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    Shop For Japan

    By: ManhattanMataHari

    There’s nothing quite like the guilt-free experience of shopping for a good cause. While many designers and companies have donated directly to organizations that help disaster relief in Japan, others are encouraging donations though consumerism.

    Several designers and companies are holding special sales or designing limited edition apparel and accessories to benefit Japan and their recovery from the natural (and radioactive) disasters that occurred earlier this month.

    Here is a brief overview of how your shopping dollars can be put to good use. After all it’s a win-win, right?

    Fashion Girls For Japan
    Saturday, April 2 – Sunday, April 3
    11am to 5pm
    The Bowery Terrace at the Bowery Hotel, 335 Bowery

    Fashion girls grab your bags because more than 60 designers and companies have come together to create the ultimate fundraising shopping event. Product from Barney’s, VPL, and 3.1 Philip Lim, Alexander Wang, Yigal Azrouel, DVF, Jil Sander, and Proenza Schouler will all be discounted under one roof. Each designer has donated a rolling rack that will be discounted at least 50% off retail prices. All of the proceeds of the Fashion Girls for Japan benefit will be donated to the Japan Society’s Earthquake Relief Fund.

    There is likely to be a high turnout for the event, so it may be a good idea to go to go online www.fashiongirlsforjapan.com to buy the $5 admission ticket early for faster admission. Sample sales host, is Clothingline is managing the actual event, so don’t be surprised if there is a mandatory bag and coat check.

    Online Shopping Relief
    Several designers have committed to donating a portion of their online sales to Red Cross’s Japan Earthquake & Pacific Tsunami Fund. Rag & Bone, Diane von Furstenberg, Josie Natori and Rebecca Minkoff have all committed to taking their part in disaster relief.

    Until April 11 Rag & Bone will give 10% of each sale and customers can receive free shopping on orders over $250. DVF will be donating 10% of sales until April 8 and Josie Natori has committed the same amount of online sales until the end of April. Rebecca Minkoff will be donating $100 from online sale of each RED handbag.

    Bakes Sale for Japan
    April 2
    10am to 5pm
    Brooklyn Flee Market, Japan NYC Booth

    If shopping gets you hungry, you can snack guilt-free on April 2nd at the Bake Sale for Japan NYC booth at the Brooklyn Flea Market. A portion of the sales from your sugar rush will benefit the charity Peace Winds for Japan.

    CFDA Fashion & Friends for Japan Online Charity Auction
    Online auction begins April 5th

    If you are truly looking for one-of-a-kind designer finds, The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) is hosting the Fashion & Friends for Japan online charity auction. The auction items will go live on CharityBuzz.com starting April 5th and the proceeds will benefit the Japan Society. Apparently Steven Kolb, the executive director of the CFDA, personally wrote to designers requesting “very special experiences or over-the-top, one-of-a-kind items for the auction.”

    We can’t wait to see what our favorite American designers come up with!

    Jewelers for Japan
    Saturday, April 9 to Sunday, April 10th
    2pm to 6pm
    ABC Carpet & Home, 888 Broadway New York, NY 10003

    A number of Jewelry designers are coming together on April 9th and 10th to raise funds for Save the Children’s Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief at the Ring of Love benefit for Japan, at ABC Carpet and Home. Nearly 30 different jewelry designers have donated pieces to be sold at 25% to 50% off retail. Several designers even created unique charm pieces as part of the Wish for Japan Charm Project. At just $35 each these trinkets can turn into beautiful reminders of your support and generosity.

    Charlotte Ronson Sample Sale
    Wednesday, April 13 to Friday April 15
    10am to 7pm
    1071 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 301, between 40th and 41st Streets

    Charlotte Ronson is doing her part for the Japan Society’s Earthquake Relief Fund by hosting a sample sale Wednesday, April 13th through Friday, April 15th. Merchandise will be discounted at up to 75% off retail prices, in addition to the sale of a specially created “Save Japan” t-shirt. All proceeds will donated to the Fund’s relief efforts.

    Expect to find a printed chiffon pintuck dress for $80 from $295, a leather zipper platform shoe for $80 from $180 and a cew neck sweater for $60 from $180.

    Designer T-Shirts
    Both Anna Sui and Tory Burch have designed fashionable t-shirts to benefit Japan Disaster Relief. Anna’s “We’re All In This Together” shirts are just $20 and come in both black and lavender. Shipping is free but the stylish tees will not be shipped until April 15.

