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    3 Designer Collaborations

    Designer collaborations might be a bit 2010 but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any buzz worthy partnerships to anticipate. Below are three designer partnerships to help sweep this snow way.



    DVF & Roxy
    Last year, Diane von Furstenberg made a huge splash creating a line of children’s clothing for Gap. This summer DVF is teaming up with our favorite surfer girl swim brand, Roxy. The line will consist of 35 pieces including swimwear, beach cover-ups, board shorts, rash guards and beach bags. Prices range from $25 to $75. The collection is currently available on Roxy.com, Nordstrom and Bloomingdales.

    Vans x Kenzo
    Kenzo has already designed several collections for Van’s, which is known for their classic slip on sneakers. This season, the Kenzo team executed a collection called Clouded Leopard, which is basically blurry leopard print in psychedelic colors. These fashionable summer kicks will be available at Kenzo.com and Opening Ceremony and are said to start at $125.

    Target x Lauren Bush Lauren
    No season is complete without a buzzy Target collaboration. For Summer, the brand has set their bullseye on Lauren Bush Lauren’s popular FEED bags. FEED USA x Target will include more than 30 items ranging from bikes to housewares to apparel and accessories and yes, even totes. Prices will range from $3 to $400. Sales will benefit Feeding America, a non-profit with more than 200 food banks across the country. The goal is to generate $10 million for the organization. The collab launches June 30 and we hope it’s a winner but would’t bet on it.

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    Cesare Paciotti Sample Sale

    Just when you feel as if all the big shoe brands are starting to look a bit pedestrian, Cesare Paciotti swoops in with an sample sale that will add some spike up your week. The sale, which will start Friday, promises savings between 70% and 80% off retail. The sale will include a wide assortment of shoes and accessories for men, woman and children.

    Since this is one of those special showroom sample sales, you can expect to find lots of true samples from the summer collection. Unfortunatly, that means that a lot of the best of the inventory will be a size 7 but we are sure the sale will also include overstock in an assortment of sizes.

    During a sale several years back flats for $100, heels were $120, boots were $250, Swarovski sandals were $130 and past-season styles were just $30. Men’s samples were all priced at $120 and past-season styles were $50. Bags ranged in price from $80 to $500. We would expect prices to a to run a bit higher but it’s a good general range from where you can draft your budget. Remember, this is a cash only sale. So budget wisely!

    Cesare Paciotti Sample Sale
    Friday, March 22 and Saturday, March 23
    10am to 6pm
    12 West 57th Street, suite 901
    Cash Only

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    Bloomies Chanel Shoe Sale

    Just when you think there’s nothing fun to buy on sale, we run into a Chanel shoe sale with a markdown enough to brighten our day. Bloomingdales has rounded up the final pieces left from the winter 2012 collection and is discounting them 40%.

    The sale assortment includes about a dozen styles. Among them are ice heel booties in a purple-pink for $1200 from almost $2000, short boots trimmed in teal are $720 from $1200 and nude ballet flats are about $425 from $745. (You can click here to see photos of all the shoes included in the sale.)

    We have a feeling that some of these styles may have been further reduced some time during the hight of sale season but can’t be certain. The normal first markdown for Chanel shoes is 30% and most styles and sizes clear out within days. So, if you find your size among these styles you might consider yourself lucky.

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    Harrods Creates Dior Extravaganza

    Enough with Barney’s & Disney and Barney’s & Lady Gaga. If the chic-as-black department store really wants to make a Madison Avenue impact they should take notes on Harrods collaboration with Dior. The London-based department store is getting ready to launch a month-long pop-up shop that appears to rival any venture attempted on this side of the pond.

    To start, Harrods is transforming their windows to pay homage to the Dior brand. The window display will include traditional Royal Mail post boxes that feature a series of co-braded products. There will also be Royal Beefeaters (I had to look it up too) wearing costumes designed by Raf Simons, Dior’s creative director.

