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    Saks Friends & Family Dates

    Last week Bloomingdale’s ran their friends and family sales and customers were very disappointed by the numerous brands that were excluded from the promotion. Later this month, Saks will start their friends and family sale and we expect customers will find the same disappointing exclusions.

    This season, the Saks friends and family sale will from from Thursday, October 18 through Sunday, October 21. Last time around participating brands were discounted 20% off, jewelry was 15% off and beauty and fragrances were entirely excluded. Presale for the fall promotion will begin next week.

    If you’re looking for a good beauty discount you should consider planning for the Sephora friends and family sale, which will run from October 18 through the end of the month. In addition, beauty addicts should keep their eyes open for Lord & Taylor’s friends and family sale, which customarily includes Chanel.

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    Inside Schutz Shoes

    Since the Great Recession the boutiques that line Madison Avenue have become a lot more diverse. Now more than ever you can find stores with $3000 cashmere sweaters kissing distance from boutiques with $70 cashmere slacks.

    Most New Yorkers didn’t know what to expect when Schutz, the Brazilian footwear emporium, opened their first state-side store. The boutique, which is across from Barneys and next door to the anticipated Brian Atwood store, is stocked with fashion forward shoe styles that are all priced very attractively.

    Most shoes in the new boutique are spiked and studded and priced between $125 and $300. Many savvy shoppers compared Schutz’s shoe assortment to Zara’s off-the-runway look-for-less assortment. There has even been some debate if a particular Schutz shoe style too closely resembles the Louboutin Startatata and if they created a too closely related version of the Celine Luggage tote.

    In addition to shoes, the new boutique also has handbags, a small assortment of sweaters and some great looking metallic leather jackets for $700. Interestingly enough, we are told that every two weeks the store is stocked with new styles. This also means that some styles are quickly “retired.”

    We can see Schutz quickly becoming an earnest part of the uptown shopping culture as consumers look to pick up an inexpensive novelty shoe to match a particular outfit. After all, fast fashion can turn out better than other fashion!

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    Three Sales for Guys

    When it comes to the gender race men are often ahead of women in many categories but when it comes to sample sales it is often the men who get the short end of the stick. This week there are actual three sample sales that should attract the deal driven male.

    Hugo Boss
    Through Thursday, October 4
    9:30am to 5pm daily
    Hugo Boss Showroom, 601 W. 26th St, Suite 845

    Fred Perry
    Monday, October 8 through Saturday, October 13
    Mon-Fri 10am to 7pm, Sat 12pm to 5pm
    Avalon Group Showroom, 547 W. 27th St., 3rd Floor (b/w 10 & 11 Aves)

    GANT
    Thursday, October 11 through Saturday, October 13
    Thurs & Fri 10am to 7pm, Sat 10am to 5pm
    225 Fifth Avenue (b/w 26 & 27 Streets)

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    Inspecting Loehmann’s Back Room

    By ManhattanMataHari

    Loehmann’s has seriously stepped up the designer clothing game in their Back Room designer area. While we find the prices are anywhere from 40% to 70% off retail (essentially the same as the department stores sales through final markdowns), their selection of current seasonal styles is great. Plus, Loehmann’s is always sending coupons to Insider Club members (it’s free to join) and extra 25% off weekends puts your savings more in the sample sale range.

    We stopped by the Loehmann’s in Chelsea to scope the selection. On the accessories floor, fans of Loeffer Randal, Siegerson Morrison and Bruno Magli footwear will fare best. We spotted some $370 Stella McCartney booties, Casadei short boots for $340 and even $160 Charles Jourdan slipper pumps. Overall, they have a pretty extensive selection of boots.

    There isn’t much in the handbag department, although we did spot a couple of exotic skin Prada handbags that were around $2000 from $6400. If you have a keen eye, definitely head to the sunglasses section where you can find Oliver Peoples for $160, Chloe oversized frames for $120, $140 Derek Lams, as well as $110 Tory Burch sunnies. Even if the classic styles and colors aren’t usually available, we always find Tom Ford in the mix and this time we found three covetable pairs for just $200.