    The Tory Burch version is a symbol “We Love Japan.” The price is $29 and 100% of the proceeds will be given to the American Red Cross.

    Polo Ralph Lauren partnered with the United Way to create the chic Japan Hope Polo for both men and women. The polos range in price from $98 to $100, they come in three colors and 100% of the proceeds go toward Central Community Chest of Japan.

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    Hunting for Fur Bargains

    Our roster of spies continues to grow with the addition of ManhattanMataHari. MMH, for short, is a full time graduate student. Moving to New York ignited her passion for fashion and living on a student’s budget has taught her to get the hottest designer items for a discount. She counts persistence, online and in-store reconnaissance as her greatest tools, in addition to following Madison Avenue Spy daily!

    The end of winter’s wrath and the onset of spring signals a favorite time of year for New Yorkers -– end of season sales. Warmer days are the perfect time to invest in that fur coat you have been pining overall winter long. In order to find the best discounts, we did a survey of local department stores and firmly believe that Bloomingdales (with the upcoming friends and family discount) is the best place to score a fur for a fraction of its November price.

    Here is an overview of the discounts being offered on fur at all our local department stores:

    At Bergdorf Goodman, exclusive furrier J. Mendel is having markdowns of 50% on regular minks, 40% off sheared mink, and 30% off other styles. A sales associate confirmed this is the final discount on the ultra luxurious designer and there will be no further markdowns.

    Saks Fifth Avenue’s fur salon is having a department wide 30% off sale. The salon has a large selection of various styles in stock and no further discounts planned.

    Macy’s furs currently range from 30% to 60% off. In addition, Macy’s cardholders can use a 15% to 20% off coupon that can be applied on top of the current markdowns.

    If you really want to snag a great deal, then the Bloomingdale’s Maximilian fur salon is your destination. The fur salon is tempting customers with markdowns on many classic furs that range from 55% to 80%. Naturally, more unique designs tend to have the greatest markdowns. A sales associate confirmed these are the lowest markdowns and the salon will be participating in friends and family, which can save customers an additional 20% off clearance prices.

    Bloomingdale’s is already allowing customers to presale their purchases. Now is the time to start your search for the perfect new fur coat at department stores while both the selection and markdowns are at their best!

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    Extra 30% Off J. Crew Clearance

    J. Crew is sweeping out its oldest stock by offering custmers and additional 30% off clearance items. The restrictions say that the additional discount is online only with the code LOVEIT. Even so, we have found that store managers are often happy to extend the same shopping incentives.

    While shopping online we found a gold cuff bracelet trimmed with reinstones, which looked a lot like a cuff we saw at Tom Ford. The final price is just $30 and you can bet the Tom Ford version was many multples more. Adding a playful hair accessory to little girl’s birthday gift is always appreciated. This bedazzled headband is now just about $9 from $14.50. A cashmere cardigain is the perfect topper to keep out the early spring chill. Here is a great navy one that comes out to about $90 from $168. This simple waredrobe staple can become a total homerun if you sawp out the buttons with a more personalized punctuation.

    Just be mindful, these deals are tempting but all sales are final. That means that if the sweater might not fit, don’t buy it!

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    Bloomingdales Friends & Family

    Bloomingdales friends and family will begin Wednesday, March 30 and run through Saturday, April 2. 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.

    Online shoppers can use the code BFRIENDS 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. Presale is already underway in stores.

    Instead of listing all the excluded brands we thought our readers might be better served if we listed items they could consider purchasing with the discount. If you so desire, you can get Tory Burch ballet flats, Tom Ford sunglasses, Burberry accessories and clothing, Frette linens and luxury housewares.

    Saks F&F usually towards the end of April and we expect the discount to be 20% off merchandise and 10% off cosmetics. Manolo, Chanel, Prada, Gucci and Louboutin are always excluded at Saks too. However, we are hoping to bribe someone to allow us to use the discount on Lanvin.

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    True Love: TAG Tumi Luggage

    Think of how much thought you put into what goes into your luggage: shoes with personality, bags that have their own iconic names and jewelry that speaks of generations past. It’s impossible to imagine all that thought going into a big black box that needs a little red string to differentiate itself from the other four million people fly on commercial airlines worldwide each day.

