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    Prada Friends and Family

    There is no doubt the Prada Friends and Family sale is our all time favorite. We have heard rumblings that it’s this month but could not confirm and could not imagine sending our misinformation. Well, Guerrilla Shopper has the scoop.

    Mark your calendar and start tucking a bit of your paycheck aside because Prada is hosting their famous we’re-all-friends sample sale. The discount extravaganza will start Sat., Oct. 17th and runs until Fri., Oct. 23rd.

    On the first day of the sale, last year, customers started queuing up at 6:30am. Lines lasted about an hour but tapered off to nothing as the sale days continued. Don’t expected to find any bags but do expect to find plenty of shoes and an abundance of clothing.

    Prices on the seasonal collection — what you see advertised each season in Vogue– started off at about 75% off retail but was down past 90% off by the last day of the sale. Shoes were all $150 to start but down to $79 on the final day. We expect that there will be a lot of lace from winter 2008’s collection and a reasonable amount of merchandise from spring 2009. Remember the gold lamé?

    To see a full rundown of pictures and prices from last year’s sale, click here. You can bet we will be there tracking prices throughout the week but we are going to wait until the end to do any major shopping.

    Prada Sale
    Where :609 West 51st Street (b/w 11th & 12th Aves)
    When: Sat., Oct. 17 to Fri., Oct 23
    Hours: Sat & Sun, 9am – 6pm; Mon though Fri. 10am – 7pm

    PLASTIC ONLY. NO CASH OR CHECKS

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    Retail Therapy: Kami Gray

    You know when it comes to getting great deals, fashion stylists have all the inside scoop. After all, they are professional shoppers. Kami Gray knows her way around the wardrobe closet as a stylist for shows like, House, Veronica Mars, and Hell’s Kitchen. In addition, Kami is the best selling author of the Denim Diet: Sixteen Simple Habits to Get You Into Your Dream Pair of Jeans.

    In this week’s Retail Therapy, Kami spills her favorite discount haunts this season’s biggest must-have.

    Your most prized “deal?”

    I frequent high-end resale boutiques looking for classic pieces from recent designer lines. You have no idea how many brand spanking new items –with the tags attached –are available since the economic downturn. I have found countless deals, but my most prized deal is a pale pink tweed cropped Valentino jacket. (Retail price: $1990. Found for: $399.) It’s so Carrie Bradshaw, but paired with an Oscar de la Renta chocolate brown cashmere kick pleat skirt, I can create a look that’s more sophisticated and work friendly.

    Biggest regret that you didn’t purchase?

    There are so many! The one item I’m still kicking myself over is an Akris Punto caramel leather motorcycle jacket I found at the same resale shop I purchased the Valentino tweed jacket at and it’s long gone now! Bummer. I thought I couldn’t possibly have both (truth is, I shouldn’t have bought either!) and I thought the Akris Pinto leather jacket was less practical. It wasn’t. As the author of The Denim Diet, I wear denim constantly. How adorable would a caramel leather jacket look with skinny jeans tucked into a pair of charcoal grey suede ankle boots? Darn.

    This season your clients are looking for a great deal on what item?

    Clients keep asking about boots, specifically authentic cowboy-style ankle boots. This is definitely going to be another big year for boots. I think people are worried that cowboy ankle boots are merely a trend. I disagree. Stuffing your skinny jeans into them or wearing them with tights and a flouncy short dress may be a trend, but that classic boot bottom can be worn for years to come.

    What’s your number one shopping tip?

    Shop Neiman’s Last Call, Saks Off Fifth, and Nordstrom Rack, but find out when new shipments arrive. Don’t be shy! Store clerks are happy to give you the goods. New shipment arrivals typically coincide with less busy days (early in the week), which makes shopping easier anyway because their are less people vying for the same skirt or dressing room.

    What’s your biggest weakness?

    Easy. Flap pocket jeans. They make my backside look so shapely that I can skip all those awful lunges at the gym. I have way too many pairs, but I always seem to find a way to rationalize the expense when I come across a new, must-have pair.

    Is there an item for which a shopper should never mind paying full price?

    One of a kind pieces from up and coming, super talented artisans–especially jewelry designers. I love having something that no one else has and I have no problem paying what someone deserves for their unique execution and high quality craftsmanship.

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    Barneys Mens Sale

    Last year it was the Good Guy Sale, this year it’s the Haberdashery sale. Regardless of the name, the discount is the same: 40% to 50% off dress shirts, tires, shoes, main floor sportswear and accessories. This is the first sale of the season. It’s a good sign that it’s the same time and same discount as last year.

    Who says there’s nothing to learn on Madison Avenue Spy? A haberdasher is a 17th century stylist and a haberdashery was a men’s store. It’s fun to say. Go ahead, spread the word.

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    Ralph Lauren 25% Off Promo

    Ralph Lauren is running a sales promotion where you can save 25% off all your purchases until October 12. In addition, the company is giving 10% of the proceeds to Pink Pony, which supports women’s cancer or the Ralph Lauren Center for cancer care and prevention.

    Seems like a double great deal, right? Well, there is a snag in the small print: Purple Label Sportswear and women’s Collection are not eligible for the 25% discount. The good news is that the discount will afford you a $4,250 savings off a Croc Ricky Bag. (Retail price: $17k.) The code seems to work on Collection shoes, as well.

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    I Spy: Decadestwo Pop-Up Shop

    We’ve all heard of Decades, the famous LA vintage store. You know, the place where all the stars go for their red carpet regalia, Rachel Zoe’s first stop for fabulous finds, and Tom Ford’s go-to store when he needs to fill in his achieves. Decades may be as familiar as a freeway to those living on the west coast but has always been a bit of an enigma to us New Yorkers.

