Shoshanna sample sale: Not standing on line yet?

Probably too late! Serious shoppers lined up 90 minutes before the 10 a.m. start time. One mother/daughter duo equipped with an empty cart anticipating a big haul. Entire new spring wardrobe or restocking an ebay boutique? If you are a fan of flirty girl wear, you should racewalk to 225 W. 39th street for $75 or under frocks and skip your kickboxing class.  Looks like it'll be a bumpy ride.

/nancy brenner

Groundhog Day: Shoshanna 1-Day Only Sample Sale

A reason to pop out on Groundhog Day. Shoshanna sample sale - $75 or less. Can't beat that at the super consolidation sales taking place over town. /n.b.
 
Shoshanna
Groundhog Day
Sample Sale - One Day ONLY

Everything $75 and under
Wednesday, Feb. 2nd
10 AM-6:30 PM
231 W 39th Street
Suite 422

Cash and Credit Cards Accepted

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shoshanna/156598248937
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ShopShoshanna

Men, Stripping, Sample Fatigue, Sticker Shock: Sample Sales 2010 in Review

The Men - are they all out of work, or turned into jobbers? They are running amuck at sales - Vivienne Tam - so many it felt like a construction site, and at Cynthia Steffe - men appeared, like apparitions hoarding with abandon. Would you like us to storm your sales while you are down to your skivvies or Man Spanx?

Most Improved Sale - Thanks to Cynthia Steffe for installing guards.  Boo to women who had no dignity and insisted on stripping as it was against the rules and the pleas of male security who begged women not to display their Victoria's Secrets.

Pushing and Shoving - More women MUST be working out. Wouldn't sample sales be a better place if it was a little bit more "Glee," Gwynnie Paltro guest appearance and a little less "Jersey Shore"?

Sample Prices? - Just so we're clear, a 60% off retail reduction is simply not an old-school sample sale (off of wholesale), especially when Fifth Avenue stores were already offering the same.
Leifsdotter was the swankiest sample sale setting, but not deepest discount!

Professional Place Holders - Everyone has a thousand friends on Facebook, but at a sample sale, 1-3 max.
Are people setting saving spots for cash like Merchant of Venice tickets at Central Park?
Beware the angry shoppers behind you.

Bragging Bloggers - Stop the line blogging about how you clocked the sample sale at a preview before the die-hard devotees! And how they won't be restocking.

Best Insider Access - Kudos to Gilt City for offering early access for $5 to Catherine Malandrino and others. It’s worth the investment.

True discounts - The $20 for anything and everything Cynthia Steffe and the Lafayette 148 with $40 skirts along (props for plus size finds) with the $50 Shoshanna samples, $5 intimates at Natori are just about the deepest discounts.

A-List Designer Treatment - Rebecca Minkoff, Isaac Manevitz, Kokin, Colette Malouf, Vivienne Tam treated discount-divers like full-price customers.

Indie designers - No not the ones plastered in Vogue.
Patronize smaller ones that sell in boutiques like Anni Kuan that are well-made and priced.

Consignment shops - Sample sale-aholics worked themselves and their credit cards into a frenzy will be probably be dumping their sample sale slip-ups in the consignment shop after-market.

Soon we'll need a clock keeping track of the number of samples sales, like the one for National Debt... hmm any correlation? The unofficial count was 200 sample sales in the last week causing sample sale fatigue to set in. Stock, but fewer real samples.

Women feeling pressure to buy after they've waited in line in extreme weather, fought off opponents, defended their finds and held in their bladders. Even if a friend tries talk you out of buying a La Perla bra with feathers at a “steal" of $80, it can be easy to make rash decisions on a post-Starbucks bladder, an empty stomach and exit waving a “V” sign to the nearest blogger interviewing you for her VLOG.

~Nancy Brenner

Report From the Front Preview: Shoshanna Bins First Stop

Normally shoppers don't stop and stoop, but the $20 cardigans with gold trim and buttons in a range of colors and $5 shells are an unreal deal - so stock up for stuffers or yourself.

Of course, the real attraction is the sample rack in the middle of the room, which for $50 is packed with workwear or weekend and is one of the best buys you'll find at any sample sale this season - so far. Even cover-ups are a deal at $35. Check out shopstyle.com before you go and make room in your closet - see the metallics, silks, gold, bold embellished dresses and blues that sell in Bergdorf's, Saks and on edressme. Regal treatment by staff who will even help negotiate a trade of sizes with other shoppers - and if you know sample sales, it can be as tough as a hostage negotiation.

Shoshanna: 231 W. 39th Street - 10 - 6:30 - but get there early
 
~Nancy Brenner

Running the NYC Marathon? Try this Sample Sale Marathon --

You may need a zipcar to lug around your sample sale booty next week. If you have on extra vacation day, take it on November 10.  Strategize: sales start at Malandrino at 8, Vivienne Tam at 9 and Moschino or Vivienne Tam at 10. Why is there always sample sale clumping?

November 9th
Nanette Lepore 225 W. 35th Street 9 am start
Tibi 260 W. 39th 10 a.m. start

November 10
Catherine Malandrino 123 W. 18th 8 am start
Vivienne Tam 260 W. 39th Street 9 am start
Moschino, Ferretti 30 West 56th Street 10 am start
Shoshanna 231 W. 39th Street 10 am start

November 11
Lafayette 148 - 148 Lafayette Street 9 am start

Expect long lines to get in just about everywhere. Let's hope Nanette Lepore brings back it's legendary sample sale rack.

