Madison Avenue Spy

Ralph Lauren Now 70% Off

January 19, 2016

Ralph Lauren started their winter clearance sale and merchandise is now an extra 20% off the general discount of 60%. That brings the grand total of the discount to nearly 70% off. Use the code WINTER20 to access the promotional discount.

This wool and suede dress is about $1000 from nearly $3000, a canary yellow jacket is $960 from $3000 and a velvet mini-Ricky is $629 from $1950. Be sure to check out the ski clothing. It’s not as reduced but it’s worth keeping a close eye out. It might actually snow this winter.

Then there is always the mandatory Polo shirts for men and women. After applying the discount, prices start at about $33 from $100 for a woman’s polo or $40 for the men’s versions.

The extra discount promotion started over the weekend and ends on Tuesday. In most cases, the Ralph Lauren boutique will match the online prices but you will need to wait for a manager’s authorization. In this instance it might just be easier to shop online.

This isn’t the biggest discount for the Americana-designer but it is that time of year where you can find the best sale selection for the greatest discount. We just noticed that a lot of the best items are starting to sell out. If you wait too long you might miss the boat.

Madison Avenue Spy

Ralph Lauren

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Neiman Marcus & Bergdorf Extra 20% Off

January 18, 2016

Through the holiday weekend Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman are offering customers an extra 20% off merchandise that has already been discounted 75%. If you’re shopping online you must use this VIP link to access the additional discount.

Head this way and you’ll find am Emilio Pucci black and white beaded dress comes to about $1900 from $7000, the Dolce & Gabbana doodle dress is $1300 from $4000 and a Balmain floral print dress is $1200 from $4400. There is even a small selection of Canada Goose and Bogner jackets on on sale. Among the Contemporary designers there is a short Milly dress that’s $120 from $500 and an IRO sweater is $140 from $350.

Be sure to check out the shoe selection. There are Fendi boots for $560 from $1400, Velentino ankle boots are $550 from $1375, Givenchy sneakers are $320 from $900 and Charlotte Olympia kitty pumps are $277 from $700.

The sale continues until Tuesday at 9am. After that, it’s probably time to start lusting after full price spring fashions.

Almost as noteworthy, that the Lavender Lady is also hosting a beauty event. When you spend $250, you will be given a tote filled with dozens of deluxe size samples, including Sulwhsoo, Hourglass, YSL and La Mer. Some products we currently love are the Tom Ford lipstick trio, Charlotte Tilbury skincare trio and Hourglass liquid lipstick. The gift bag promotion runs through January 31.

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Bloomingdales: Extra Discounts and 60% Off Chanel

January 15, 2016

We always find shopping at Bloomingdales very difficult. The stacked incentives, points structure, and disorganized merchandise can make it a grueling task. What keeps us timidly coming back is the unexpected price cuts.

Today we went in search of filling a Big Brown Bag and are happy we did. Chanel shoes have been discounted 60% and there is still a good selection and size range from which to choose. Two-tone booties come to about $530 from $1325, simple navy pumps are $320 from $795 and ridiculous tweed platform creepers are about $400 from $1075. You can click here to see pictures.

A lot of the designer clothing still isn’t reduced enough for notable mentions but there is a rack of Sonia Rykiel clothing that’s an extra 40% off. A top with oversized safety pins is $120 from $340 and a sweater with stars is $288 from $480. Not too far away are racks of Herve Leger reduced 60%.

Heading down to the second floor, we suggest keeping an eye out for merchandise with Extra 40% off signs. Among the Rebbecca Taylor section we found a shearing vest for $300 from $1000 and a lace dress for $154 from $425. If you’re in the area, you should mosey over to the Reiss section where several racks of clothing are discounted 70% and more. A simple blue dress is $103 from $340, a leather dress with embellishments is $338 from $845 and nude pumps are $84 from $265. Take note, online prices are sometimes higher than what we found in the store. Just another annoying part of shopping at Bloomies.

Upstairs in the kid’s department Moncler jackets are discounted 25% but there has been no markdown on women’s styles. We expect that discounts are coming soon because the merchandise doesn’t seem to be moving.

Madison Avenue Spy

Bloomies

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Curiosities and Furniture at Bergdorf Fixture Sale

January 15, 2016

It’s not often that you find the top brass of Bergdorf Goodman trekking to Long Island City for deals. Today was a grand exception. Apparently it’s hard to resist when the ‘Lavender Lady’ is hosts a three-day sale of its props, visual displays and furniture at Modern Design Market.

This evening we were given early access to the sale along with Bergdorf employees. Inside we found handmade items from window displays, furniture from redesigned store departments and even items never actually used in the store. A paper Lizard from the 2010 Alice and Wonderland window display is $600 and a series of paper Chanel shoes and bag are $50 each, a leather puppy is $299 and a 6-ft wood sculpted bear is $600. Among the more serious furniture is a Christian Liaigre cabinet that is priced at $9000 from a quoted retail price of $42,000.

We were particularly fond of a vintage Olivetti desk that Linda Fargo admitted was purchased for the men’s store from a fancy antique store but never used. “It was a big mistake,” she lamented after urging the purchase. Less expensive items include, trunks priced between $200 and $300, coffee tables for $250 and chairs for $400 for a set of four. (You can click here to see pictures from our trip.)

We are told that the warehouse space will be continually restocked. If you’re not normally comfortable leaving the Island to go shopping we suggest taking a cab/Uber. From the Upper East Side it was about $20 each way. Although we didn’t come home with anything it was inspiring to see the fantastic elements that put together our favorite store.

