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    The IT-It: Drybar

    I remember hearing the term wet bar as a child and imagining a bartender spraying customers with a soft drink hose. When I recently heard about Drybar my imagination was almost as naive: A bar with no alcohol? Yikes!

    Thank goodness my conjecture was wrong on both accounts. Drybar may be the coolest beauty concept ever. The beauty chain offers flat rate $40 hair blowouts. There’s no, extra $10 for long hair or unexpected fees for extra curly or thick hair. Yup, it’s just $40! Oh, oh, did we mention the Shirley Temple service? It’s for kids 10 and under and costs just $24. (Blowouts and lunch with Eloise anyone?)

    So as curly haired girls have been rejoicing on the west coast and in the Village, uptown gals can start taking advantage of the Drybar treatment too. Today Drybar opened in the Le Parker Meridien, on West 59th Street. The space is almost as hot as a Twin Turbo 2800.

    Scheduling an appointment is as easy as the price. Just go to the company’s online scheduler and select the Le Parker Meridien location from the drop down menu and pick a time that’s convenient to you. Even better, walk-ins are welcome too.

    Drybar
    119 West 56th Street btw 6th and 7th Avenues
    212-557-5392

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    The Most Expensive Stores in the US

    Unsurprisingly Madison Avenue is home to many of the country’s most expensive retail stores, according to analysis company Bundle. Ten of the 25 stores, listed in the report are located on Madison Avenue and 13 are located in NYC.

    Oscar de la Renta takes home top prize for the boutique with the highest average receipt of $3,217.  Georgio Armani, which has several locations throughout Manhattan, including Madison Avenue, is second with average receipts of $2,881. At the bottom of the list is Prada, where customers tend to spend about $1,430. Wedding emporiums Vera Wang and Kleinfeld Bridal both made it to the impressive list, which is just goes to show the buying power of the blushing bride.

    Bundle compiled their list of the most expensive shops in America by looking at the average receipt amounts based on millions of transactions done in clothing stores across the U.S from April 2010 to May 2011. Wholesalers, manufacturers and big department stores were filtered out of the list. We imagine that’s why high priced stores like Hermes and Louis Vuitton are not included in the top 25 list.

    Although Madison Avenue is an expensive place to shop, it’s just as easy to save a bundle. As we know, just about all these stores reduce merchandise to about half-off but that may mean you end up buying twice as much!

    1. Oscar de la Renta, NYC
    2. Georgio Armani, NYC
    3. Loro Piana, Boston
    4. Akris, NYC
    5. Maxfield, LA
    6. Chanel, NYC
    7. Bruno Cucinelli, NYC
    8. Blake, Chicago
    9. Savannah, Santa Monica
    10. Alexander McQueen, NYC
    11. Tom Ford, NYC
    12. Lanvin, NYC
    13. Ascot Chang, NYC
    14. Chloe, NYC
    15. Marissa Collections, Naples
    16. Dolce & Gabbana, Beverly Hills
    17. Wilkes Bashord, SF
    18. Bottega Veneta, Manhasset
    19. Kleinfeld Bridal, NYC
    20. Morris & Sons, Chicago
    21. A’Marees, Newport Beach
    22. Vera Wang, NYC
    23. Escada, Beverly Hills
    24. Saks Jandel, MD
    25. Prada, NYC
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    Alexis Bittar 60% Off

    Alexis Bittar has taken a second markdown on the winter jewelry collection. The discount is up to 60% off. In addition to the Madison boutique, shoppers can browse the deals at the online store.

    Right now you you can find a gunmetal chain necklace for $298 from about $700, signature large hinge bracelet for $242 from $495 and pearl drop earrings are $162 from $395.

    Even if you live close to a boutique, we suggest familiarizing yourself with the collection online. The store’s sales associates are better at the register than they are at the showcase.

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    Intermix 80% off

    If you thought the department stores were getting heavy handed with the discounts you should take a look at the price cuts at Intermix. The urban boutique is offering an extra 50% off already reduced merchandise for a total savings of up to 80% off.

    We found $225 Rag & Bone jeans for $35! (Makes you question the price of denim.) A $1350 Herve Leger dress is $400 and a $1300 Zac Posen dress is $390.

    While you’re sifting through sale racks don’t overlook the jewelry. While sorting through random bits and pieces we found $350 Dannijo earrings for just a $100. We’ll call it a happy Valentines Day gift to me!

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    Join Us at Fashion Week

    Fashion week is right around the corner and everyone knows that nothing compares to being there on the ground floor or even back row. That’s why we are inviting our readers to join us as Spies at Lincoln Center, during Fashion Week.

    All you need to do is follow us on Twitter and send the following:

    By reading @MadisonAveSpy daily I found a great deal on [blank]. Follow and RT to win a chance to go to fashion week

    When you send us your favorite Mad-Spy deal you will become eligible to attend a fashion show and write a post for the site. Good luck and may the best deals win!

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    Season End Sales: Barney’s vs Bergdrofs

    By ManhattanMataHari

    As department stores blow out the remains of winter we plan on finding statement pieces that will become the cornerstones of our wardrobe. If you can find a Chanel sweater for under $1000 grab it. The same goes for Jason Woo print dress at under $270. (Makes the upcoming Target collab seem overpriced, huh?) Bergdorf Goodman and Barney’s are both offering discounts of 75% off but you’re going to want to read or overview before heading out in these frigid temperatures.

    Barney’s

    The last cuts at the department stores are always our favorite time for steeply discounted brick-and-mortar shopping. Stop into Barney’s by Tuesday before they send their 75% off designer clothing and 60% off shoes to the outlets and warehouse.

