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    This Week’s Worthy Sample Sales

    There are so many sample sales scheduled even the professionals can’t attend them all. And really, who would want to? To help you sort through the madness, we put together a list of this week’s sales that we think are worthy of your battlefield effort. Let us know if you think we missed anything spectacular.

    Thakoon
    Tuesday, November 12 through Friday, November 15
    8:30am to 6:30pm daily
    225 Varick St between Houston and Clarkson Sts, suite 300
    Details: At the last sale prices were broken down to $50, $100, $150 and $200. Most samples are a straight size fours and are priced at $50 or $150 for more elaborate pieces. Most dresses were in the $150 and $200 categories.

    Helmut Lang
    Tuesday, November 12 through Friday, November 15
    Tues 11am to 8pm, Wed – Fri 11am to 7pm
    Clothingline, 261 W. 36th St btwn 7th & 8th
    Details: Short and long-sleeved tops were $45, sweaters and bottoms $50, dresses were $65 and blazers were priced at $80. During the last day of the sale prices were slashed an extra 60% off. This is when you can really pile up.

    Tibi
    Wednesday, November 13 through Friday, November 15
    Wed 12pm—8pm, Thurs 9am—8pm, Fri 9am—5pm
    131 Greene St between Prince and Houston St
    Details: Prices are marked 70% off of retail, which isn’t very difficult to find when shopping retail. The best bets were the $65 skirts and tops and pants for $75. Most dresses are priced between $150 and $175 but keep your eyes on their Facebook page for extra 20% to 50% off.

    Manolo Blanhik Sample Sale
    Wednesday, November 13- VIP Shoppers
    Thursday, November 14 – Public Shopping
    Doors open at 9am
    Warwick Hotel, 65 W 54th St. & 6th Ave, 2nd fl.
    CASH ONLY
    Details: The full rundown of what to expect is right here.

    Norma Kamali Annual Under $100
    Wednesday, November 13
    6pm to 8pm
    11 West 56th Street, between 5th & 6th Ave
    Details: This two hour shopping event brings the most electric shopping crowd. There you will find young girls and eccentric older women ally vying for cool urban chic on less than a Benjamin. You really never know what you will find.

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    Manolo Blahnik Sale Starts Wednesday

    Manolo Blahnik fans will be able to shop an assortment of hugely discounted shoes starting Wednesday. The two day sale will start with invited guests and then open to the public. Last season was the first time they implemented this private-public shopping system and it wasn’t smooth sailing. The public shopping day of the sale was so overcrowded that they started turning customers away at 9am.

    Those willing to brave the crowds are sure to highly awarded with shoes priced at just $96 and goes up to $500 for tall exotic skin boots. Shoes with ornamentation were $125 at the last sale and styles with large large rhinestones are $150. Y can even afford to go crazy with a alligator style, which will cost you just $300 from a retail price of $4300. (That’s less than the tax would cost.)

    We anticipate that a majority of this sale’s selection will be from summer 2013. Just don’t count on stocking up on BBs. At the last sale, we only found a few styles of the famous shoe but they were either in patterned in plaid or lace. There’s usually an overwhelming assortment of satin styles in addition to many statement pieces.

    Even though $96 Manolos are quite a rush, we prefer the boutique’s end of season sale. In January shoppers can score shoes at 75% off and not have to sift through plastic bags and search for missing mates. Did we mention that there is never a wait at the boutique!

    Manolo Blanhik Sample Sale
    Wednesday, November 13- VIP Shoppers
    Thursday, November 14 – Public Shopping
    Doors open at 9am
    Warwick Hotel, 65 W 54th St. & 6th Ave, 2nd fl.
    CASH ONLY

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    Saks Private Night Sale Begins

    Saks Fifth Avenue’s “Private Night” is the unofficial start to sale season. Historically, the department store’s best customers were invited to shop designer discounts before the store officially goes on sale. Unlike friends and family and other prior promotions the sale would to include most every designer brand. (We’re talking almost the entire third floor.) Those were the good ‘ol days.

