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    Hermés Sample Sale: Everything You Need to Know

    The NYC Hermés sample sale kicked off to a small number of VIP invited guests, on Wednesday afternoon. The sale opens to the public on Thursday morning and is expected to draw huge crowds.

    Wednesday’s VIP invites were limited to about 200 shoppers who were admitted to the sale at 12pm. Most early shoppers reported waiting for about 30 minutes. One shopper said: The entire trip, from arrival to checkout, was two hours.

    That will not be the case once the sale opens to the public. Sample sale shoppers are reporting that they will arrive at 2am in hopes of being the first customers to gain entrance in the morning.

    Today’s VIP shoppers say that the sale was “okay“. Accessories are 50% off and are limited to a total of three units and just one from each category–leathers, enamels, Rivals, Hapis, Clic Clacs etc. Shoes are 50% off. There are no Oran sandals but there are jumping boots but only in the Moka color. Besides that, there are very few classics.

    Cashmere and silks are 50% off. There is a limit of two cashmere items and four silk items. There is a four tie limit. All ready to wear is 60% off. At the last sale, clothing was reduced by 80%. There are no housewares at the sale but there are some winter accessories such as gloves, hats and heavy cashmere scarves. (Click for pics.)

    Keep in mind, purchases made at a Hermes sample sale do not come with boxes. All items are marked with the letter “s” symbolizing that they were purchased at a sale. You can click here to compare notes with the Summer sale in NJ.

    For the opening day of the public sale, shoppers began arriving at 11pm the night before. By 7am there were 100 people on the line. By the afternoon the crowds thinned out tremendously and at 4pm there was no line at all. After work, the lines began to swell again and numbers stopped being distributed at 5pm.

    Attendees said that the line inside to shop the jewelry was reportedly very long and each shopper was only given 10 minutes to make their selections. Some people reported making out very well while others weren’t so impressed. We noticed that men seemed to make out a lot better at the sale then women.

    Unless you’re a die-hard, we would suggest watching from the sidelines. It seems as if that late afternoon lull — before the after-work rush– is the best time to attend the sale. We will continually update this post as pictures and intelligence become available.

    We have pictures from inside the sale and haul images over in the jump. We will have a team of spies reporting live from the opening at the public opening of the sale. Feel free to send tips, leave comments and follow along on Instagram. You can comment on the most recent Hermes post to ask questions and share info.

    Hermes Sample Sale
    Open to the Public: Thursday, October 24 through Sunday, October 27
    9am-7pm daily
    Soiffer Haskin: 317 West 33rd Street

    Saturday 





    Friday

    Thursday

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    Inside: The Jimmy Choo Sample

    This morning, the Jimmy Choo sample sale kicked off for press and VIPs. Just before 10am, there were only about thirty people waiting in the cue for general RSVP admission but that was just a temporary situation. By 11am, the line nearly reached Sixth Avenue, almost a full city avenue.


    Inside, shoes are organized by color on racks and bags are on tables. The best deals are men’s shoes, which are all $150. Women’s shoes start at $250. Usually, anything with embellishment falls into the $325 category but they were much more generous with pricing categories this season. Most shoe styles are in the $250 price range. Boots are priced at $375. Click here to see.

    The most popular items, this season, are the sneakers. Most people had stacks of them from the early portion of the sale, which limited the options from other shoppers. Handbags weren’t attracting many shoppers but there were some well-priced standouts. An ornate hard clutch evening bag is $350. You can see pictures over this way.

    So, what will you find? Shoes are priced much more fairly than past seasons. Even the men’s selection is filled with sneaker options. Sizes start at 34 and go up to 42. Size 37 to 40 had the best selection. On the bright side, we saw the racks being replenished with back stock.

    Jimmy Choo has great new styles but we didn’t see anything from the newer collections at the sale. Maybe next season? You can click this way to see pictures of what we found at the sale. The sale runs through Friday. Even though the weather is beautiful, we would avoid waiting in line for hours. The crowds should die down by Thursday afternoon.

    Prices are usually reduced to $100 the last day. Last season, hoarders were holding bags of shoes waiting for the markdown that happened at 3pm. That’s when the fun really began!

    Jimmy Choo Sample Sale
    RSVP Link: Code: samplesale19
    Through Saturday, October 26th
    Wed 11am-8pm, Thurs & Fri 8am-8pm, Sat 10am-6pm
    Metropolitan Pavilion Upper Events Space, 123 West 18th Street, 2nd Floor

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    Inside the Bonpoint Sample Sale

    The Bonpint sale officially started on Tuesday but you couldn’t tell considering the hustle and bustle of this morning’s crowd. There was a short line but nothing compared to the line for Jimmy Choo, which extends to Sixth Avenue.


