AN HOUR NORTH of New York city is a village of tiny white wooden buildings lining pretty paved streets overseen by a weather-vane-topped tower.
It may look like a picturesque picket-fenced town centre, but a closer look reveals that the buildings bear names such as Tommy Hilfiger and Oscar de la Renta and that this village is, in fact, one of the world's largest collections of designer and brand-name outlet stores.
Welcome to Woodbury Common Premium Outlets, home of 220 shops for all manner of well-known fashion names, from Fendi to French Connection, Helmut Lang to Hugo Boss and J Crew to Jimmy Choo.
Built in 1985, this king of the outlet experiences has expanded apace since its inception, attracting more and more brands and, in the process, tens of thousands of visitors who come from all over the world to this consumer Mecca each year.
According to Jean Guinup, the centre's senior marketing director, Woodbury has discounts of 25 to 60 per cent on designer items, and that's not including sales periods (the next one is the post-Thanksgiving Midnight Madness event, beginning at midnight on Friday, November 28th, and continuing through the weekend that follows).
So where do all these bargains come from?
According to Guinup, many of the clothes are a season behind or part of excess stock that must be moved on to make space for newer designs. "Products which come in later, or remain unsold, can leave a retailer with the headache of trying to come up with a way to pass them on to an eager public without allowing them to accumulate. We provide the answer."
Also, says Guinup, given the importance of image and brand identity, high-end designer labels are careful about where their products end up, with the Woodbury Common option allowing them to line up alongside other brand names without having to stoop to the bargain-basement alternative.
From a shopper's point of view it's all about the prices, and for Irish shoppers they beggar belief.
DKNY jeans go for $48 (€33) here, while Levi's 501s are $36.99 (€25). Other discounted items include tops at Theory slashed from $105 (€71) to $20 (€13.50) and shirts marked down from $255 (€173) to $49 (€33).
At the higher end, it may not seem such a saving to see an Oscar de la Renta dress still priced in four figures, but take a look at the original cost and the savings are clear.
Woodbury Common attracts people from every continent. For eager shoppers Jorge Zarza and his wife, Beatrice Monserrat, it is even cheaper to buy clothes at Woodbury Common than in their homeland of Mexico, which may explain why they've been here six times.
"In my country the clothes are much more expensive, sometimes four times more," says Monserrat.
With lockers for rent at $10 (€7) a day, for shoppers to deposit their spoils in as they go, as well as numerous coupons and vouchers available to maximise discounts, Woodbury Common is an attractive option for the time-pressed, penny-pinching or common- or-garden shopaholic.
Woodbury essentials
• How to get thereBuses run regularly from Port Authority (42nd Street and 8th Avenue).
• Where to stayA 15-minute drive from Woodbury, Cromwell Manor Inn (Cornwall, 00-1-845-5347136, www.cromwellmanor.com), built by Oliver's nephew, is infinitely more pleasant than its name suggests. Alternatively, a Hampton Inn (www.hamptoninn.com) is due to open near the outlet centre this autumn.
• What to bringComfortable shoes and your credit card.
• How to maximiseGo online and join the VIP club to get extra discounts once you arrive. Alternatively, you can purchase a book of money-off coupons with your bus ticket.
• What to avoidImpulse buying. Just because it's a brand name and has had $100 knocked off the price doesn't mean you'll actually wear it.
Where else to go
• New JerseyJersey Gardens (www.jersey gardens.com), New Jersey's largest outlet mall, with more than 200 shops, is 30 minutes from midtown Manhattan.
• BostonWrentham Village (www.premium outlets.com), 45 minutes south of the city, has 170 stores.
• ChicagoAbout 75km from downtown, Gurnee Mills (www.gurneemills mall.com) has 200 mid-range outlet stores.
• San FranciscoJust an hour and a quarter from the city, Vacaville (www.premium outlets.com) has 120 outlet stores.
• PhiladelphiaA Philly landmark at this point, Franklin Mills (www. franklinmills.com), 25km northeast of the city centre, has a Nike Factory Store and a Neiman Marcus among its 200 shops.
• AtlantaNorth Georgia Premium Outlets (www. premiumoutlets.com), 75km north of the city, has 140 brand-name stores.