In fashion, the cut of an outfit is vital, but Parisian Marie Dupuis has found that it can also apply to price.

Thanks to a little bargaining, the 32-year-old shopper recently bought a Jean-Paul Gaultier dress at a 40 per cent discount.

Ms Dupuis, who paid 310 euros (S$620) for her designer garment, told Reuters: “I have never seen that. It must be because of the crisis everybody is talking about.”

High-fashion bargains are usually reserved for the super-rich or celebrities who get designer freebies from fashion houses seeking the publicity.

Similarly, private sales are usually exclusively reserved for loyal customers who receive an invitation by mail. The discounts typically apply to small selection of items.

But in the current economic downturn, less-expensive luxury items are becoming attainable to more ordinary, though still relatively well-off, shoppers.

This year, Reuters found that one could buy a wide range of discounted products without an invitation at Jean-Paul Gaultier and Jimmy Choo in Paris and Prada in Milan.

Altagamma, the Italian fashion industry association, said it had noted an increase in the number of private sales this year because of the financial crisis.

The French haute couture house of Jean-Louis Scherrer, for example, extended a 60 per cent promotional sale this month on evening dresses that it started in mid-November.

“This is the first time I've seen such a sale,” a clerk said.

But these high-end offers are done subtly.

Some brands shy from advertising their discounts in shop windows, which can damage the brand by undermining the notion that quality comes at a price.

Names like Sonia Rykiel, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Jimmy Choo, Prada, Armani, Gucci, Tod’s, Dolce & Gabbana, Alexander McQueen, Gianfranco Ferré and Alberta Ferretti insist they limit their offers to particular stores or countries.

Said an assistant at a top designer boutique in Milan: “Some may say they don’t hold (sales), but they do. They just don’t want everyone to know about them.”

Generally, the year-end holiday season can account for about 40 per cent of annual sales, so the stakes are high.

Analysts predict that luxury-goods revenue will drop next year for the first time in over a decade. Consultants at Bain say sales could drop as much as 7 per cent next year.

This article was first published in The New Paper on Dec 14, 2008.