~nancy brenner

Red Rules Runway

Juicier than a Jersey beef tomato were the rich reds on display at the Spring 2011 Fashion Coterie at the Javits Center. It's the color of confidence for Fall according to The Wall Street Journal recalling "Reagan Red" (Nancy, that is). Apparently Spring too. Rock red with a Shoshanna jacquard or select a twofer trend Tracy Reese frock of grossgrain faille for $378 (pictured) - red with sleeves staging a comeback!

~nancy brenner

Even Friends & Family Line Cut at Shoshanna: Report from the Front

Experienced shoppers sidled up to the $50 sample sale racks faster than Lady Gaga flipped off photogs at the Mets game. Finds include the one shoulder frock in cobalt or cherry red retailing at Bloomingdales for $305 selling for $50; the rainforest floral sheath retailing at $360 and already sold out at the Neiman Marcus site except for a size 8, here for $150. Cover ups could do double duty as dresses on a sun-drenched city afternoon - a deep V-neck cover-up retailing for $220, a cutwork lace cover up for $255 and a floral one for $240, selling for $75 each. Real finds if you want your assets to look as fabulous on the beach as they do everywhere else.
241 West 39th Street
4th floor

~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

June 16 -- Second Chances: Shoshanna Sample Sale

If you missed the first Spring/Summer sale, bolt to this one for prices better than the Bergdorf's 40% off sale. Not for novices. This is for serious shoppers who can navigate a showroom sale with only their credit card, cell and the ability to hold their own at the mirror with fellow Shoshanna addicts in various stages of undress. June 16, 10am 
231 West 39th

~nancy brenner

Report From the Front: Shoshanna

Dramamine is a must before this dizzy sample sale where you'll be competing with professional "flippers" of merch (I saw a duo at the Barneys sale grab 35 pairs of shoes) and die-hard Shoshanna fans filling out their spring and summer wardrobes. At $50 a dress (retailing at $305 and $350) you can't beat the bargains. There are some dresses with busted zippers - recessionistas don't despair - head one block south to Pacific Trimming at 218 West 38th and get one for a buck! Lots of vivid reds, purples and prints. A must for their true sample size and those with tailors who can take in or let out pieces for a perfect fit.


Today and tomorrow
231 West 39th Street, Suite 422
 
~Nancy Brenner

Lambskin Lovers

...will have their pick of designs for Fall 2010 (ahem, lambskin leather).  Depending on your mission, select the black strapless touch-me dress at Shoshanna or the combat-ready Cynthia Steffe Amber-style frock in chocolate, either of which will set your balance sheet back more than $500. No accessories needed. Think of the money you'll be skipping on pricey statement necklaces.

'cuz Nancy Brenner said so.

Shoshanna: Report From the Front (Starts Today!)

Back at it...Nancy Brenner reports:

Profiteering at a sample sale? With these prices, a sign was posted not to resale. First, head for the numerous $50 sample racks for this season's merch if you're a 2 or 4. I spotted an on-trend motorcycle jacket that was on its way to retailers - it was purple, and the stores ordered basic black. Other finds include one-of-a-kinds that were never manufactured, so if you're looking for an original cocktail dress, that no one else will have, check here. Also, samples from previous season. For stock piece, many of the dresses could be found for $100, $125. A sweater from past season had a tag on it from a big name retailer on Fifth Avenue.

When: Wed - 10-6:30, Thursday from 10-5:30.

Since there are a slew of sample sales tomorrow, head here first for a party dress or work-worthy black sheaths that can go from day to night with the right accessories. Sales people sweet and helpful. Do pack light, checking everything...if you're reading this you know the drill...

Wednesday November 11th, 2009 @ 10:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Thursday November 12th, 2009 @ 10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
231 West 39th Street
Room 422

A report from the front (To sample sale online or brick and mortar?)

Another re"tale" provided by the prolific Nancy Brenner:

I feel like I won the sample sale lottery last night. I must report that I snagged the Michelle O cover of People Tracy Reese pink eyelet kimono for a mere $50 at a garmento sample sale . It retailed for $395. A true sample sale price. Only the week before, Gilt, where I have a credit following an errant purchase, had an online sale and I compared the wares. Many of the items I saw at the sample sale were also online, but at substantially higher prices. Why shop online? If you're not a sample sale size, you may be better off buying online where you know you can get your size in 30 secs without the hassle and hustle of getting there in person. And even though sample sales are starting earlier (a good number now at 8 am and some open until 9 pm - formerly unheard of), it may still be hard to get to given your work schedule, parenting or social commitments since it's almost summer (even though it feels like a London fog one at that). If you're an out-of-towner, online still works unless you want to use your vacations for mini-shopping trysts to New York for sample-sale packed weeks like this one where you can catch Shoshanna, D&G, Catherine Malandrino, etc..... The deals online are still good compared to full-on retail and hand to hand combat at Berdgdorf's, but they are not steals compared with brick and mortar. And the shoes were a mere $45 - why don't they start the line with a size 5? Petite feet need to be shod too! Even men were snapping them up, presumably as gifts. I've noticed way more many men at women's sales - without any women in tow - are they shopping for themselves, a girlfriend, or to flip it on eBay? And please stay away from the dressing rooms! Readers, what say you on online versus in-person?