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    You Must Be Kidding: Hermes Kelly

    It’s always fun to browse through eBay and scour all the products that are unburied from people’s closets. Sometimes the items are in fabulous condition and priced well. Other times, you read the listing and think: You Must Be Kidding.

    Today we are starting the beginning of a new column where we identify items that are in rediculous condition or insanely priced or sometimes both. On eBay, a 1964 black lizard Hermes Kelly bag is priced at $2500. The seller says, “It has been used. It shows wear. The lower price reflects this.”

    This bag shows much more than wear and is pealing and cracking in almost every direction. As a matter of fact, cars in better condition than this bag have been junked. This may be the saddest Kelly bag we’ve ever seen. Did we mention that the keys are also missing (surprise, surprise) but there is an orrigional dust bag!

    Would you spend $2500 on this sad piece of Hermes history?

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    Manolos Now Half-Off

    Now that chunky heels are following in the steps of skinny jeans, woman are even more anxious to get to Manolo Blahnik boutique’s next markdown. Wait no more. The newest markdown will start Monday, January 21 with a discount of 50% off.

    This most recent markdown follows the 33% discount but proceeds the final and best shopping opportunity of the season. The final markdown is always one of our favorite sales and normally occurs the first week of February. Prices range from $195 to $350. Most shoes and low boots– even highly ornate styles– are priced at $250.

    We took a quick browse through the boutique last week and were a bit worried because the assortment does not seem to be as extensive as usual. We did spot a variety of classic Manolo Marry Janes in two-tone combinations and Timberland style boots with fur trim.

    In the meantime, Bergdorf Goodman still has a great assortment of Manolos that are currently 55% off and Barneys markdown is at 60% off. I’m personally waiting for February! After all, it is the month of love.

    Manolo Blahnik
    31 West 54th Street (b/w 5th and 6th)
    Monday to Friday 10:30 to 6pm
    Saturday 10:30 to 5:30
    Sunday 12pm to 5pm
    Store will close from 2pm to 3pm for restocking

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    Scoop Warehouse Sale

    Scoop’s semi-annual warehouse sale starts tomorrow and men and women can expect to find discounts that total more than 75% off. We got a sneak peak and found several items marked less than average sample sale prices.

    A great DVF dress is $75 from $375, AG jeggings are $45 from $172 and a Richard Chai Love blouse is $45 from $415. Correct me if I’m wrong but that’s closer to 90% off. Just be warned that it may take some work to find the best deals and men may even find a better selection than women. For instance, a Paul Smith overcoat is about $350 from over $1000, an Etro men’s shirt is $90 from $310 and DSquared2 kicks are $180 from $600.

    Although you can find discounted merchandise at Scoop stores all over the city we are told that the best deals will be at the Soho location. So get out this weekend and give you and your man a make-over.

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    Bergdorf Goodman Final Sale

    Bergdorf Goodman will begin their latest markdown on Thursday with discounts ranging up to 75% off. Today we took a spin through the store to see what sale items are left for poaching. You can see a full photo album of clothing from our shopping trip right here and shoes and accessories are right this way.

    In the handbag department all of the sale items have been moved to the 57th Street accessories atrium. Sale shoppers will find a small assortment of bags including a variety of Fendi bags and clutches, Alexander McQueen scull box clutches. Christian Louboutin bags and clutches, and several Proenza Schouler Kiri bags. Most bags are currently 50% off but we wouldn’t be surprised if a few extra percentage point were removed in the near future.

    Moving onto shoes, we were surprised to see how many shoes were still around this late in the season. We found an amazing variety that included Chanel, classic Loubtouin, McQueen, Charlotte Olympia, Manolo, Tom Ford and Celine. All shoes are currently priced at 50% off but we would be surprised if this wasn’t the last markdown considering the vast amount of inventory that’s still in stock.

    The expansive sale inventory isn’t only in the shoe department but extends to  incredible ready-to-wear pieces from most every designer in the store. Just keep in mind that the store is still in a transitional phase and price stickers are still being adjusted to reflect new markdowns. We imagine that the process will be completed by the end of the week. Shoppers can expect to find markdowns on clothing that range from 50% to 75% off.

    Our first –and most dramatic– find was a Dolce & Gabbana gown marked $33,000 from $55,000 (Calling this dress a gown is an understatement.) Items that are more versatile include a shift dress from The Row that is marked $795 from $1890, a Stella McCartney hot pink dress for $369 from $930, Proenza Schouler dress $1000 from $2600, a geometric print Miu Miu coat is $900 from $2250 and chunky Marni sweater is $300 from $760.

    One floor up we found a selection of sale items from the more traditional designers like an Oscar de la Renta gown for $6000 from $1490, a Lanvin heart print wrap dress is $700 from $1790 and a Giambattista Valli dress for $709 from $1785.

    As you can see some of these designer items are highly discounted but some holdouts include Bouchra Jarrar, which is still only 40% off.  We would expect a lot of price shifting through the end of the month and suggest shopping now and shopping later and then shopping again, of course!

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    Charlotte Olympia Sale

    Starting Thursday, The OutNet is launching a huge Charlotte Olympia sale where the Brit’s whimsical high-stacked shoes will be highly reduced. Most of the selection is from this past summer, which means it’s a perfect time to stock up for your next vacation.