Bergdorf Goodman Visual Vault Sale
Friday, January 15 through Sunday, January 17
Fri—Sat 11am—7pm, Sun 11am—5pm
47-51 33rd Street, Long Island City, NY 11101

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Bergdorfs

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Deep Discounts: Fendi, Dolce, La Perla and Allegri

January 14, 2016

New York needs a good old fashioned discount store and that’s what Luxury 9 brings to midtown. The pop-up carries top-shelf designer brands that are discounted 30% to 90% off retail. On our last trip we found a bounty of Valentino, Celine, Prada and Cuccinelli.

Like all good discount stores, a new week means a new shipment. Today we found a large assortment of Allegri coats all discounted to $295. Most styles retail from between $600 to $1300. Now there is also a selection of clothing for boys and girls in sizes ranging from 3-months to 14-years. A girl’s gem embellished white lace dress from Dolce & Gabbana originally retailed for $3975 but is reduced 80%. Thinking ahead for Valentine’s Day? There is a nice selection of La Perla boxed robes and pajama sets for $139. (Here are more pictures.)

You can click here to read about the men’s and women’s finds from our last trip. In addition to the new merchandise, the store was also restocked with key items like two tone Chanel ballet flats and some awesome designer bags. (I was asked not to mention the brands.) We overheard that a big selection of Rockstud shoes and bags are expected soon. Needless to say, this is a discount destination we will continue to stalk.

Luxury 9
375 Lexington Avenue @ 41st Street
Sunday to Thursday 11am to 8pm
Friday 11am to 2pm
Closed Saturday
lddsalesinc@gmail.com

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Net -A-Porter Clearance Sale Begins.

January 13, 2016

Net-A-Porter started its clearance sale today and many items from this past season are now reduced near rock bottom. The discount ranges widely but we set our eyes on those plentiful 80% reductions.

Here is a Sonia Rykiel sweater that comes to $322 from $1610, a ‘Call Me’ sweater from Sibling is $111 from $555 and this Mary Katrantzou houndstooth sweater is $400 from $2000. There are also a lot of black-and-white dresses that are highly reduced. Heres one from Antonio Berardi that’s $382 from $1910 and another from Victoria Beckham that’s $239 from $800.

Among the shoes are fringed high boots from See by Chloe that come out to a mere $140! For $99 we suggest taking these Tabitha Simmons espadrille wedges and saving them for your next vacation or even Summer. At 80% off you can’t take a pass on these Laurence Decade merlot color ankle boots.

Net-A-Porter usually don’t continue its sales as long as department stores. We wouldn’t be surprised if they added an additional closeout promotion within the next week. After that, it’s off to TheOutnet.

Madison Avenue Spy

Net a Porter

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Hunt & Gather: $200 Designer Shoes

January 13, 2016

The prices of designer shoes have skyrocketed over the past five years. It wasn’t so long ago that standard designer pumps retailed for $600. Now it seems as if $900 is the designer benchmark.
Analysts frequently debate if people are actually spending more or just waiting longer for deeper discounts.

After experiencing a season of sticker shock it’s fun to hunt for shoes that are reduced under $300. We like to think of it as three for the price of one. Above is an assortment of shoes that will cost you somewhere in the $200-range. It just proves that no matter your budget you should never settle.

Our lineup includes an impressive assortment from Givenchy, Manolo Blahnik BBs, Jimmy Choo, Aquazzura and Altuzarra. Sizes are limited in each style but if you hunt, we are sure everyone can find something to gather.

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Hunt and Gather

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FiveStory Clearance 80% Off (Wowzers)

January 12, 2016

Over the weekend we got a tip-off about a sale starting at FiveStory, our favorite Uptown multi-brand boutique. Usually the store ships their overstock and past season clothing to the Bowery Hotel basement, which is out of the way and lackluster. This season, the sale is taking place right in our backyard– at the Madison Avenue boutique.

The sale doesn’t officially open to the public until Thursday but we couldn’t resist from taking a sneak peak today. We are sure glad we did. After all, how often do you find authentic Balmain for less than the H&M collaboration?

FiveStory is clearing out most of its fall and winter collections. What makes this sale extra super is that almost everything is reduced 80%. The only exceptions we found were select jewelry and bags. that ranged from 40% to 60% off. Everything else we found was 80% off.

The boutique is set up a little like a curiosities store. Small rooms are filled with beautiful and unexpected designer creations. The first room, is filled with cruise wear and none of it is on sale. The second room, in the middle of the store, is the heart of the sale. Inside, we found a white Giambattista Valli with floral lace and appliqués for $400 from $1995, a Rosie Assoulin metallic wool coat is $500 from $2500 and Maiyet wide-leg draped pants are $240 from $1200. (Click here for more pics and prices.)

Moving back to the ‘Shoe Garden,’ everything there too is 80% off. Hunter green suede Aquazarra shoes are $140 from $695, Nicholas Kirkwood polka-dot pearl shoes are $175 from $875 and Pierre Hardy leopard wedge pumps are $140 from $695. Be sure not to miss the Maiyet bags up top. Wow!

The last room of clothing is upstairs through the jewelry gallery that also has a nice assortment of merchandise that’s discounted between 40% and 60% off. Half the room is sale merchandise but the selection is wowzers. A red draped Balmain dress is $440 from $2200. It costs less than the dresses the Balmain dresses sold at H&M. Another spectacular velvet Balmain comes to about $1200 from $6000. A Nomia top with eyelet is $80 from almost $400 and a Mary Katrantzou mermaid cut dress is about $300 from $1580.

Take note, that in most cases only one item of each size is displayed. Be sure to ask for items in your size. The sale doesn’t officially open to the public until Thursday but it can be hard to resist such designer temptations. Pictures of our shopping trip can be found here and lots of the store’s merchandise is represented on its website. At 80% off, feel free to go crazy!

FiveStory
18 E 69th St.
212-288-1338
customerservice@fivestoryny.com