Madison Avenue Spy

Bloomingdales Friends & Family

March 31, 2016

Pre-sale for the upcoming Bloomingdales friends and family has begun. The sale officially begins on Monday but those in the know can start pre-saling their purchases in the store now. The discount is 25% off fashion and home and 20% off jewelry. Online shoppers can use the code FRIENDS.

In the past, the exclusions haven’t been too extensive. Designer collections, beauty and fragrance are never included in the promotion. Although the discount can’t be applied to beauty purchases there is usually a gift with purchase incentive.

If you’re interested in buying designer merchandise, including Chanel, we suggest you take advantage of Bloomingdale’s power points. For the term of friends and family you can earn $25 Power Points for every $100 you spend. That means that if you purchase a $2000 Prada boots, you will receive a $500 gift card that can be applied in 60-days to anything in the store. To get your Power Points you must be a loyalist but that really means just signing up for a bonus card.

We admit that Bloomingdales can sometimes be a nightmare to shop –too much merchandise, too many promotion exclusions, conflicting incentives. Friends have had lots of luck taking advantage of in-store pickup. On product pages you can sort according to “In-Store Pickup” and all your purchases will be pulled and waiting for you at the customer service department on the 3rd floor. Once you get there, you can try everything on and just take the items you like.

The friends and family promotion runs through Sunday, April 10 and the discount can also be applied to sale items. This striped Milly trapeze dress will come to $350 from $800, a Vince cotton mesh dress will be about $225 from $400 and Rebecca Minkoff dress with fringe will be $175 from $300.

Azhar 4th Floor Shoes 206-790-5910 (text only)

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Kanye’s Yeeze Now 50% Off

March 30, 2016

Kanye West’s Yeezy line is known for causing a retail frenzy. Just like every other designer, however, Kanye’s line isn’t impervious to the gravity of markdowns. It’s not hard to imagine considering sweatpants were priced at $300 and jackets were over $3,000.

While innocently browsing– as we often tend to do– we found an assorted selection of Yeezy merchandise that’s discounted 50%. Over here, at Matches, a woman’s ribbed wool sweater is $622 to from $1381 and an oversized shearling coat is about $2000 from $4040. Luisaviaroma also has a handful of items discounted 45% off after all extra promotions are tallied.

Forward by Elyse Walker, also has a selection that 30% off. This hoodiea is now $312 from $600, a sports bra is $72 from $155 and this trench is $1400 from $2860.

Is this fashion? Who is to say? One thing is for sure many ‘real’ fashion designers would be thrilled to post numbers like Kanye’s. (Even if he is $15 million in debt.)

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Proenza Schouler Bags 50% Off

March 29, 2016

This isn’t the easiest time of year to find good markdowns. If you’re feeling the urge to buy a new Spring bag we suggest you head over to Proenza Schouler. The designer’s online store is offering shoppers a 50% savings on select bags. The discount is also available online here.

We found a cheery raspberry suede PS1 for about $900 from almost $1800, a nude version with fringe is $950 from $1900 and a black bucket back lined with ultra-blue is $700 from $1400. The assortment also includes wallets and courier style bags.

We admit, the assortment isn’t large but it’s better to give way to temptation with a good markdown than pay full price. To some, present company included, May (i.e. sale time) can’t come quickly enough.

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Proenza Schouler

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Tracking Down Timo Weiland x Banana Republic

March 28, 2016

For the past several weeks we have been stalking our uptown Banana Republic store as we’ve been eagerly waiting for the Timo Weiland collaboration. Unfortunately, each time we’ve inquired at the store we’ve been met with looks of confusion and given misinformation.

Today’s attempt was not very different than the others and we were told that the collaboration had not launched. When a Google search proved the sales person wrong, she called a floor manager. We were then informed that the collaboration with Timo Weiland is only available at three stores in New York– SoHo, Rock Center and Herald Square. (An online search later showed that you can also find the designer selection at the Flatiron too.)

To further set the record straight, the collection is officially a partnership between Banana Republic and the CFDA and launched online and in stores on March 15. The collaboration was created not only to support emerging talent, but also American manufacturing. The Timo Weiland collection for Banana Republic was designed, cut and sewn exclusively in New York.

Many of the items in the capsule collection are already sold out online but the SoHo store still had many of the most in-demand dresses and skirts. The rack, which can be found at furthest most depths of the store, is full with floral print skirts, dresses, denim and gingham. You can see pictures from our shopping trip right here.

