Boutique selection, fabulous prices at The Wardrobe in Williamsburg

Think boutique.

Classical music. A pleasant aroma. Garments hanging on black velvet hangers arranged by designer. Owners who help you shop.

The Wardrobe in Williamsburg is like shopping in an exclusive little store, sans any hint of snobbishness, but with a fabulous selection and prices.

With the economy on the wane, The Pilot's shopping squad has been evaluating area consignment shops the past couple of weeks. When we entered The Wardrobe and spied racks with designer names on top - Ellen Tracey, Christian Lacroix, Flax, Dana Buchman, Votre Nom, Carlisle, Worth - we approached them with a bit of skepticism. Really, how many pieces of each designer could they have? And in what sizes?

The answer here is plenty. The St. John rack, for example, held 32 pieces in varying sizes, including a good selection of 8s and 10s.

We also found a shelf of a dozen or so Dooney & Bourke purses. There's a full wall of shoes, including a pair of new BCBG cream-and-brown sandals, size 8-1/2, for $13.75.

"We like to give people who can't usually afford luxury items a chance to own pieces at a fraction of the cost" of new, said co-owner Tracey Kennedy.

There's more. Beyond the designer duds filling the front of the shop are racks with brands such as Coldwater Creek, Talbots, J.Jill, Polo and Ann Taylor, plus plenty of Chico's, and Lilly Pulitzer in hard-to-find-in-consignment-shop larger sizes. We found a Lili's of Ghent two-piece purple acetate and spandex set, large, for $16.25 for the top and $25.25 for the pants.

But wait! An easy-to-read sign on the wall explains the color-coded tags that reveal ever-changing discounts. Most items are discounted every 30 days of the 90-day consignor contract. The Lili's of Ghent find was 70 percent off, making the entire set $12.45.

The shop has well-heeled consignors who frequently travel (and shop) around the world, so many unusual finds are hidden in the racks. There were also good selections of scarves, belts and formal wear, plus some fine jewelry and a few housewares.

The shop is about 45 miles from downtown Norfolk. Our advice? Drop Dad and the kids at Busch Gardens, which is just across the street, and enter The Wardrobe for a (cheap) thrill of your own.

Lorraine Eaton, (757) 446-2697, lorraine.eaton@pilotonline.com