    This season, the the sale was rebranded “Sneak Peek” and many of the most desirable brands are still excluded. On the bright said, the discount is 40% and runs in stores and online through Friday, November 8.  Like friends and family, most all of the contemporary brands are included. Those who prefer the designer collections can also choose from Ralph Lauren, Roberto Cavalli, Derek Lam and Armani. For now, all other designer brands and designer shoes are excluded from the discount promotion.

    While browsing online we found a good selection of Etro included in sale. This paisley print dress, for example, is now $700 from $1165. The sale selection of Missoni has a large selection of knits, including this chunky scarf vest that’s $981 from $1635 and we love this cotton caplet shirt from Prabal Gurung that’s now $417 from about $700.

    The next big discount at Saks will be Black Friday. During the doorbuster most every designer will be marked down and the crowds will be quite thick. We suggest presaling as a way to avoid the crowds and lock in the best discounts.
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    Inside the Louboutin Sample Sale Today

    Christian Louboutin employees have posted their famous sample sale decoy notice but upstairs there is a flurry of VIP sample sale shopping. The invite-only sample sale started yesterday by appointment. Most of the invitees include a close clique of fashion journalists and bloggers with a sprinkle of leggy models.

    Our spies infiltrated the sale today to find an abundance of discounted red soles from which to choose. This season, there are even more basic shoes as an alternative to the fantastical styles that usually dominate the sale. There is also a good assortment of boots and booties. For the first time, the sale also includes a large amount of men’s Louboutins. As a matter of fact, the men’s selection is so good that women are sizing down and purchasing the shoes for themselves.

    Sample sale prices are holding steady and run the same as they have the past prior years. Most styles range in price from $250 to $500. The men’s smoking slippers range in price from about $300 to $400 depending on the detail. There are some more expensive crystallized sparkle shoes but they are mixed in with the rest of the shoe population. The handbag selection is already running very low. We expect that there will be none left by mid-day Wednesday.

    As you can expect, shoppers are buying in bulk. Our insider noticed that almost every shopper ended up with at least ten pairs of shoes each. That is not good news for those planning on shopping the sale later this week. It might help that tomorrow shoppers will only be given a limited amount of time to shop. Today given as much time as they needed and the process was very, very slow. Perhaps, timing the shopping experience will speed up the notorious line and limit the hoarding.

    If you’re considering door-busting this sale, we suggest that you use your best technique starting Wednesday. The invite says that the three day sale is for press but it’s really friends and family. (All the press were scheduled to shop Monday and Tuesday.) Be forewarned there are also three layers of clip-boards: one in the lobby, another at the elevator and a third in the showroom. Also, take note the +1 has been eliminated. So, be sure to have a good story and prey for good weather. We have a feeling the line will be very, very long.

    Stay tuned we will be posting more intel and photos as the week progresses!

    Christian Louboutin Sample Sale
    Monday, November 4 through Friday, November 8
    306 W. 38th St. (bet. 8th & 9th Ave.)

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    Dolce & Gabbana Sale– Expensive & Crowded

    The Dolce & Gabbana sample sale kicked off today and we weren’t surprised that the wait to get in was long but we didn’t expect the line to stretch for more than two hours. Those who were patient enough to brave the chilly fall temperatures were were unfortunately disappointed by the less than primo discount Gabbana.

    For the record, we were unable to find most anything at 80% or 90% off. Most of the merchandise was discounted 60% and there was a smaller selection at 70%. A dress with jewel detail was about $1200 from about $3000 and a classic coat was $1600 from about $3500. Jeans are under $100 and tees are $50. The bright spot is the great selection of clothing and accessories for men.

    There are lots of Sicily bags, belts and shoes in sizes 38 and 39. All the good bags, according to our resident Dolce expert, are still priced over $850 from about $2000. Our best advice is to hope for another markdown and avoid waiting on line. We wouldn’t be surprised if you can luck out on both accounts during the last two days of the sale– Thursday and Friday.