    In the designer Back Room you will see a large selection of Armani suits and some nice evening gowns hanging on the back wall. Upon further inspection we found several lovely Pamella Roland gowns, with long versions for $900 and short for $600. Elegant Naeem Khan and Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti gowns for $400 also surprised us quite a bit.
    Be sure not to miss the $400 Dolce and Gabanna suits and D&G trench jackets. Metallic collection label versions are a bit pricier at $600. There is a great selection of outerwear by Brunello Cuchinelli , Akris, Brioni, and Cacharel. We fell hard for a cashmere lined Loro Piana trench that was priced at $1300. There is also a huge section for Valentino, replete with elegant styles of jackets and coats.

    For separates, there are three racks of M Missoni mostly around $200, as well as Jean Paul Gaultier, Etro, Escada, See by Chloe and Moschino Cheap and Chic. Be sure to leave plenty of time for browsing since it seems that now Loehmann’s will be filling the designer discount void left behind when Filene’s Basement went under.

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    The It-it: Smoking Slippers

    By ManhattanMataHari

    While nicotine dependence is definitely not fashionable, smoking slippers are set to replace your go-to ballet flats for Fall. Most versions are a traditional velvet or satin. Others variations incorporate floral designs, embroidery, studs or even eye-catching glitter and gems. Either way, your feet will finally get a fashionable reprieve from the sky-high platform heels of the season without resorting to the same cliche flats that we’ve been wearing for years.

    For a more classic take on the trend we love the purist plush velvet look à la Tom Ford. Charlotte Olympia’s spiderweb embroidered velvet version is cute enough to stay fashionable long after Halloween. Valentino has a more elegant take, incorporating caviar-crystal embellished floral lace over leather. Prada is offering a glitter slipper with their signature namesake hardware.

    The best part of this footwear trend are the limited edition collaborations and ability to customize your own pair. Del Toro, which is at the forefront of starting the slipper trend, offers many different iterations of the smoking slipper. Our favorite is the rose embroidered collaboration with fashion week darling Theophilus London, which pays homage to his Tour de Roses concert series.

    Palm Beach slipper staple, Stubbs & Wootton even teamed up with J. Crew to release high-end embroidered velvet slippers. Before you make a final decision take note that the Madison Ave J. Crew offers bespoke monogrammed versions. If you go that route you can take advantage of J.Crew’s current promotion of free shipping and 25% off with code STYLE25.

    The best part about the slipper trend is that they come in varieties that fit almost every budget. Whether you like it or not we are confident that this smoking slippers trend will not going out of style anytime soon.

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    Loro Piana Sample Sale

    It doesn’t take much of a chill for us to to start thinking of warm sweaters. The time couldn’t be better for the upcoming Loro Piana sample sale, which starts this Sunday.

    During past sample sales the discount was about 50% off clothing and 40% off shoes and accessories. Just keep in mind that these finaries normally range from $1000 to $3000.

    At last year’s sale we found scarves ranging from about $300 to over $1200, cashmere coats for about $1500 and sweaters ranging from $400 to about $2000. So even a half-off discount can be a bit more than some customers want to spend.

    Loro Piana Sample Sale
    Sunday, September 30 to Thursday, October 4
    Sun to Mon 9am to 6:30pm & Thurs. 9am to 5pm
    Soiffer Haskin, 317 W. 33rd Street (off 8th Ave)

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    Bloomies Friends & Family

    Bloomingdales friends and family will begin Thursday, September 27 and run through Monday, October 1. It’s been a while sine we’ve had a good friends and family sale but we’re not sure if this sale really counts as good. The discount is 20% but almost all luxury brands and cosmetics are excluded.

    Presale is already underway in stores. Online shoppers can use the code FRIENDS and stack an additional 10% off by registering your email address. When shopping in the store we suggest calling for a manager to arrange for the same additional discount.

    Those waiting for the Saks friends and family promotion will need to wait until the third week of October. The discount is the same 20% off and the exclusions are similar.

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    Pucci Madison Opening Oct 15

    Pucci’s flagship Madison Avenue location will be opening October 15, according to our Spy sources. The boutique, which is in YSL’s old location, will be setting the tone for the brand’s updated aesthetic.

    For some time the Pucci brand has become a bit redundant and waned in popularity. For Fall 2012 the brand’s designer, Peter Dundas, took a powerful turn to tone down the flashiness of the brand right in time for the Madison Avenue store opening.

    Expect the collection in the new Pucci boutique to be more sultry than you would expect. The Fall 2012 collection fits in perfectly with neighbors Tom Ford and Celine. Of course,there will be lots of house prints too. We just hope the new flagship has some housewares too because sometimes a room needs a pocket of flashiness.

    Photo credit: Vogue.com

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