    Inside, the entire fourth floor has been transformed into a replica of 30 Avenue Montaigne – Dior’s headquarters in Paris. An installation will feature famous dresses worn by the actual stars,  including Emma Watson, Marion Cotillard and the Oscar winning Jennifer Lawrence’s Cinderella gown. In addition, there will be a Dior cafe, which will serve Monsieur Dior’s favorite foods. Who would have guessed that a lobster club sandwich and Dior cupcakes would be the menu highlights?

    Products available through the collaboration range from accessories to the j’Adore fragrance. Our favorite pieces are the Lady Dior bag with tartan handles (£2600), a Diorissimo bag with a tartan interior (£3300) and a Mise en Dior choker with pearl beads & tartan caps (£1350).

    If you’re traveling to London you will not want to miss the Harrods Dior takeover, which run from March 16 to April 14. Lets hope that Barney’s is taking notes and will give us an experience we can cherish as opposed to Minnie Mouse ears.

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    Ports 1961 & Nanette Lepore

    At any given time there can be a dozen sample sale taking place but only a small percentage offer the discounts and quality of products that make it a “Madison Avenue Spy-worthy” sample sale. These sales normally offer a discount that is hard to beat or items that are hard to find.

    This week, there are two sales that caught our eyes. The first, is a Nanette Lepore archive sale. The designer is cleaning her closets and offering a range of products from over a decade of work. Prices range from just $10 to $85. The selection includes real samples, runway pieces and exclusive designs. We suggest attending this sale early because there will be no restocking and some items are one-of-a-kind.

    Later this week, Ports 1961 returns with their warehouse sale. Men’s and women’s runway collections will be 75% off or more. (Nice discount, right?) During a previous warehouse sale we found lots of timeless pieces. Looking back to last season, we loved the true elegance of this collection, which included below-the-knee skirts and tweeds. Both will look perfectly next winter too.

    You will notice that both these sales are being hosted by the designer, which usually translates to premium savings and surprises. You never know, it wouldn’t be the first time we stumbled upon runway only Manolos for the cost of a salad at Freds. (No promises, only possibilities.)

    Nanette Lepore Archive Sale
    Tuesday, March 12 through Friday, March 15
    9am to 7pm
    225 West 35rd Street, 9th Floor (7th & 8th Avenue)

    Ports 1961 Showroom
    Thursday, March 14 through Friday, March 15
    Thurs 9am to 7pm & Fri 9am to 2pm
    601 West 26th Street, Suite 875 (west of 11th Avenue)

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    Prada, Gucci and Chloe Clothing 80% off at DSW Pop-up

    By ManhattanMataHari

    Just when you think the great deals of Filene’s Basement are gone forever, DSW opens an experimental pop-up with some of the best deals we’ve found this year. Lux810, in the Meatpacking district, is stocked with fantastic designer clothing and accessories all priced at 80% off.

    Since the store is only open to the end of the month, we couldn’t waste a moment. During our recent shopping trip we found a great assortment for men and women from Armani, Bottega Veneta, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Roberto Cavalli, Ralph Lauren Collection, Balenciaga, Chloe, Marni, Prada, and Valentino. There are some items from diffusion lines like Just Cavalli and See by Chloe in the mix, but the majority of the dresses and separates are past season designer collections in a great range of sizes.

    Lets get down to prices. A basic Dolce silk blouse is now $146 from $728. A Valentino silk sheath dress is $522 from $2610 and a leather embellished Gucci cropped jacket was priced similarly. One of the most unique dresses we spotted was a sequined Balenciaga number for $1225 from $6125. There’s also a great rack of long evening gowns from Roberto Cavalli, Valentino and Gucci. Among the cocktail dresses we found a popular satin Dolce and Gabbana bustier dress for $428 from $2139. A small selection of outerwear is also available. Prada leather trenches are $845 and $2266 from $4221 and Chloe peacoats and Gucci trenches are about $454.