    Dolce & Gabbana Sample Sale
    Monday, November 4 through Thursday, November 7
    Mon 10am- 10pm, Tues & Wed 9am -6pm, Thurs 9am -7pm
    Metropolitan Pavilion 123 West 18th Street, 4th Floor (The Gallery)

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    November’s Worthy Sample Sales

    November is starting with a bang and there are so many sample sales that we thought it would be advantageous to highlight sales that are worthy of your time and battlefield effort. In our opinion, the below sales are likely to offer the best discounts and traveling to get to them is likely time well spent.

    Christian Louboutin Sample Sale
    Monday, November 4 through Friday, November 8
    306 W. 38th St. (bet. 8th & 9th Ave.)
    For more information click here

    Dolce & Gabbana Sample Sale
    Monday, November 4 through Thursday, November 7
    Mon 10am- 10pm, Tues & Wed 9am -6pm, Thurs 9am -7pm
    Metropolitan Pavilion 123 West 18th Street, 4th Floor (The Gallery)
    Here are all the details.

    Walter Steiger Sample Sale
    Wednesday November 6 through Friday, November 8
    10am to 6pm daily
    325 5th Ave. @ 33 st. suite 38A
    RSVP: pressny@waltersteiger.com
    You can click here for more information.

    3.1 Philip Lim
    Thursday, November 7 through Friday, November 8
    10am to 7pm daily
    304 Hudson St @ Spring St
    Information coming soon

    Helmut Lang
    Tuesday, November 12 through Friday, November 15
    Tues 11am to 8pm, Wed to Fri 11am to 7pm
    Clothingline, 261 W. 36th St btwn 7th & 8th
    More information coming soon

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    Sephora Friends & Family 20% Off

    It’s a bit of a bummer that most department stores have cut the beauty counters out of their friends and family promotions. Not all hope is lost if you’re looking to save a bit on cosmetics. Starting next week, Sephora will be offering VIBs 20% off beauty products plus exclusive gifts.

    The promotion will begin Thursday, November 7 and run through Monday, November 11. The discount is available in stores and online at Sephora.com. Each VIB and Rouge member will be sent or emailed a code to access the discount for yourself and a friend. If you’re code “doesn’t make it to you” a helpful sales person can usually asset you in accessing the promotion. You can also receive a free tote bag using the code VIBTOPIA at checkout.

    If you haven’t been keeping up with what’s hot in beauty, you might want to point your attention to the new Marc Jacobs beauty line. The nail polish in particular have been receiving lots of accolades by beauty experts and armatures alike. With cold weather on the way, you might want to consider socking up with a thicker moisturizer, self tanner or bronzer. If all else fails, you can always nourish your beauty impulse with a new lipgloss.

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    Sample Sales: Louboutin & Walter Steiger

    Next week is turning out to be a major week to snag high priced shoes at a fraction of their retail prices. The Christian Louboutin sale is scheduled to begin on Monday, November 4th and Walter Steiger will start on Wednesday, November 6.


    Shopping the Walter Steiger sale is pretty straight forward. Simply RSVP for an appointment and shop through an assortment of shoes and bags starting at $100. The Louboutin sale, on the other hand, is shrouded by secrecy and custom. Shoes start at about $250 and there is a secret RSVP email account, security and successful crushers.



    So, if you’re planning on cueing up for your shiney red soles bright and early Monday morning we suggest– you don’t! The first days of the Louboutin sale are reserved for those whose star is shining bright enough grace the cover of a magazine or a headline on a network drama. For instance, Blake Lively is a day one sale regular.

    If you’re really serious about snagging some red hot sole love, your best luck will be when press begins shopping on Wednesday. Usually an email and a RSVP line are established but we all know the press isn’t very good about keeping a secret.

    Stay tuned, we will continue to update readers on the best Louboutin shopping tactics and remain watchful of prices at Walter Steiger. And, just remember, if Louboutin fails you, there’s alway Manolo.

    Christian Louboutin Sample Sale
    Monday, November 4 through Friday, November 8
    306 W. 38th St. (bet. 8th & 9th Ave.)

    Walter Steiger Sample Sale
    Wednesday November 6 through Friday, November 8
    10am to 6pm daily
    325 5th Ave. @ 33 st. suite 38A

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