Each beautifully crafted couture piece of fashion can cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars.

"It's so expensive," consumer Veronica Raaijen said. "It's, I don't know, a car payment for a dress. It's ridiculous."

However, that hasn't kept Raaijen from buying high-end designer clothing.

Her Diane Von Furstenberg dress normally retails for $425, but she paid $118. The regular prices for Raaijen's Dolce and Gabbana top is $1,495, but she got it for just over $500. She said she paid $300 less than retail price for a denim skirt that is very much in style.

Raaijen said she can't believe she's sharing her secret. She shops online at the Gilt Groupe, a one-of-a-kind invitation-only company that puts overstock and vendor return items on sale on the Web.

"We basically make what seems inaccessible, accessible to our members across the United States," Gilt Groupe co-founder Alexandria Wilkis Wilson said. "We work with designers to get pricing that make pieces more affordable."

Everything sold on Gilt Groupe is 70 percent off retail, Wilson said.

"We can't really work with a designer unless they're willing to sell us a piece at a steep discount," Wilson said.

Weekly e-mails alert members to the daily sales from women's clothing to men's apparel, jewelry and more.

"Most Americans are very closely watching their budgets right now," Gilt Groupe co-founder Alexis Maybank said. "This is a way to maybe afford the same quality of clothing or level of brands you might adore but don't necessarily want to pay full price for."

The site is sophisticated with video clips and detailed information. Consumers can shop by size and zoom in to see the items in detail.

However, they said shoppers have to be quick because inventory sells out in a flash.

"They're always having amazing deals I haven't seen anywhere else," Raaijen said.

Raaijen said she loves that her purchases, like a Marchesa dress she bought for $500 less than retail price, arrive within two or three days.

"It's such an expensive, amazing piece," she said. "A designer that would be completely out of my reach, and all of a sudden I'm wearing it."

For a limited time, the Gilt Groupe is letting NBC6 viewers join their exclusive online club. Membership is free.

To join, go to www.gilt.com/nbc.