PRADA: Somewhere UNDER the Rainbow

AAAHHHHH!  I just got an email from Saks pushing this thing on me.  Well, they certainly got my attention.  But good grief Charlie Brown, these are neither attractive nor interesting.  Ptooey!

If the black Prada suede slipper fits: Memorial Sloan Thrift Shop

Natty dressers - some of them pro-resellers, others, newbies - at the bag check (yes bag check!) at the Sloan-Kettering Thrift Shop, to peruse Pradas safely ensconced behind the counter. A shopping "show and tell" of sorts, since you have to ask the women staffing the sale for help, and then they will show.  If you don't mind a used Prada pair, you can score one for $95.  Costume jewelry collectors, who imparted the air of authority of the Antiques Road Show, came prepared with their own jewelry loupes to inspect the original offerings. You can find also anything from tea spoons, a J. Crew skirt for $25, cashmere sweaters, jackets with fur, a leopard cocktail clutch, etc. 

Today is the Fall kick-off.  
If you can't make it today, check 10 days from now when new stock will arrive, according to our source. 
1440 Third Ave. (81st - 82nd St.)
10a-5:30p today.

~nancy brenner

Consignment Shop Virgin: Report From the Front - Michael's Consignment Shop

Don't be intimidated by the steps leading to this high-end consignment shop nestled along the ladies-who-lunch brand flagship stores on Madison Avenue. With labels like Hermes and Chanel, I expected to see a few older women hauling heavy purses, with brand names so expensive, that I had only admired them at Bergdorf as if visiting an exhibit at the Met.

Michael's is a bustling interactive high-end, cool-girl exhibit with sparkly St. John, Milly, and Balenciaga in the mix. All ages and social strata have discovered the joys of cash for clothes that were using up valuable NYC closet space - the solution to an instant Gilt-gone-wrong finale sale purchase, or sample sale finds that seemed too cheap to pass on. There are many regulars here who are both buying and selling. One lamented the Prada coat that was there only a few days before - and "walked away." Her tip: if it's a beauty, buy it - it's unlikely you'll spot it twice. Fingering a Missoni, she said, "what's there to think about? A Missoni speaks for itself." Another regular suggests googling consignment shops in upper-crust neighborhoods for best selections and noted there were several nearby.

If you own any designer names - from the big leagues like Chanel to Louboutin, or the the Bergdorf 5F ones like Milly, Diane von Furstenberg, Shoshanna or Nanette, this may be your sample sale salvation. Tips for consignment shop virgins: Call in advance to determine which brands they accept. Bring in current season only. Make sure to mothball or store your winter goods and bring them back in the Fall. Prepare yourself for rejection. Cute or crazy? The ladies at the shop will decide. That oh so hot Louboutin color that you waited five hours to buy at the sample sale, but can't stand in for more than a nanosecond may not make their carefully curated cut. Merchandise is typically priced at 1/3 of retail, and then you can expect half of the profits - although prices are marked down if they do not sell. One source so far has discovered $300 this season from a recent closet cleaning.

If you're in buying mode, check out their eveningwear upstairs- for this category of merchandise it's unlikely you'll find better prices, unless you're married to a Saks sales associate. Pause before blowing multiple c-notes for Blahniks as some seem more shop-worn than gently. Happy Hunting!

michaelsconsignment.com
1041 Madison Avenue @ 79th Street

~nancy brenner

Best Buffed Men in NY...

...spend nooners at the Leather Spa where their bespoke shoes are polished to perfection.

This shop is is lined with tell-tale red soled Louboutins and exudes eau de exotic leather. A woman with a mink caplet and matching headband dropped off her boots for full treatment. My six-year + Barneys warehouse sale Prada boots looked like they would be in good hands. I also left a leather lambskin lasercut cut skirt with a rip (don't even ask how that happened). The results: the boots look like they never touched a sidewalk and the skirt - well if you can see where the original tear was - you are standing way too close to me.

