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    Barney’s Warehouse: Same Same, but Different

    By ManhattanMataHari

    A change in ownership almost always means a change in sale strategy and Richard Perry’s purchase of Barneys is no different. Official word is that Barneys will no longer extend the bi-annual warehouse sale to women’s merchandise–we doubt it. Brands like Alaia would pull their merchandise if it ever showed up on BarneysWarehouse.com. Hence, there will always be a place for a good old-fashioned sale.

    Enough with our hypotheses and onto sale talk. Unfortunately, you will need to work harder than ever to find great deals at this sale. Starting in shoes, we couldn’t help but notice vast amount of CO-OP leftovers from the previous few warehouse sales. The markdown for the high-end designer shoes is still just around 50% off retail and “irregulars” are 70% – but they are likely to be worn or damaged. The smaller and larger sizes have the best picks. There are no iconic styles but we did find $1200 Prada snakeskin sandals for $598, $865 hot pink snakeskin Manolo pumps for $349, and $1175 Chloe boots for $469. There were smaller numbers or one of each pair of Rochas, Theysken’s Theory, Jil Sander, Hader Ackermann, Pierre Hardy, Marni, Fendi, Derek Lam, Alexander Wang and Balenciaga. By contrast, the online sale has a number of popular styles including Yves Saint Laurent Tribute and Tribtoos, Sergio Rossi platform pumps, and Miu Miu’s glitter peep toe pump all around 60% off retail.

    After our underwhelming experience in shoes, we were pleasantly surprised by the accessories tables that were actually better stocked than sales past. Expect to find lots of Marc by Marc Jacobs iPhone (3G) and old iPad cases, as well as some Prada printed iPad cases for $149. The scarves are also plentiful and include some Etro style for $319 and Dries van Noten for $299. The belts selection really stole our attention with all Alaia corset belts in black and white that ranged in price from $359 to $479. 3.1 Phillip Lim and Ralph Lauren collection belts rounded out the selection but were still a bit pricey in the $120 to $160 range.

    Honestly, the clothing racks are pretty terrible. It is mostly CO-OP, diffusion lines and contemporary designers. With some searching you can find better labels only to be disappointed later when you see the damages. On the high-end we found a Boudicca cap sleeve sheath dress for $569 from $919, a multicolor wool Jil Sander number is $709, a brocade Zac Posen dress is $349 and a bright red L’Wren Scott dress is $679.We also found an A.L.C. orange silk shirtdress for $319 from $794, and a Diane von Furstenburg colorblock dress for $209 from $345. Our favorite finds were a Thakoon Addition for Barney’s blue silk dress for $219 from $550 and an awesome Rodarte top for $919. The best items were often those without price tags on them.

    Additional markdowns should happen later this week and the last few days of the sale will have the best discounts. We don’t anticipate much to be left by then but maybe there will be a few items without price tags that go unnoticed.

    Barney’s Warehouse Sale
    255 West 17th street (between 7th and 8th Avenue)
    Monday, February 18 – Friday, February 22: 10am – 9pm
    Saturday, February 23 – Sunday, February 24: 9am – 8pm

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    Fashion Week Trend: Metallics

    By ManhattanMataHari

    The next big fall trend is undeniably metallics. It is wearable and chic. Some designers incorporated black with  metallic elements for a tasteful balance. Other designers opted for heavy bronzes that included read-to-toe gold ensembles. Silver and metallic pink are another hues with dazzle.  Not quite ready to invest in metallic clothes? Try incorporating heavy metals into your outfits with big bold jewelry. See our favorite takes on the bold gold metallic trend below.

    Michael Kors
    Marc Jacobs

    Jenny Kanye
     Christian Siriano
    Dennis Basso
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    Fashion Week Trend: Tux Detailing

    If it were up to us, every day would be a dress-up day. Unfortunately, that would look a bit strange for daily visits to Fairway. This season, designers dressed up numerous outfits with a satin sheen that’s usually reserved for a tuxedo. Models tore up the runway with satin sheen on skirts, jackets and pants. Here are a few different ways designers played with the theme:

    The Row
    Jill Stuart
    Douglas Hannat
    Reed Krakoff

    Rachel Zoe
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    Fashion Week Trend: Prints


    We keep anticipating that fashion will take a hair-pin turn and steer away from jewels, sequins and prints and return to an era of Calvin Klein minimalism. Next fall, however, is not the time. Designer after designer showed prints, prints and more prints. Not that we don’t love the prints but we are excited for a change in ascetic. For now, here is a sample of our favorite print makers.