    Does that make sense? We don’t think so either and it must stop immediately. This month, Tumi teamed up with famed NYC graffiti artist John “Crash” Matos to create a limited edition luggage collection that literally catches the eye. The Tumi TAG line, is a limited run of just four sizes of travel bags and an iPhone cover. There are only 1000 pieces in each size, which are all individually numbered.

    Prices range from $445 for carry-ons to $595 for the extended travel case. The iPhone cover is $45. The bags are available online and in Tumi stores.

    If you are a real Crash fan, you can bid on the original piece of art, which is being auctioned off to benefit ACRIA or AIDS Community Research Initiative of America. The current bid for the untitled piece sprayed on canvas is $10,000 but we expect the price will rise considerably by the end of the auction on Tuesday, April 5. You can click here to track the auction and place your bid now.

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    The Big Score

    Sometimes shopping is a game, while other times it’s a sport. The new online penny auction, ScoreLuxe.com brings the two together. ScoreLuxe.com brings out the fieriness in shoppers by making some of the hottest goods on the luxury market available at a fraction of their retail price.

    For instance, just yesterday, the website auctioned off an iPad2 for just 90-cents! Could you imagine? To purchase an iPad2 at full price, you’ll need to wake up at the crack of down and keep your fingers crossed that the stock outlives the line at the Apple Store. Get this, the winner could even select from black or white. Touchdown!

    So this is how it works: First you register for free at Scoreluxe.com. Next you purchase your desired amount of bids for just 99-cents each. Once you set your eye on an item, you start bidding. Don’t forget to watch the clock and keep bidding. Be the last one to bid when the clock strikes 0:00 and you’re the winner. Grand slam!

    This week, ScoreLuxe.com is auctioning off a large Louis Vuitton duffle bag and $100 gift cards to Bloomingdales, Saks, Burberry and Restoration Hardware. How nice would it be to walk away with $100 gift card for just pennies? We would say it would feel better than a whole-in-one!


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    Where to Get Hermés Bags NOW!

    Madison Avenue Spy is very excited to introduce our newest contributing spy, “TJ Kennedy.” TJ Kennedy is a college student with a keen eye for style and passion for a good deal. She admits to being obsessed and consumed with the fashion industry for as long as she could remember and she continues to draw from the excitement daily. “There is always something new to discover here, new shops to find and great deals to share,” she says.

    Please give TJ Kennedy a warm Madison Avenue welcome and that doesn’t mean the cold shoulder!

    Hermés fans are unanimously disappointed with this season’s sample sale but that doesn’t mean all hope is lost if you’re counting on snagging a Birkin or Kelly bag now. While Hermés fans were waiting in the sleet for hours, we did some investigating and found that the most impressive Hermés selection can be found at the consignment store, Fisch for the Hip.

    The Chelsea store is continuously stocked with at least 15 to 20 Birkin bags, which are available in wide array of colors and sizes. This is undeniably the ultimate Hermés hookup! Fitch from the Hip may not offer significant discounts but instead caters to the customer who wants her bag now.

    For this reason, most bags range from 30-40 cm (35cm being the most popular) and are priced about $10,000. All colors are the same price too. So whether you’re craving classic black, sultry red, or forest green, they’ve got you covered. Some bags are even brand new with plastic still covering the hardware.

    If you’re feeling extra extravagant, they even have a couple of exotic crocodile bags for a cool $42,000. If they don’t have the exact object you long for, the store will do their best to satisfy your Hermés desire through their personal Hermés network of dealers.

    More of a Kelly bag type of girl? These bags range in price from $5,000 to $7,000, depending on if it’s new or vintage. There are currently five available– mostly in dark colors, like deep red. Other small leather goods were also available along with three watches and a few enamel bracelets starting at $300 each. Of course, you can’t have an Hermés outpost without an assortment of signature scarves, which sell for $200 to $300 along with some men’s ties. (Remember, the scarves at the Hermés sale are $250!) There is even a blue plaid Hermés dog coat fit for a princess Toy Poodle.

    In our opinion, the Hermes experience doesn’t include standing in the freezing rain, snow and sleet for hours. If you’re looking for a fast Hermés fix, skip the sample sale and head to Fisch for the Hip!

    Fisch for the Hip
    Open Mon-Sat 12pm-7pm; Sun 12pm-6pm
    153 W. 18th St #1 between Sixth and Seventh Avenues

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