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    Lighthouse international’s Designer Sale

    Vintage shopping used to be so much fun, but it’s become a victim of its own popularity. Between the dealers and the high prices, it’s rare to find real treasures. But when a neighborhood organization hosts a “clean out of the closet sale” you know there are going to be great finds.

    Every year, Upper East Siders (and even some Upper West Siders) clean out their closets and donate their unwanted and unused items to Lighthouse International for their annual designer sale. Most of the merchandise is vintage, but designers like Carolina Herrera and Courrèges donated new clothing from their inventories.

    The first thing we did when arrived was hit the designer room. Some items were priced on the high side, but you can’t blame them– it’s charity. While browsing the preview, we found lots of quality new or almost new items that included; Manolos for $250, YSL pumps for $200 (Tom Ford era?), and Dior booties for $250. There were also lots of great bags like a Lanvin shoulder bag at $400, a limited edition Louis Vuitton Olympe priced at $900, a white Prada Saffiano Satchel at $400, a Louis Vuitton Vernis tote for $850, and a huge Vuitton suitcase priced at $900.

    The clothing selection was just as impressive. We found a Chloe sheer blouse for $100, a tweed Chanel dress priced at $950, a Chanel tweed skirt suit for $1900, a Carolina Herrera dress for $900, a black wool YSL dress at $450. Fur coats? Yes, there were racks: silver fox for $750, lunaraire mink at $1850, Russian sable priced at $5000, and ranch mink for $1950.

    Then we found the jewelry. We were tickled by the Joan Rivers collection of jewels tat were all priced at about $20, but it was the Chanel collection of bijoux that really dazzled. Again prices were high ranging from $600 to $1200.

    We noticed lots of people haggling and making deals. As the sale continues, we imagine that the prices will become increasingly more flexible. The sale runs until Sunday, May 6th. Details are below.

    Lighthouse International’s Posh Fashion Sale
    Thursday, May 13 to Sunday, May 16
    Thurs-Sat:11am to 7pm, Sun 11am to 5pm
    111 East 59th Street (bw Park and Lex)
    Daily pass: $10 or Four Day Pass: $30

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    Louboutin Sale: Frustrating

    Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom will keep Louboutin lovers away from a discounted shoe. We sent a spy to the press only sale early this morning and her frustration was palpable.

    Stylista-Spy got to the sale at 9am and the line was already very long. She says, many women arrived and left early out of frustration. Security is also extremely strict. There was more than one woman who made it to the front of the line but was then turned away because of not being on “the list.”

    After waiting 2.5 hours, she finally made it in. “Only two people were permitted to shop at one time,” she said. The worst part was that everything was “very picked over.” She advises that ALL shoppers should stay home unless you are a 35, 36 or 40+. All basic styles were sold. Most of the styles left were identifiably from past seasons and all “sizzling, flashy and crazy.”

    The prices were the most rewarding part. Pumps were $250, more ornate shoes were $325 and boots were $500. Stylista-Spy grabbed three pair for a client and a pair for herself. “There nothing I loved that much but after waiting all that time I wasn’t about to leave empty handed,” she said.

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    Prices Slashed on Filene’s Finds

    There’s a lot of buzz going on around Union Square this week. First it was the opening of Nordstorm Rack and then DSW started a three-day shoe giveaway.

    Filene’s Basement, however, has been mistakenly overlooked within all this frantic shopping madness. Well, not by us. While in the neighborhood, we decided to check in on our Missoni and Blumarine finds that we spotted almost a month ago. And boy, we were happy we did.

    Filenes has reduced all high-end designer merchandise, dubbed “The Vault,” 50% off. So those Missoni sweater sets we spotted are now just $100, knit dresses are $200 and a print tops are $100. An intricately beaded Blumarine coat is $500, an exquisite gold sequined dress is $500 and the full length asymmetrical gown is just $300.

    Some of our favorite items were already gone (perhaps because of our own doing) but there’s still lots of racks and treasures to explore.

    Go. Enjoy. The values are tremendous and the financial commitment is minimal. You also have 30 days to contimplate your purchases. Now, that’s a deal.