If Dorothy's ruby reds needed a spit shine, she'd head to The Leather Spa. Expect to pay more than your neighborhood taps and heels guy, but this is the place if you need a little leather Botox, 10 West 55th St.

~Nancy Brennahhh

Hot Hot Prada News ...if you're reading this..you're invited

to the sale of the season...sources say nice selection of men's shoes...and handbags...

Location: 609 West 51st Street between 11th & 12th Aves.
When: Saturday, October 17th - Friday October 23rd
Hours: Saturday, October 17th and Sunday, October 18th, 9am - 6pm; Monday, October 20th - Friday October 23th, 10am - 7pm
Registers close promptly at 6pm and 7pm respectively.

NO APPOINTMENTS NECESSARY. ADMITTANCE WILL BE FIRST COME FIRST SERVED.

Merchandise: Prada & Miu Miu Ready-to-Wear, Footwear, Handbags, Wallets, Accessories...
Women's and Men's FALL/WINTER 2008 and Select Merchandise from earlier seasons

Payment: CREDIT or DEBIT/CREDIT CARDS ONLY
(NO cash or checks)

NO RETURNS - ALL SALES FINAL

(courtesy of Nancy Brenner)

Report from the Front: Fashion Night Out

Thanks to Nancy Brenner for reporting on the new national holiday (while I was home sick last night!):

Major missed opportunity for men - bevy of fashion forward women who dressed like they were going to sashay down the red carpet at the Emmy's next week. Platform heels, ankle booties, mini dresses and toned thighs abounded - and that wasn't even the celebs. Started at Saks expecting scores of major makeup freebies as widely promoted. Not so much. I went to numerous counters and I'm too much of a lady to name names, but the consensus was sample only with purchase. Estee Lauder did it right - offered nice samples of Private Collection Jasmine White Moss - and you didn't have to go to the counter to beg for it. Blowout from Frederic Fekkai - only one person doing blowouts - until 7 - for thousands of women on the main floor. On the plus side, I got to meet Teri Jon designer Rickie Freeman who was very gracious and thanked me for coming over. I was two steps away from Elie Tahari who was posing for pics with customers. Spotted David Yurman. And met new to Saks, designer Yoana Baraschi who assured me that her stunning black and red knit color block number featured in the catalogue would fit me - and she was right. She even told me the secret to her rockin legs - Pilates. Wish there was a Nielsen's overnight ratings for sales - just curious how many credit card swipes aside from the makeup counters which were jam packed when I left.

Next stop Prada. Grace Coddington striking flaming red hair and all signing stacks of Vogue - standing with September little red riding hood model Sasha - looking teensy, but gorgeous next to her. I asked about the free t-shirts for Fashion Night Out they were supposedly giving out - but again, this was a gift with purchase.

The big B - Bergdorf's was bustling. Headed straight up the escalator determined to meet the Olsen twins at 7 p.m. Escalators were packed and they stopped letting people on to the 7th floor where the Olsens were supposed to be tending bar. Lots of smells mixed in - free chocolate and nut bits, flowing wine and strangely sausages. Seventh floor was packed worse than the A train at rush hour, but Olsens were nowhere in sight at the appointed hour and many of the hoards simply left in search of water. Ground floor packed with paparazzi snapping pics of celebs. Lots of people buying "Fashion's Night Out" tees. Disappointed hot Olsen fans just left. Major line of fashionistas waiting to get into the store. BG - A+ for coolest crowd, food and liquor freebies, empty makeup counters - if you really wanted a makeup makeover, this was your opportunity.

Final stop - Stacy London of "What Not to Wear" fame - pumped up arms, black peep toe ankle boots. Was standing right next to her at Ann Taylor when she picked out a soul in the crowd who needed a little bit of London tough love. Have to admit, it's one thing when you're fashion quarterbacking from your couch, and another when you are just an eyeball away from her as she's deciding who needs a new bra. London's dad was there - I asked him when she started her shopping sprees - he said she as always a big shopper. London offered to help everyone in the dressing room - the ultimate personal shopper.

