By ManhattanMataHari
The fact the Barney’s Warehouse Sale draws a crowd on opening day still puzzles us since veteran Warehouse shoppers know the first week is generally priced like the last cut at stores. This trip to the Warehouse Sale was generally disappointing. We noticed lots of items from past sales and had a hard time finding undamaged items.
The only current promotion for women is an extra 50% off “imperfect” damaged merchandise with the blue tags. We generally avoid damaged items, but did end up finding a cute pair of Chanel blue and white striped espadrille slides with wear on the soles for a mere $49!
Since the prices are high and undamaged merchandise sparse, we recommended waiting until the additional markdowns go to 75% or more during the last couple days for your shopping trip. That being said, there are still some great deals to be found if you are patient and have a few hours to spend shopping.
As usual, we started in the shoe department. Petite feet will fare the best, with the majority of high-end designer heels being size seven and under. We were pleasantly surprised over the number of Alaia shoes. A pair of patent croc-embossed booties are $539 and a pair of black suede over-the-knee boots were $1049. We also noticed a number of past-season Lanvin pumps and sandals. The highlight was a snakeskin and gold metal wedge number for $799. We also spotted the popular Prada mary jane boots in snakeskin and suede for $899.
Don’t bother with the accessories section unless you are looking to channel next season’s hat-trend since they do have a variety of discounted hats. With a bit of persistence you can also find some nice wool Prada sport scarves around $129. Your effort is better spent on outerwear, especially since the $189 pint-sized Moncler jackets for babies are too cute to pass up.
Moving on to the ready-to-wear section there are only six designer racks, although many items are mixed into the contemporary section. We spotted lovely $209 Celine slacks, $159 Alexander Wang silk trouser shorts, and Kiton suit separates for just over $1000. A Theysken’s Theory tunic shirt is now $119, while the red silk Balmain blouses we spotted at the store sale are still $600. We were very tempted by a fabulous $329 Isabel Marant boucle wool parka and matching $529 Altuzarra black pencil skirt with boucle detail, but the high prices bolstered our willpower.
With a bit of searching you can find a good selection of intact (and untagged) Nina Ricci dresses. A red strapless Giambattista Valli number will set you back $769, while a black Balenciaga Edition rouched dress is $879. There were some nice Lanvin options to choose from, with a metallic pleated and bejeweled dress for just over $1000 and a cream silk tiered version for $719. There were especially friendly markdowns on the Proenza Schouler dresses, with a patchwork color block option for $529 and a silk print tiered number for $359.
We can’t wait to head back on the last day to see what is available for an even greater discount!
Barney’s Warehouse Sale
255 West 17th St (between 7th and 8th Avenue)
Tuesday, February 21st through Thursday, February 23rd, 10am~9pm
Friday, February 24th, 9am~9pm
Saturday, February 25th & Sunday, February 26th, 9am~8pm