In New York real estate the landlord has all the power. ‘Shoppers’ are expected to expose every financial and social dealing and the building has virtually no disclosure obligations.
Does the elevator go out of order often and leave you scrambling up steps? Is the building gym your private oasis? You’ll never know. Until now.
BuildNRate is the secret uncovering everything you want to know about residential real estate. The new site allows you to research the details of any building in New York City. From a $400-a-month rental to a $40-million penthouse, you can find out about the “well priced garage” to the ‘gorgeous roof deck with BBQ meet-ups.’
There is only one way to share and find out: BuildNRate
Sign up on BuildNRate now to share the inside scoop on your building, find out the scoop about other buildings, or ask current residents questions to create a stronger community. We are sure finding out about the “the adorable girl on the fourth floor” will be extra motivation to put down that big down payment.
Neiman Marcus just kicked off their first sale of the season. Markdowns on some spring merchandise are now 40% off. There will be even be more discounts starting Monday when the store kicks off its friends and family promotion. Shoppers can save 25% on regularly priced purchase. Just use the code NMFRIEND at checkout.
As usual, there are a lot of exclusions including many designers, beauty, jewelry and #onlyatNM exclusive products. The sale runs through Saturday, May 6 and then there will be a “surprise” extra day on Sunday. Sorry if we ruined the big surprise. Opps.
The legendary Manolo Blahnik sample sale kicked off today at the Warwick Hotel. The sale is only one day and this review might not be much help now but we thought it would be the perfect reference guide for next year’s shoppers. You can also share your personal critique and experiences in the comment section below.
The first reports this morning were from sample sale shoppers to arrived before 7am. They say there were lots of people already waiting. Doors officially opened to VIPs at 8am. VIPs with invitations were organized by lettered tickets and other shoppers were grouped by 20 and given numbered tickets.
At 10am the crowds of VIPs had thinned and the shopping environment was very civilized. Sizes 37.5 to size 39 were already running thin. The best selection was for sizes 40.5 and up or 36 and below. When the doors opened to the public at 11am sharp, the room filled with many more shoppers. We also spotted several resellers and hoarders loading shoes in huge blue plastic bags. That’s never a happy sight.
Prices were the same as they have been for the past few seasons. Basic pumps are $125 (or $136 with tax.) Shoes with any embellishment were $150, shoe boots were $100 and ankle boots were $250. You can click here to see the complete price list.
The assortment at this sale seems to be much thinner than it has been during previous sales. That generally means that business is very good for the Manolo Blahnik brand. It’s always a double-edge sward.
All these April showers has everyone looking forward to Summer. That means planning your strategy for Summer sale-ing. For the past few weeks, we’ve seen a plethora of gift card promotions and friends and family sales galore. Coming up this weekend, your set to see a bevy of contemporary brands start discount promotions.
Over at Bergdorf Goodman, the F5 collections will also be 40% off starting Thursday. This is the perfect time to pull items that have a high-fashion look but are still budget friendly. We are very much into this Cinq a Sept tie-sleeve top and this Alice & Olivia shirtdress.
We are still waiting to hear about the contemporary markdowns at Saks Fifth Avenue and Barneys but we will keep you posted. As for premium designers, presales usually begin the week before Memorial Day and sale officially breaks after the holiday weekend. Stay tuned!
Flowers and chocolates are the most classic way to celebrate Mother’s Day. This year, celebrations of moms occur on Sunday, May 14 and we couldn’t be more excited to be the beneficiary of pampering and praise. The first thing you have to know about Mother’s Day is that moms don’t want you breaking the bank to say, “I love you.” They also don’t want a thoughtless card with a scribbled signature.
Finding the perfect gift can take a bit of determination and thought. In order to get a jump start on the task (and give some hint to loved ones) we compiled a Mother’s Day guide of over 50 items that are sure to inspire even the most gift impaired.
We love Spring in New York– the cherry blossoms, the Park Avenue tulips, and yes, the Manolo Blahnik sample sale. Our sources tell us that this year’s Spring sample sale will open to the public on Thursday, April 27th. As is tradition, the second floor salon of the Warwick Hotel will be the site of the event.
This sample sale is a bi-annual highlight for shoe lovers. As you can imagine, the wait time can be worse than a passport agency. We usually prefer the boutique sales even if prices are a bit more expensive. (Those who can’t make it to the sale can shop an assortment of brand new Manolos starting at just $75 from the scroll above.)