    Bonpoint sample sale alumni will identify this year’s sale as better than usual. There is a great mix of Summer and Winter merchandise. There are lots of beautiful sweaters, coats, and boots. Most items are reduced by 60% off the retail sticker. Most shoes, pants, socks, and tights are 70% off.

    The highlight of the sale was the small selection of Golden Goose x Bonpoint collaboration sneakers, which are reduced 60% off.  The retail prices ranged from about $395 to $525. (Pics are over here.) By the time we left many sizes were depleted but there were some in size 34 and smaller. The coat selection is also incredible. Most coats retail for about $1000 and come to $400 after the discount. Baby down buntings are about $260 from $665.

    More formal style dresses are normally priced in the $300-range and come to $120-ish. More casual dresses are about $80 from an original price of $200 at the boutique. Boy’s trousers are about $60 from $150 and the collared shirts come to $48 from $120. You can click here to see pictures we snapped from inside the Bonpoint sample sale.

    Sorting through the clothing, there is almost something for everyone– spanning from the tiniest newborns to tweens. The slimmest inventory is usually size 2, which consists only of one sparse table. Size three and up is pretty plentiful and the baby’s selection is pretty plush too for those looking under 18-months.

    The sale also includes hats, gloves, blanks, sleepsacks, and pajamas. Many shoppers were loading bags of merchandise but most were sorting through the assortment to make thoughtful purchases. We suggest that Bonpoint shoppers take a spin through. If you’re lucky you can walk downstairs and hit Jimmy Choo too.

    Bonpoint Sample Sale
    Through Friday, October 25
    Wed 9am-8pm, Thurs 9am-7pm, Fri 9am-2pm
    The Metropolitan Pavilion, 123 West 18th Street (btwn 6th & 7th Ave), 5th FL

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    Neiman Marcus First Markdown – Contemporary

    For the fast few months, we have been tracking lots of reward shopping incentives, sale-on-sale discounts and friends and family promotions. Sale season is about to get serious as stores begin their markdowns on contemporary designer merchandise.

    Tibi


    Today, Neiman Marcus started its First Call Sale, which translates to the first markdown on contemporary labels. The sale isn’t public yet but you can use this private sale link to access the markdowns now.

    The discount is 30% to 40% off on most merchandise. Over this way, we found am Alexis crochet blouse that’s $400 from $550, a Veronica Beard blazer that’s a Balmain clone is is $490 from $650 and these mid-rise Mother jeans are $111 from $230. One of our favorite sale items are these Golden Goose Western boots that are $1100 from $1700. They are still pretty pricey but you can bet we will stay on high alert for more markdowns.

    Chances are that you’re no longer in the market for swimsuits and coversups. If you’re in the market, there are a lot of vacation friendly options. Here is a Melissa Oberdash caftan for $180 from $520, this kimono from Fuzzi is $190 from $540 and a Seafolly one-piece is $82 from $140.

    There will be some additional promotions and more merchandise added in the next few weeks. Designer merchandise officially gets markdown down on November 24. Don’t forget to check back for updates.

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    Chanel: Get Ready for a Major Price Increase

    Chanel shoppers should get ready to brace themselves for a new set of price hikes. Starting November 1 Chanel will raise prices considerably across the board. We have been told that a Large Classic Flap will go from $5600 to $6200. No need for a calculator, that’s a $600 price hike!

    You can see a full updated price list clearly by clicking on the spreadsheet image below. Please note, these prices have not been verified and we can’t promise that they are completely accurate but they will give you an idea of what to expect. (We will be sure to update the post if adjustments are needed.)

    (Click on the image for an expanded view.)

    We think it’s rather quite convenient that Chanel price increases happen almost annually right before the holiday shopping season. We strongly suggest that you execute your purchase now if you have been considering a new bag. Usually, Chanel withholds inventory this time of year. but it appears as if stores are well stocked with many popular styles.

    Since the beginning of Madison Avenue Spy, we have been tracking the prices of Chanel bags. In doing so, we have created a rich archive of pricing history. Since 2009,  the price of most style bags have increased by about 110%. You can refer to the chart above and see how prices have changed over the years. Please take the time to click on the picture and review all the information. (It took hours to compile.)

    The increasing trend of characterizing a Chanel bag a “good investment” is not at all accurate. The safest and most conservative investment is a Series EE treasury bond, which will essentially double your money in 20-years. So, your T-bill would be worth still only half as much as a new Chanel bag. On the flip side, nobody will sit and crush your T-Bill at a crowded bar in Brooklyn.