    Rodarte
    Mara Hoffman
    Calla
    Vivian Tam
    Misha Nonoo
    BCBG Patterned Fur
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    Devi Kroell: Current Spring Merchandise 90% Off

    By ManhattanMataHari

    The Devi Kroell sample sale started today and we are glad to report that our initial post didn’t overstate the deep discounts and wonderful merchandise that can be found at the designer’s sample sale. As a matter of fact, we may have understated the greatness of this sale.

    The 80% to 90% off discount is so good that before you enter the sale,  you’re required to check everything but your wallet and sign a waiver not to hoard, resell or even discuss the fantastic prices (oops). Most items are still above a Benjamin but these days a C-note doesn’t cover much, especially from a high end designer.

    When it comes to shoes sample size 37 addicts should take advantage of exotic skin platform pumps and loafers. Normally, most of these shoe styles retail upwards of $600 but are just $100 at the sale. In fact, all shoes were priced gently with the exception of a few styles double the price. The higher priced items included boots (literally, there are only a few) and sandals. There is some non-sample overstock sizes, but not nearly as plentiful or stylish.

    There are quite a few of the wooden bejeweled clutches and minaudieres left over from the last sale and they are still priced about 70% off their $1000 plus price. There are a couple of suede totes for $100 but those were scooped up as soon as they hit the tables. (I’m still having major regrets about putting one down).

    Instead of three pairs of shoes you may opt for fold-over exotic clutches and small leather bags with exotic trim. Medium bags and hobos are $500. The highest discounts are on the large and extra large exotic signature Kroell hobos which usually retail over $3000 and now are a mere third of that price.
    While the sales staff claim there is no more stock, we think they are either holding out or getting more shipments so the sale can extend the entire week. (Vegas baby!) There isn’t exactly an excess of inventory – so hurry downtown to get your Kroell fix for the best discount you will find. Just remember to make an appointment first. All the sale rules and protocol can be found here.

    Devi Kroell Sample Sale
    Monday, February 11 to Friday, 15
    By appointment
    55 Fifth Avenue, 17th Floor

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    Fashion Week Trend: Peplum Waist

    Just when you thought that Forever VV1 put the stamp of death on the puplum waist we find it reserected for another season to come. Next winter you can expect to see a whole new crop of flared waist tops, skirts and dresses. Truth be told, there are some designers who encoporate the tend better than others. Here are some of our off the runway favorites.

     Alexandre Herchcovitch 
    Ralph Rucci
    Yigal Azrouel

    Prabal Gurung
    Monika Chiang
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    Fashion Week Trend: Oversized Coat

    The silhouette of an over sized coat with big rounded shoulders stems  edgier European designers like Maison Martin Margiela, Marni and Celine. The look is rather simple and is usually paired with pants and heavy eyeliner. Historically, oversized garments aren’t a retail winner and are often found dominating the sale racks at the end of the season. Lets hope for the sake of these designers that more woman cast aside their body conscience choices and embrace this boxy trend.

    Alexander Wang

    Derek Lam

    Victoria Beckham
    Louise Goldin

    Roderjer

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    You Must Be Kidding: Selling #NYFW Invites

    New York fashion week has started off with a bang but before we start calling out trends we thought we might point the spotlight on a desperate act of capitalism: The sale of fashion week shows! Sure, we understand the fashion show crashers, the wannabes, the stressed PR interns and the swag whores but we are dumbfounded by those who have turned fashion week into a TKTS hotspot.

    A quick search on CraigsList turns up dozens of listings for entrée to fashion shows. Apparently, a fashion show seat is worth somewhere between $75 and $500. We were so intrigued by this act of corruption — yes, we take fashion week very seriously– that we even contacted a few of the seat sellers.

    Turns out that one of the online sellers was even hocking an invite without a seat assignment, which means that the buyer may not even get into the show if it’s too crowded. We won’t give away the names or affiliations of the people with the people with which we spoke but lets leave it to say that the seat sellers were not lowly fashion students or rent strapped recent grads. Turns out that one person is an accessories designer and the other is a mid-level PR executive.

    Sure we realize that American Express facilitates that same transactions with their platinum card customers but we see it more as a desperate cry for publicity. Hocking your own seat or those of your clients’ is more closely related to eating your young. If you can’t make it to a show, share the seat with your friend. If you really want to go to a fashion show, make a friend. And for those standing in the back row, just be content knowing that you weren’t the sucker who paid to be there.

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