Erica Corsano Discusses a Day in the Life of The RealReal Boston

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

In-the-know Bostonians are typically familiar with the name Erica Corsano given her extensive background contributing to the city's fashion publications. But these last few months, she's been lending her name to a new business—online luxury consignment store The RealReal. Aside from retail giant eBay, TRR is the industry leader in collecting and reselling timeless Louis Vuitton and Chanel bags, Hermes scarves, and even some fashion-forward contemporary brands.

Sold in a flash sales manner, the goods are plucked from covetable closets in cities like Boston...which is where Erica comes into play. She walks us through her day-to-day, the most exciting item she's encountered, and which up-and-coming designers are set to be successes in the consignment world.

Describe a day in the life as the TRR Boston rep.
My life varies day to day, but mostly I am meeting with Boston's most fashionable women and working with them on cleaning their closets. I'm also getting the word out about The RealReal, meeting with retailers, stylists, PR folks, non-profit heads and event planners. My day is filled with Chanel, Hermès and Christian Louboutin, and it doesn't get much better than that!

What is the most exciting item you've come across since starting the gig?
A consignor had a purple ostrich Céline "Boston" bag with the tags still on – from this season! It was a gift from her husband, but she didn't love it. She said that she'll wear it once for her hubby to see, and then I can come back and consign it for her. Amazing.

What does TRR do for consigners that local consignment shops don't?
Local consignment shops are awesome, but some people do not have the time to deal with a consignment shop across town. If you have 10 or more luxury designer items, we will come to your home and work with you on styling, cleaning and cosigning only the items you are really ready to part with. Your items get merchandised into our beautiful daily flash sales, sometimes even several at a time. We give your luxury items amazing visibility so they sell faster — which is great.

Which up-and-coming designer brand is poised to be a star in the consignment world?
Our best sellers are always Chanel, Hermès, Louis Vuittonand Christian Louboutin. These marquee brands have a passionate following all over the world but I love seeing brands like The Row, Camilla Skovgaard and IsabelMarant on our site. They all have a really powerful cult following and are clearly in demand. I think the most surprising thing I've learned is how in-demand designer menswear is. Rogan, Church's, Burberry, BrunelloCucinelli, Dior Homme—the list goes on and on. Men love online consignment!

· The RealReal [Official Site]
· Erica Corsano Dishes on Delivering $3M of Vintage Jewels [Racked Boston]