Those who are up for the Manolo sample sale challenge, should expect to take a number and wait, and wait, and wait. The really nice thing about this sale is that you can leave and come back once you get your lucky numbered ticket. Take note, that the sale opens at 11am and will close when inventory begins to run low. In past years, that was at about 3pm to 4pm.
We expect that prices will run along the same lines as last season. Plain shoes, including leather, suede satin, and printed fabric start at $125 and go up to $150. Shoes with embellishments like glitter and studs were priced $175. Boots started at $200 for basic versions and went up to $400 for over-the-knee styles.
Over the past few seasons the assortment has been dwindling. Manolo Blahnik & Co. recently added a fundraising component to their overstock strategy. A sale to benefit Arethusa Farm Scholarship Fund for University of Connecticut Agricultural Studies. A good amount of stock that would show up at the bi-annual sample sale has gone to the, so called, farm.
Remember, the sale is open to the public for only one day. That’s a good indication that there will not be much merchandise. If you attend the sale, please keep us all posted in the comment section below.
Manolo Sale Sample Sale
Thursday, April 27th
Sale opens: 11am and closes when the inventory dwindles (usually 3pm – 4pm)
The Warwick Hotel, 54th Street and 6th Avenue, 2nd Floor
Cash only!
The month is almost over but there are three more worthy sample sales that were just added to our calendar. Baccarat, Ippolita and Eddie Parker will be hosting shopping events that will offer great assortments and attractive discounts.
You can see our full sample sale calendar over here. On the product scroll bar, below, is an assortment of items that can be found online for a similar discount as the mentioned sample sales mentioned.
Edie Parker’s sample sale will take place on Thursday, in midtown, at the Bryant Park Hotel. The sale will consist of samples, past season’s stock and vintage pieces. Bags will be priced from $400 to $500. At the November sample sale, prices started at just $200 and charms were $50. We suspect there will be discounts the second day if these higher prices mean less sales. During past sales, shoppers were also given a bit of an extra discount when buying multiple bags.
A few blocks South, the Ippolita sale will start at Soiffer Haskin. Just in time for Mother’s Day, expect to find most items discounted 65% off retail and a few, less desirable pieces, reduced 75% to 90% off. Last season, there was a markdown after the first day and then another reduction for the last day. We suggest waiting for the last day of the sale unless you’re looking for a particular item.
If you’re looking to get out of the city this weekend you can head towards Edison, NJ for the Baccarat sample sale. We know Edison isn’t an exotic location but the trip can yield quite an amount of luxurious items. Expect to find stemware, barware, vases, decorative pieces, gifts and a large selection of jewelry all priced up to 80% off. Once you’re done shopping head back home and use your new barware to pour a very exotic drink. Pure vacation luxury.
Edie Parker Sample Sale
Thursday, April 27 & Friday, April 28
Thurs 9am-8pm, Fri 9am-5pm
Bryant Park Hotel, 40 West 40 Street (The Loft)
Ippolita Sample Sale
Thursday, April 27 through Sunday, April 30
Thurs & Fri 9am-7pm, Sat & Sun 9am-6pm
Soiffer Haskin, 317 West 33rd Street
Baccarat Sample Sale
Friday, April 28 & Saturday, April 29
Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 10am-3pm
36 Mayfield Avenue, Edison, NJ
800-845-1928
It’s no secret that the retail environment is quickly changing. Storefronts on every avenue are slowly going dark and department stores are suffering horribly. Meanwhile, online shopping is exceeding forecasters expectations and has grown by more than 20% for each of the past three years.
The growth and innovation of internet stores is showing no sign of slowing down. Just today, Farfetch announced a collaboration with Gucci where they will deliver your merchandise from ‘store to door’ in less than 90-minutes. The service is available in 10 cities worldwide: London, Paris, Madrid, Milan, New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Dubai, Tokyo and São Paulo.
While living in New York, it might not be very novel to have a gift messengered. In the case of Gucci, they have a policy that insists you make a purchases in-store before it would be messengered. This FarFetch services alleviates even the need to even go to the store.
The assortment though FarFetch is comprised of bags and a smaller variety of clothing for men and women. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like there are any shoes in the delivery line-up.
We easily see this as the next front in online shopping. We expect to see many more stores joining this path. Now, more than ever, you can get a great last minute gift and nobody will ever know.
Does the elevator go out of order often and leave you scrambling up steps? Is the building gym your private oasis? You’ll never know. Until now.