    We got a sneak peek at the sale collection and spotted the popular Leaf Me Alone style priced at $430 from $1395, seashell embellished heels are $490 from $1445. As a matter of fact those seashell shoes are still on the Neiman Marcus site priced at $650. We are told that most of the selection will be priced between $200 and $600.

    All of Charlotte Olympia’s shoes are vintage inspired style, handcrafted in Italy and features the label’s signature spider-web stamped sole. These sky-high heels have won the hearts of fashion industry insiders and celebrities alike, with fans in Alexa Chung, Blake Lively, Olivia Palermo, Sarah Jessica Parker and me.

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    Norma Kamali Cleans Her Closet

    One can only imagine the amount of clothing a fashion designer accumulates over the term of her career. Like most mortals, it comes a time that you must clean out your closet no matter how much you treasure your archives.

    Well, this week New York fashion icon Norma Kamali is cleaning out her personal closet and 10 years worth of archives. The best part is that all sale items will be priced at between $5 and $100.

    The warehouse selection includes one-of-a-kind samples, development and archive from Norma’s warehouse. We are told that the sale will include everything from sleeping bag coats to bathing suits to vintage print all-in-ones and batwing cardigans.

    Of course, you can shop a selection if sale items all week but spies say that fans of the designer will not want to miss the private Thursday evening event night. The sale will include an extra special assortment (we’re not at liberty to share details) and run from 5pm to 7:30. You
    can rsvp right here.

    Norma Kamali Warehouse Sale
    Through Saturday, January 19
    10am to 6pm
    11 West 56th Street

    Special Shopping Evening:
    Thursday, January 27 5pm to 7:30

    Marissas@NormaKamali.com

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    What You’ll Find at Saks Final Markdown

    By ManhattanMataHari

    While the Saks consolidation sale isn’t quite as good as it used to be back in the day, you can still score some deals at 70% off retail. Head straight to the 9th floor and prep your eyes to scour the racks – while everything is mostly organized by designers things can get a bit disorganized.

    The most plentiful racks are two large Piazza Sempione and Giorgio Armani, as well as three racks of Akris and Ralph Lauren Collection. Expect to also find smaller racks of Oscar de la Renta, Jil Sander, Burberry (with a couple of coats included), Moschino and MaxMara. We were pleased to find a couple of (size small) seasonal Stella McCartney celeb-beloved illusion dress now $527 from $1755 and a whole rack of lovely Giambattista Valli dresses.

    There are some small divided racks with Marni, Carolina Herrera, Marc Jacobs, Dolce & Gabbana, Reed Krakoff, Derek Lam, Roberto Cavalli and Calvin Klein Collection. We also found some random Altuzarra pieces haphazardly on the racks. There are hardly any pieces by Jason Wu, Erdem, Missoni, Fendi, Thakoon, Versace and Prabal Gurung. Despite the sparse selection some elbow grease paid off. We found a nice eastern-inspired Pucci print dress now $399 and a classic fire-engine red McQueen signature cowl neck dress for $599 from $1985.

    As of now, it seems the selection available is mostly clothing from the store floors. Around Wednesday sales associates expect to receive merchandise from the Saks Fifth Avenue stores around the country. It is probably best to check later this week for the best selection since there won’t be any additional markdowns.

    After sorting through the 9th floor racks, be sure stop by 10022-shoe (8th floor) where everything including a limited amount of Chanel and Louboutins are all now 60% off retail. Brian Atwood fans should be sure to check out the variety of Maniac pumps available and there are enough Manolos and Choos to suit everyone’s taste.

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    Singing Saks Consolidation Sale Blues

    The Saks Fifth Avenue bi-annual consolidation sale starts tomorrow, but like most time honored retail experiences– it’s just not the same as it used to be. The markdown, the selection and the shopping atmosphere have drastically shifted since we’ve been covering this end-of-season event. Some may blame the shift on the rising popularity of off-price discount stores but whatever the reason it ain’t  like it used to be.

    In the “old days,” like 2007, the consolidation markdown would be an additional 25% off the lowest ticketed price. That would mean that the final price would range between 75% and 85% off retail. Today the discount is generally a straight 70% off. That’s not bad but not epic either.

    The selection within the sale has also changed over the past several years. Recently, we’ve noticed the absence of designer clothing from Missoni, Pucci, Herve Leger, Dior, Fendi and Chanel. Poof not an item to be found. It’s even been difficult to find items from designers like, Dolce & Gabbana, Chloe, Jason Wu, Yves Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen.

    The most undesirable part of the sale, however, is how all the merchandise is exiled to the 9th floor of the department store. Sure, we understand that it might be a bit gauche for fall 2012 to mingle with cruise 2013 but velvet ropes that corral shoppers seems a bit disrespectful to the the customer. Is there no difference from shopping at Saks to shopping an H&M collaboration launch? We wouldn’t be surprised if the store started handing out color coded bracelets at the start of the sale.

    We have also noticed that this markdown promotion has inched forward by several weeks. In 2009, the consolidation sale started January 21 and ten days is practical a life time in retail. As a matter of fact the Saks Fifth Avenues in Short Hills, Paramus, Stamford, Greenwich and Garden City all still have some winter sale merchandise, which means that most of the consolidation has been within the flagship store itself.

    Of course, we will bring you a full report of the sale on Monday but we wouldn’t hesitate to stand this one out. If you wait a bit, you might be able to take advantage of true end-of-season discounts or you can just wait for next year to begin stalking your local Off-Fifth.

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