    The mystery is over, Decadestwo–less vintage, more last seasons treasures– has landed in Soho for a limited time. What will you find? Spied: $1,100 Christian Louboutin shoes that are $390, $2,900 red Chanel quilted bag for $1,900, and a classic Chanel suit jacket is $1,000 from $2,400. Most key items like Chanel bags are 60% off retail but most ready-to-wear is 75% off retail.

    Decadestwo is a consignment store but many of the store’s items still have the original tags and were never worn. We picked up half a dozen shoes –most looked like they were barely tired on, forget about worn. Christos Garkinos, the owner of Decadestwo, gave us a tour of the pop-up shop and told us stories of women calling with 30 unused Chanel bags, ladies with unworn $14,000 couture dresses and celebrities in need of closet space. Problesm we wish we had!

    The items chosen for Decadestwo are curated with the most keen fashion eye. Don’t expect to find a tattered Marc By Marc Jacobs sweater but do expect to find key Lanvin, important YSL and iconic Prada– all in perfect condition and for very affordable prices.

    The sale opens to the public on Friday and runs through Sunday. Stock will be frequently replenished and if you don’t see something you’re yearning for –ask. Chances are, Christos has a source. Never again will we shop retail for Chanel. At first lust, call Christos!

    Decadestwo Soho

    Friday, Oct. 2 to Sunday, Oct.4

    79 Greene Street, upstairs @ Kiki de Montparnasse

    Friday and Saturday 11am to 7pm, Sunday 12pm to 5pm

    Image credit: Racked

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    7 For All Mankind Warehouse Sale

    7 For All Mankind is having their first ever warehouse sale at the Metropolitan Pavilion. We were sceptical at first because they would not supply us with styles and pricing. Their PR representative, however, did assure us that pricing will be less than Gap’s new line of jeans.

    If given the choice we would take a pair of 7s over Gap’s $70 version and day of the week. Shoppers are encouraged to register ahead online. If you’re looking for the best price, book a Sunday shopping appointment because prices drop each day of the sale.

    Reports back from the LA 7s sale, which occurred last week, were mostly positive. If buying irregular or sample jeans make sure to look them over carefully. Embellished jeans, not surprisingly, cost a bit more. Fitting rooms are questionable so wear leggings. Most importantly, remember: Jeans that don’t look great are worthless no matter how inexpensive.

    7 For All Mankind Warehouse Sale
    Friday October 2nd, 2009 – Sunday October 4th, 2009
    10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
    Metropolitan Pavilion
    123 West 18th Street, 5th Floor
    Register ahead online

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    Retail Therapy: Lynn Downey

    Levi Strauss, the company that invented the blue jean in 1873, is celebrating its 75th year of women’s jeans. Resident denim expert and historian, Lynn Downey, celebrates women and their 505s and gives us a peak inside her denim closet while dishing a few hints about shopping for vintage.

    Your most prized “deal?”

    A pair of c1937 Lady Levi’s I purchased from a vintage clothing dealer for the Levi Strauss & Co. Archives in 2002. The jeans were part of a small collection of items that was left behind at the defunct Soda Springs Dude Ranch in Arizona. Sewn inside the waistband was a label with the name of the original owner: Harriet Atwood. Not only that, the original store label was still there – Harriet bought her jeans at Best & Co. in New York City. The collection was a very reasonable price, but these historical details were worth their weight in platinum.
    [Editorial Note: Best & Co. filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy in July]

    Biggest regret that you didn’t purchase?

    So far, I don’t have any “non-buyer’s” remorse. We have been making clothes since 1873 so I’ve got plenty of vintage to track down!

    This season you’re looking for a great deal on what item?

    Right now I’m on a mad hunt for the lightweight denim sportswear we made for women in 1938 called “Tropical Togs.” This line had everything from halter tops and sailor pants to bib overalls for genteel gardening. Very 1930s Hollywood in styling.

    What’s your number one shopping tip?

    Vintage shoppers should always make sure they buy the best: even if you love that 1950s circle skirt, don’t buy it if it has a very obvious stain. Hold out to buy the most perfect pieces you can, they will be worth the money.

    What’s your biggest weakness?

    Any women’s Levi’s jeans or shirts that were worn on dude ranches in the 1930s. They always remind me of the 1939 movie, “The Women,” when all of the characters are at a Reno dude ranch waiting for their divorces to come through. Such an amazing slice of women’s history!

    Is there an item for which you never mind paying full price?

    A rumpled, patched and dirty pair of Levi’s jeans that came out of an old Western mine. If those jeans could talk…
    [Editorial Note: They might say wash me!]

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    Bloomingdale’s Friends and Family

    Bloomingdale’s is hosting a friends and family promotion from from Thurs., Oct. 1st until Sun., Oct. 4th, Everything except cosmetics and some designer merchandise (like, Chanel, of course) will be discounted 20% off. Preselling is already underway.

    Department store friends and family sales used to lots of fun but with all the current restrictions we’re not even sure if this is a very attractive deal. If designer brand suppliers were savvy, they would realize that restricting the promotion of their merchandise is only slowing down the retail economy. The prices of items like, Christian Louboutins and Chanel bags, are so high that even a 20% discount does not make their shoes and bags affordable or risk tarnishing the brand.

    For now we will take what we can get but be on the lookout because Saks should be releasing dates of their friends and family sale shortly. We expect it to start the week after Bloomingdale’s with a 25% discount. Chanel and other luxury brands are also likely to be excluded but at least you can get good cosmetics discounted.

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