    One thing you won’t really find? Shoes! There is a small selection of boots and heels, but there are only maybe a dozen pairs with one or two sizes each. The Luxe810 shoes can be found on the DSW website, but the discount is more like 50% as opposed to in the in store 80% discount. (There’s also an additional discount that can be used only when shopping online.)

    We did find some nice accessories including Yves Saint Laurent black leather gloves for about $200, Prada belt leathers, and some Bottega Veneta skinny intreciatto belts for around $150. In a glass case at the register are some outstanding deals on Swarovski Judith Leiber clutches. Our favorite was the $3995 lotus blossom pattern now a mere $799 from almost $4000 and plain bejeweled black miniaudiere for $339 from about $1700. There were also some past season Gucci handbags at the store, but we like the online Jimmy Choo purses better.

    Since the popup will not be restocked you should shop the Meatpacking store well before the end of the month when it will close. We would also suggest coming back before the store closes, Filenes Basement was known for great markdowns and we wouldn’t be surprised if the store didn’t drop prices dramatically before the pop-up closes. If all goes well, hopefully, it will be come a more perminant discount destination.

    DSW Lux810 Meatpacking Popup
    408 West 14th Street
    Monday – Saturday: 10am – 8pm
    Sunday: 12pm – 8pm

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    You’ve Must Be Kidding: $25,000 Chanel Gold Coin

    The most egregiously over priced item of the week brings us back to a Chanel item posted on eBay. Usually we joke that La Maison Chanel perceives their items to be worth more than their weight in gold, but this time the Coco inflation is just too high for any serious collector.

    In 2008, Karl Lagerfeld designed a “limited edition” run of gold and silver coins to mark Coco Chanel’s 125th Birthday. The coin has a portrait of Mademoiselle Chanel on the one side and a giant five on the back. The coin is made of 5 oz of pure gold and is selling on Ebay for, drum roll please… $24,999.

    The five digit price may seem more reasonable than, lets say a $30,000 croc bag, only for the fact that the gold is worth $7890. (At the close of business Thursday gold was trading at $1578 an ounce.) That would make the Chanel premium 300% the metal value.

    To find the true value of this coin we called several experts raging from coin dealers to vintage fashion experts and couldn’t find a single appraisal that came anywhere near the price of this eBay seller. The highest valuation came from a notable high-end jewelry dealer who suggested a range value from $7000 to $9000, “if the right person could be found to appreciate the value of Chanel,” he said.

    In the spirit of full disclosure, we must point out that in 2008 gold was trading at about $815 oz and the coin was offered to VIP customers for  €5900 or about $7500. All things considered, it really wouldn’t have been a tragic investment, but we would stay far away from this purchase now unless you’re a commodity speculator who predicts gold rising to $5000 oz.

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    Montblanc Sample Sale Returns

    Montblanc’s “private” friends and family sale is always a great place to pick up sophisticated gifts without breaking the bank. This sale is usually a reader favorite. Although it’s dubbed private it’s not. Period.

    Last season the sale moved to a new location and was taken over by sample sale professionals. Regular shoppers of the sale were not happy. Shoppers wrote that they waited upwards of two hours and were only given 30 minutes to shop. One Montblanc fan said she made it into the sale at noon all the rollerballs or ball point pens were already sold out.

    Those who got there earlier found watches, pens, jewelry, bags and accessories. Most items were 65% off and leather goods were 75% off. All the pens that were under $300 went very quickly– as illustrated above. A limited selection of watches were more $1000. Cufflinks ranged in price from $100 to $300.

    The sale is only two days, starting Monday. There is no restocking and loyal fans turn out in mass for this discount opportunity. Those planning to majorly stock up should be warned that there there is a maximum of five pieces for each shopper.

    Montblanc “Private” Friends & Family
    Monday, March 11 & Tuesday, March 12
    Mon 9am~7pm, Tues 9am~5pm
    260 Fifth Ave. (bet. 28th & 29th St.)

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