Prices are a bit more expensive than one would expect from Banana Republic. A floral print dress is $300 and a tie-waist crop top is $128. The worst part is that the collection has been excluded from Banana’s discount promotions. Be sure we will continue to keep our eyes open for any markdowns.

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The IT-It: Varsity or Bomber jacket

March 24, 2016

We really can’t complain too much about this past Winter. It would be hard to imagine it any more mild. Nonetheless, it will be nice to store away those puffers and trade them in for something a bit more transitional.

For the past few seasons the moto jacket has been one of the hottest fashion must-haves. This season, the heavy leather and zippers are starting to feel a bit too dark and heavy of a look for Spring. This season, we are again loving the the über-preppy varsity jacket or a packed bomber as an alternative.

The look is light and playful and quite versatile. We love the look of the jacket when its a bit over-sized or hitting the hip. The style looks particularly adorable on kids. Try it with a short flared skirt, shorts, or jeans (skinny or boyfriend). As far as footwear, espadrilles, heels, or slip-on loafers all do the trick.

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The IT-It

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Baccarat Annual Sample Sale

March 23, 2016

When it comes to buying crystal, almost all the brands seem as if they are too fussy and dated. Baccarat has invested in taking their brand to a modern level by partnering with some of the most talented designers of our time.

Philippe Starck, Nicolas Triboulot and Eriko Horiki are just some of the design geniuses that have made Baccarat one of the most desirable brands in home goods. There has even been more buzz since the Baccarat Hotel opened in midtown. (If you haven’t had the opportunity to sip champagne in the lounge– we suggest you do.)

For two days, you can dig into the home goods luxury world as Baccarat discounts their delectable items up to 70% off. Unlike past years you don’t even need to drive to their NJ warehouse. This season, you can shop the discounts from the comfort of the D&D building. We are told the sale will include barware, vases, decorative pieces and a large selection of Baccarat jewelry.

Baccarat Sample Sale
Wednesday, March 23 & Thursday, March 24
10am-5pm daily
979 Third Avenue, 10th Floor (D&D Building)

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Worthy Sample Sale

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Tibi Online Sample Sale 80% Off

March 22, 2016

Tibi’s effortlessly cool essentials are now available online at up to 80% off during the company’s sample sale. The online-only sale started today and runs through Thursday.

Most of the merchandise seems to have come from this past season’s summer collection. We would suggest the sale would be more appropriately named a ‘clearance sale’ as there are no samples. Sale highlights include, a two tone dress that’s reduced to $80 from $400, dropped culottes are $157 from $525 and Tibi x Del Toro slippers are $182 from $365.

Take note, that all sales are final. So be sure that whatever you buy you will want to wear.

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Worthy Sample Sale

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Inside the UWS Bloomingdales Outlet

March 21, 2016

New York’s first Bloomingdales Outlet opened on the Upper West Side in November. After months of procrastination we finally left Madison Avenue for the likes of Columbus Avenue.

Upon entering the store you’ll notice lots of the same contemporary brands that you would find on Lexington and 59th. We found racks separated by designer, which included Alice & Olivia, Rag & Bone and Helmut Lang. The best selection is the denim arrangement, which includes 7 for All Mankind, Citizens for All Humanity and Paige Denim. Citizen jeans are $90 from $200, a skinny Paige denim are $75 from $180 and Not My Mother’s Jeans are $55 from $154.

If you’re looking for more upscale designer brands, we suggest you head towards the display cases that contains designer bags and accessories or head downstairs to the shoe department. Among the fancier bags we found a small selection from Alexander McQueen. A mini Heroine tote is $1235 from about $2000 and a classic skull scarf is $235 from about $300. Among the Balenciaga section there is a Mini City for $611 from $765 (We believe that the retail price is quite a bit higher.) A larger size Mini City is $1457. Click here to see pictures.

Downstairs, is the shoe department. Most of the designer shoes can be found together near the foot of the stairs. We spotted Dior sling backs for $500 from $930, Prada sandals for $430 from $720 or a floral print Prada slingback for $455 from $760. The best finds in the store are the Chloe espadrilles that are just $200 from $500 and gold horse-bit Gucci sandals that are $300 from $500. To add to the temptation, the Bloomingdales Outlet is offering an extra 20% off all shoes. If you don’t see your size among the designer section it might not hurt to search the other racks too. Pictures are right here.

Now that we made to the outlet store it will be hard not to jump-in and browse the shoes when in the neighborhood. Those in the market for jeans will undoubtedly find what they need– for a lot less than Bloomingdales. We would dare to say it would even be worth the cab fare.