minkoff satchels and $300 L.A.M.B. stilettos in this economy? I always do. Well, here’s the answer - they’re secret discount shoppers.

Purchasing purses and pumps at a designer discount store like Century 21 in Bay Ridge or Loehmann’s in Sheepshead Bay isn’t as elegant as shopping in Madison Avenue’s posh boutiques, but it will save you some green.

That’s why Pumps & Pleats is super excited that T.J. Maxx may soon open on East 15th Street between Kings Highway and Avenue P in Midwood. Maxx has a few locations in Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island, but this will be the chain’s first store in Brooklyn.

In honor of the shop’s reported October opening, I visited Marshalls on 86th Street in Bath Beach, which is owned by the same company as Maxx and sells the same designer duds. Really, these stores aren’t that much different.

The cool thing about Marshalls is that the purses are arranged by color. If pink purses aren’t your thing, head on down to the green section, or hop to the blue corner for a turquoise tote. It’s totally fun!

This Bath Beach Marshalls is more organized than the one in the Atlantic Center mall in Prospect Heights, but be prepared for purses left on the floor and shoes randomly strewn on the racks. Frankly, any designer discount shop you visit will be a mess.

To deal with the crazy conditions, you must be patient and determined to scour every last rack for that one fabulous find. That’s how I found the mate for a single fire engine red Tahari pump. Perseverance pays off!

Marshalls [1832 86th St. between Bay 19th and Bay 20th streets in Bath Beach, (718) 621-3434].

Michèle De Meglio is a native Brooklynite addicted to all things chic. Check out Pumps & Pleats each week for more adventures as she scours the borough for fab duds and accessories.