    If we look at the S&P 500, it has delivered a return of 180% in the past decade. That means if you invested your money in the S&P 500 in 2008, you could buy yourself a new Chanel bag and a wallet with the same money. We can go even further and compare a Chanel “bag” investment to Apple stock. In 10 years an investment in AAPL has gone up nearly 1000%, which means that if you took the $3200 you paid for a Jumbo classic bag in 2009 and purchased Apple it would be worth about $23,000. Now, that’s a good investment.

    We would never question the validity of a new Chanel bag but let’s all understand that it’s a luxury, not an investment. If a new Chanel bag is on your wishlist we suggest you give yourself a holiday gift now and enjoy using it for the foreseeable future. As an alternative, we pulled a variety of new and preowned Chanel bags that are all priced under $2800– the same price as a Classic Jumbo in 2009. You can buy the bag and make a meaningful financial investment.

    Below is a list of trusted Chanel sales associates at various stores:

    Saks Fifth Avenue: Marjorie 646-552-7292
    Saks (Columbus) Mojie: 614-581-3142
    Bloomingdales: Dean 646-537-5995
    Bergdorf Goodman: CJ 347-229-6159
    Barneys: Joseph 212-833-2092
    Hirschleifers: Tova 516-627-3566
    Jeffery New York: Kenya 212-206-1272

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    Need Supply Co: Discounts Top 80%

    Need Supply Co. is a multi-brand lifestyle in Richmond, VA. The vibe is a mix between Intermix and Shopbop. Right now, the store is hosting a friends and family sale  where most everything on the site is 30% off, including sale merchandise. The final discount comes to nearly 80% on some items.


    Outside the most reduced items, the 30% off is akin to a first markdown on many items. Here is a Jacquemus belt bag that’s sold out at many stores and it’s $332 from $475. A new-in-stores Saks Potts unicorn tie-dye theme puffer is $614 from $878 and Stutterheim raincoats are $200 from $300.

    If you’re looking for a more extreem discount, direct your attention towards this Calvin Klein/ Brook Shields tote that’s $52 from $250. Off-White floral print pants are $286 from $1384 and a last season’s Saks Potts puffer is $370 from $880.

    Need Supply isn’t one of those stores that has something for everyone. If you happen to be a Ganni-Acne-Dris shopper, it’s worth a scroll.

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    Moncler Genius Showroom Sale

    Moncler Genius started a sale at their Showroom on Wednesday morning. Initially, shoppers needed to show corporate ID and an invite to gain access. As the week has progressed the door policy has become less stringent and more shoppers have arrived.


    Inside, you will find a variety of Moncler jackets, vests, clothing and accessories for men and women.  Most of the merchandise is this season’s collection and the men’s assortment includes collaboration items with Palm Angles. Down puffer jackets start at $450 but most are $900. Fur ski jackets are $2000, ski pants are $150, vests are priced mostly at about $500, and sweaters are $200. Sizes and styles have started to dwindle and the line has continued to balloon.

    Officially, this sale is not open to the public but names have not been checked stringently all day Friday. The door policy can change at any moment. The sale will be open all day on Saturday if you would like to try your luck. Pictures are in the jump. Enjoy, and don’t forget to keep us posted.

    Moncler Showroom Sale
    Friday, October 18 open until 7pm
    Saturday, October 19 opens at 11am
    155 Wooster Street, 8th Fl


    Pictures from @samplesalesavant

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    Barneys Bankruptcy: End of an Era?

    Barneys New York has reached an agreement to sell its assets to  Authentic Brands Group and investment bank B. Riley Financial for $271.4 million in cash. Alternative bids will still be accepted until October 24 but the chances of a higher bid are becoming increasingly less likely.


    If Authentic Brands Group, which owns Juicy Couture and Aéropostale, wins the bid it would close all Barneys locations and use the iconic name for licensing. Saks Fifth Avenue said it is interested in using the Barneys brand as a store-within-store concept. (This idea seems absolutely ridiculous, especially on the heels of the failure of Gilt shops at Saks Off-5th stores.)

    Good-bye Freds. Good-bye iconic New York shopping destination.

    Barneys troubles started when the landlord of Madison Avenue store nearly doubled the annual rent to $27.9 million. It’s speculated that the real estate owner would prefer to use the property as condos and a hotel than maintain the spot as a retail destination.

    Some news articles site that a buyer for Barney’s remaining inventory has already been lined up. If you scroll the Barneys website and Barneys Warehouse outlet, you will see lots of discounted things to buy. We linked to some key items above.

    In the meantime, we will keep our fingers crossed that a new buyer emerges and revives that Barneys tradition in pushing the boundaries of retail innovation. “Barneys till I’m dead.”

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