Fashion Night Out - Where else can you mix with designers, celebs, models and real people? "What's Not to Like" Just paying retail...

Gramercy's Vintage Thrift Shop

Where do New Yorkers spend a humid August afternoon? At the Zagat rated Vintage Thrift Shop - where traffic was so congested, that I had to wait until several frugalistas exited before I could get in. It's not as busy as Trader Joe's where the line for the privilege of paying at one of the 22 cash registers is 45 minutes, but busier than let's say Saks shoe salon, so big it has its own zip code, where a major 70% consolidation sale started last Thursday. Usually I just pop by and drop off my donations, but I had to investigate what all the buzz was about. The last time I was there, someone sauntered off with a pair of Prada shoes with soles that had never touched the ground - and a hard to find size 5 too. A vintage one-of-a-kind Lanvin belt was being priced and put out for sale while I was donating. Among the real finds - the costume jewelry - why pay more for less at a retail shop for fake 70s and 80s when you can find Debbie Harry, Madonna heyday studded cuffs here? Tired of the same old Drew Carey eyeglasses found at every optical shop? Discover an original stand-out pair here. Check out the shoes too - while many are worn, think of it as a treasure hunt to see if you can unearth brand new ones. The best time to go? Transitional periods - such as Fall and Spring when closets are cleaned, although new merchandise arrives daily. When everyone is tweeting at the tents in Bryant Park, try out Vintage's window auctions - no stilettos necessary shopping - but bidding can be fierce. Vintage has so many donations, they even have stuff in storage. Also look out for the "blue tag" fifty percent off sales when the goods are marked down even further after a few weeks on the floor. Find furnishings, hats, vintage gloves, housewares, matchbook covers, etc. Talk to the salespeople - they are fashion curators! Friday afternoons are busy, as are Sundays. Go shopping for back-to-school items, or a new armoire. Apparently recessionistas everywhere are shopping the thrifts. According to a report by the The National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops (NARTS), issued this month, nearly 80 percent of their survey respondents experienced an increase in new customers. And the quality of incoming merchandise was either higher (28.2 percent) or the same (59.1 percent), with only 12.8 percent feeling a decrease in quality.

Peruse in-person in Gramercy Park thrift-shopper heaven or online at vintagethriftshop.org. Or donate, and get a tax deduction!

~Nancy Brenner

PERSONAL NOTE FROM GSNYC: This is in my hood and is definitely one of the better thrifts around. I got a rhinestone "V" pin here...

Barneys: The End of the $700 Shoe is upon us

I remember a couple of years ago when I started noticing that it had become "normal" for stores to charge $700 for a single pair of shoes. It wasn't just at the highest-end boutiques, it was rampant. I remember thinking, "No way, this is insanity." And now that the economic "adjustment" is upon us, I am happy to have been proved correct (for now). Apparently it also caused me to use "quotation marks" without pause, but I digress...

OK, so these are by no means "cheap," but I thought everyone would like to know about the huge shoe sale going on at Barneys, including everyone's favorite over-the-top designers.

As pictured above:

Prada : was $750, now $450

Christian Louboutin (red): was $865, now $520

Robert Clergerie (turquoise platform): was $695, now $415

Shop It To Me: Free Online Personal Sale Shopper

Hey have you heard about "Shop It To Me?" I just signed up and it seems pretty cool. They may make an online shopper of me yet.

So what is it? It's this online shopping service you sign up for that proactively sends you clothing that matches your size and brand preferences as soon as it goes on sale. Sort of a free personal online shopper featuring brands such as Theory, Prada, Armani, Ella Moss, Juicy Couture, Seven Jeans, DKNY, or BCBG. It scours websites of leading retailers like Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales, Banana Republic, Gap, Zappos and Bluefly and email a daily or weekly summary of on sale items in your size.

They also have a blog that provide insights on fashion tips and tricks that seem helpful, if not competitive (to ME!). http://blog.shopittome.com/