You don’t have to be a shopaholic to enjoy a sneak peek into those mysterious showrooms where clothing designers pitch their concepts to retailers. My curiosity got the best of me, so I signed up for a behind-the-scenes tour of New York’s Garment District, intriguing because these wholesale showrooms are normally closed to the public.

On the designated date, tour participants gathered adjacent to the district’s information kiosk on 7th Avenue, near the metal sculpture of a man hard at work behind a sewing machine. Our guide explained that we would be able to purchase clothes and accessories at wholesale prices or below, although the majority of our stops would take cash only. (Luckily New York is brimming with ATMs.) 

She also mentioned that we might happen upon a sample sale or two along the way. Our group set off, eagerly anticipating the deals we were bound to discover.

Let me be up-front with a couple of blunt truths: The garment district is not pretty. The showrooms are not pretty. However, what comes out of them is. And, I won’t be mentioning names of designers visited on the tour because they want to remain anonymous—they don’t want retailers to know that members of the public are being offered deep discounts.

With that said, our first stop was in an old, shabby building. We piled into a claustrophobically tiny elevator and after we filed out, our guide led us to a very small showroom. Fabric bolts were stacked in one corner of the room, while employees were sketching and cutting patterns on the opposite side. In the middle was an assortment of exquisite pieces, some with an Asian flair.

The personable designer explained that she mostly sold to small boutiques. (Indeed, I could imagine her colorful creations gracing the racks of high-end retailers in the SoHo and NoLita neighborhoods). Although the fashions were being offered at remarkable prices, they were still (sadly) beyond my budget. I had no choice but to hold out for less-pricey goods.

Our guide ushered the group to the next destination, another non-descript building with an ancient, tired elevator. We were taken to a minuscule room punctuated by racks crammed with clothes—if you wanted to try something on, you had to hide behind the racks or try to find space to stand in the teeny storage room and go for it.

This chatty designer sells to upscale department stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus.  (Apparently, Oprah had been in the week before selecting some items for her wardrobe.) Alas, I found something I loved that fit within my budget—a striking, one-of-a-kind bias-cut dress created in France. Bingo!

By this time, you’ve probably guessed that all of the buildings were rundown and all of the showrooms were cramped, so I’ll cut to the chase. Our next visit was to a designer who had more of a funky, bohemian approach. Her line appears at retailers like Anthropologie in addition to luxury department stores. There was an emphasis on accessories here, like scarves, wraps and shrugs in gorgeous pastels.

We also visited two multi-line showrooms—at the first we were told we could only purchase from specific racks since they didn’t want to sell from their upcoming collections. A couple of racks had some unbelievable bargains hanging on them, say $10-$15 per piece. The manager here explained that they primarily market their clothes to Boston Proper and other catalogue companies.

The second multi-line showroom offered bulging racks containing relatively inexpensive items, and a pitch was being made to buyers as we quietly browsed in the background. Also added to the mix was an excursion to a designer of luxury outerwear; elegant furs and coats could be had at one-third the price they would be at Nordstrom or another posh department store. And finally, we visited a studio highlighting boutique-style fashions with a European influence.

By this time, my eyes were starting to glaze over—I was approaching shopping overload. Several members of our group were laden with packages and happily taking stock of their stylish acquisitions.

I’d highly recommend experiencing a Garment District shopping tour if you are interested in obtaining access to these off-the-grid showrooms. Guides strive to present a diverse selection of offerings in line with varying budgets, as well as a range of tours that explore trendy shopping areas such as SoHo and NoLita.

The author attended the Garment District Diva Trek conducted by Elegant Tightwad Shopping Excursions. Other companies, such as Shop Gotham, offer similar tours.