    Haute ready-to-wear is mixed throughout the floors. Some sales racks like Lanvin, Marni and Dries Van Noten are alongside new resort collections, but many are in the mixed designer sales racks near the back. We spotted a black and white color block Derek Lam dress for $249 and a Fendi draped silk dress for $669. A Balmain draped red silk blouse is now $639 from $2550. With a bit of persistence you can also find discounted Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Mugler and Givenchy. Our favorite find was a chic $4990 Yves Saint Laurent wool jacket marked down to $1990.

    If you’re a fan of Chloe and Lanvin shoes, it may be worth your while to stop by the shoe salon where we spotted a $670 pair of Lanvin jewel embellished satin ballet slippers for $269. We found a pair of Louboutin suede and mesh maryjanes for just $339. (A prime example why despise waiting on sample sale lines.)

    Mema: (212) 833-2098 (3rd floor Designer Collections)
    Jake: (212) 833-2129 (4th floor Advanced Designer Collections)

    Tom Ford lace at Bergdorf Goodman

    Bergdorf Goodman

    While Barney’s final sale is winding down, Bergdorf’s has just begun their end of season 75% off sale. Check in with your favorite designers at their boutiques where clothing is marked 60% to 75% off retail.

    At Chanel, we found some lovely knits and sweaters as well as a couple of signature wool boucle dresses for $2389 from $5990. Tom Ford is also at a 60% cut and there was a good selection of sales merchandise, including his popular lace and velvet pieces. A $2290 black lace blouse is now $909 while Emma Stone’s structured black lace red-carpet dress and a white long sleeve version is now $3499.

    You will have some luck finding 75% off clothing from Gucci, Marc Jacobs, Christian Dior and Fendi in their individual boutiques, but we suggest heading to the mixed designer rack areas too. In the mix you find deals like a Jason Wu silk print dresses ($269), Rick Owens drapery silk tops ($159) and even a fur collared Givenchy jacket ($959). We also spotted lots of Stella McCartney, Emilio Pucci, Narcisco Rodriguez and Roland Mouret.

    If you are still looking for your shoe fix, you can now find all designer shoes marked down 55%, including Christian Louboutin and Chanel. Overall, there is a much better selection at Bergdorf’s than at Barneys, especially for Manolo Blahnik fans.

    Allison: (212) 872-8732

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    I Spy: Monclers on Sale

    Readers often ask us about getting discounts on hard-to-find-on-sale items. Uggs are one, Chanel is another but most readers want to get their Monclers for less. We’ll give it to you straight, it’s not easy. But if you’re looking, this is the time of year to find them.

    During our most recent tour de Barney’s we found children’s and men’s Moncler jackets and coats for 50% off. Most of the children’s sizes were small but there were a few still left in size two and under and fours and sixes for both girls and boys.

    The men’s jackets are a bit more sparse but there are a few still left on the racks. Unfortunately, the only the Moncler Gamme Bleu jackets were marked down. All but one was sold out but you can ask a sales associate to keep an eye on returns. Over at Bergdorf Goodman, you can find a select assortment of the goose down jackets discounted. Here the markdown is only about 40% but it’s still worth stalking the store.

    Nordstrom.com has a handful of the Italian made jackets on coats marked down 33% but we would also suggest calling the department stores directly to see what inventory might still be available.

    The Brooklyn-based, high-end children’s store, Tuesdays Child has a better selection of coats and jackets but the discount is just 20%. The uptown boutique, Small Change has a decent selection on sale but the discount isn’t very much either.

    If all else fails, try calling the Moncler at Woodbury Common (845-928-3045). But whatever you do, don’t don’t don’t Google “Moncler discounts” or “Moncler sale.” Doing so will result in a list of counterfeit jackets. And even a discount of 90% on those would be overpaying.

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    Century 21 Sale Time

    By ManhattanMataHari

    Despite being world renowned as the place for discount designer deals, Century 21 can be a difficult store to shop. The disheveled racks can be daunting and tourist shoppers can be, lets say, pushy. But when Century has a sale we just can’t resist the downtown flagship.

    When you arrive, go straight to the third floor and turn right to find the European designer racks marked an additional 50% to 65% off. We suggest starting with the 65% off racks near the registers, where Giorgio Armani fans will be thrilled to find a couple racks discounted 85%. A chic long sleeve Alberta Ferretti dress is $161 from $459, while a silk sheath from their more affordable Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti line is only $70! A variety of Love Moschino and Cheap and Chic dresses ranged from $70 to $130 – even less than Aeffe’s sample sale prices. Overall, we did not see many original collection pieces, but there were plenty of designer’s secondary lines to shop.

    Just looking at the wall of discounted mixed designer tops induces anxiety and should be avoided unless you have hours to shop. We found the racks of designer skirts and pants to be more fruitful, with a $128 Carolina Herrera skirt, $200 Lanvin silk trouser shorts and $50 Dolce Gabbana satin pants as highlights. Unfortunately, we saw more damaged clothing than not. Be sure to carefully inspect your pieces prior to checkout.

    Before heading downstairs, don’t miss the 65% cut for designer jackets. Furs and shearlings remain at 50%. Skip the 2nd floor entirely since none of the designer accessories in the showcases are reduced. Make your way to the basement, and you will see walls of mostly Italian designer shoes for an additional 40% to 75% off. Walls of winter footwear are worth browsing for the prospect of $160 Derek Lam booties or $155 fur wrapped Cinzia Araia boots. On the racks, we saw lots of Missoni multicolored pumps ($175), Manolo slingbacks ($125) and Givenchy suede heeled sandals ($120).

    A word for the wise – head to Century 21 sooner rather than later before all the best steeply discounted designer cloths are gone! Uptown gals should save on cab fare and head to the spacious and organized Upper West Side store, unless you miss fighting for your fashion downtown.

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