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    Louboutin Sale: Please Don’t Come

    As you may have noticed, we have eliminated information about the Cristian Louboutin sample sale. Unfortunately, word has traveled too quickly and spokespeople from Christian Louboutin are asserting that NOBODY beyond the confirmed press list will be admitted to the sale.

    “We don’t want to cause frustration with shoppers wasting their time,” the spokesperson said. This sale has traditionally been press only event but in past seasons some exceptions were made. This will not be the case. “There will be security and unless you have an invitation and a confirmation email you will not be admitted,” she said.

    We must concede that an overcrowded sample sale can can be problematic. We tend to believe that this year’s list will be stricter than ever. As always, we will keep an eye on sales and let you know as soon as we hear of a great Louboutin discount.

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    Nordstrom Rack Comes To Union Square

    Nordstrom is taking their first step on the island of Manhattan by opening their discount store Nordstrom Rack this Tuesday, on Union Square South.

    Today we got to poke through the new store located in the basement of the former Virgin Records. Most of what we found is very similar to the merchandise that would be expected in your local Nordstrom department store.

    The store officially discounts items 30% to 70% off retail. We were surprised to learn that only 25% of the merchandise comes from Nordstrom department stores. The majority of the inventory comes directly from the labels.

    Most of the store’s merchandise is not super-designer but the discounts were quite attractive. We found lots of Dolce & Gabbana and D&G from spring 2009. A gold Dolce top with gems along the neckline was $300 from $1450. (That would be a whooping 80% off according to our calculations) A gold D&G dress was $150 from $635 and a D&G magenta satin blazer was $160 from $700.

    There is also a designer shoe section, which wasn’t incredibly exciting. We spotted shoes from Bruno Magli ($300 from $420), Ferregamo ($179 from $520), Tory Burch ($159 from $425) and Bally ($80 from $395).

    The motto of this Manhattan Nordstrom Rack is quick and easy. The layout is extremely intuitive and there’s even a TV navigated check out line– à la Whole Foods.

    With new shipments arriving five days a week, this will definitely be added to our Union Square shopping routine.
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    Lila Dishes for Sunday Styles

    It’s well known that the first lady has been a great supporter of American designers and specifically young American designers. The question still remains as to Michelle Obama’s real impact on sales and the financial health of these blossoming labels.

    It was a surprise to many when Mrs.Obama’s favorite designer, Maria Pinto, announced that she was closing her business despite all the publicity.

    As with many designers spotlighted by Mrs. Obama, “you can definitely win the PR race, but there’s still a business to manage,” said Lila Delilah, who writes the blog, Madison Avenue Spy.

    Ms. Delilah recently discovered that another iconic Michelle Obama outfit, the red and black Narciso Rodriguez dress Mrs. Obama wore on election night in 2008 — part of a tableau that has been enshrined in history — also showed signs of suffering in the consumer marketplace. It was being offered on the Bergdorf Goodman Web site at $1,540, down from $4,400.

    Click here to see Hilary Stout’s article, Can Michelle Obama Create A Fashion Star? What do you tihnk?

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    Thakoon Sample Sale

    There are few people we trust when talking about worthy sample sales. It takes an experienced shopper and fashion insider to spot the sale and get access. Fashion writer and Twitter luminary, Jim Shi (jimshi809) is one of the few we fully trust.

    Earlier today, he hit the Thakoon sample sale and seemed as excited as a 12-year-old girl buying her first Coach bag. “ALL Manolo Blahniks x Thakoon $50!!!! Sizes 38-41!!!! Dying!!!! Just bought 7 pairs!!!!”, he wrote.

    Jim even captured pictures, which include the mirrored heels Thakoon did for the runway with Giuseppe Zanotti and Manolo suede and snakeskin ankle stilettos. Yes, there’s clothing too! Samples, which are generously cut, are priced up to $100.

    All in all, Jim ended up spending $550 for three dresses and seven pairs of shoes. We just hope his girlfriends appreciate him because few men are willing to put out like that.

    Thakoon Sample Sale
    Friday, May 7
    8:30am to 6:30pm
    270 Lafayette St., Suite 1005

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