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    Labor Day Blues Into Fall Hues

    This Summer, we surfed in the Atlantic, danced on tables in Sardinia, and raced cars in Vegas. Not a bad summer. Labor Day, however, is looming and that means back to business. Without even a moment to catch our breaths we are leaping straight into fashion week, the first ever Fashion’s Night Out and a new Madison Avenue Spy column, which will chronical the shopping secrets of Madison Avenue’s most notorious shoppers.

    Before we jump ahead of ourselves, we thought it would be a good time to do a roundup of the best holiday weekend outlet sales. Below is a list of great discounts at Woodbury Commons. Have a wonderful Labor Day and we’ll see you back on Tuesday– the unofficial start to Fall!

    Bottega Veneta:
    All ready-to-wear is an additional 50% to 80% off for the long weekend. Bags are an additional 30% to 50% off. The best deal is the spring/summer ’08 ready-to-wear collection, which is an additional 80% off bringing the total discount to 90% off retail!
    845-928-4563

    Chloe:
    Most merchandise is temporarily discounted an additional 20% off. Bags and shoes are reduced 20% for the weekend, except for classic style bags and Paddingtons. The fall/winter ’08 collection just arrived at the outlet. It is marked 40% off, plus an additional 20%, bring the total discount to about 50% off retail. The largest discount is found in the spring/summer ’08 collection, which is now reduced to 90% off retail. A sales person, however, admitted that there isn’t much left.
    845-928-6260

    Dior:
    The additional markdown is 20% to 40% off. There is very little merchandise from fall ’08 but that’s 75% off retail, plus an additional 40%, brings the total discount to 95% off the original boutique price. Summer ’09 just came to the outlet and is discounted 75%, plus an extra 20%, for a total of 85% full retail.
    845-928-4602

    Prada:
    On Saturday, Prada is rolling out the sample and damaged rack. We are told that it’s clothing currently in boutiques. This is usually “the rack of all sale racks” because the clothing is current and reduced to 90% off. If you happen to fall upon this treasure make sure to budget yourself because the prices and styles can provide to be too tempting for some. Oh, we almost forgot, there will be sample shoes included too!
    845-928-7415

    YSL:
    Handbags are an additional 20% off for the holiday weekend, excluding the Downtown. All ready-to-wear, minus the new shipment of summer ’09, is an additional 40% off. There is a selection of shoes for $199 and some ready-to-wear that’s just $99.
    845-928-2169

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    The Same Game: Hervé Léger

    This weekend, we received a very excited phone call from our dear friend, Kim Chee. She told us how she was out one night and spotted a friend wearing the same Hervé Léger bondage skirt.

    This would normally be unremarkable except that her friend was not wearing the $600 bondage silhouette but rather, gasp, a designer impostor.The doppelganger skirt was not Hervé Léger but rather a $148 BCBG Max Azria skirt. Hervé Léger happens to be designed by Max Azria, as well.

    Could the two skirts really be identical? Well, yes and no. The $600 version has a zipper while the less expensive skirt has an elastic waist band. Even as we are usually sticklers for quality and craftsmanship we would pass on the $452 zipper and in this case hit the local mall for the BCBG version.

    Take a guess which skirt is Hervé Léger. No cheating!

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    Hermes Beverly Hills Markdowns

    This sale brings us a bit more West than usual. The Beverly Hills Hermes is hosting a sale where ready-to-wear, shoes, hats and gloves are 40% to 60% off.

    Bags, you want to know about bags? They are on sale too. No, not Birkins or Kellys, lots of canvas totes and discontinued styles are 40% off. We imagine that the bags on sale are very similar to the merchandise that would be found at an Hermes sample sale.

    Not on the West Coast? Don’t fret, we are told that a similar sale is coming to Madison Avenue in just a few weeks.

    Contact: Momoko 310-278-6440

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    Erickson Beamon @ Showroom Seven and Target

    The very fabulous Guerrilla Shopper NYC reports that Showroom Seven is hosting an Erickson Beamon friends and family sale. Yeah-yeah-yeah… we’re all friends!

    She states, “Prices are up to two thirds off of retail.” In numbers talk, that’s 67% off. If the idea of samples sales and complex math give you a headache you can also check out Target where Erickson Beamon’s pieces are now 50% to 65% off.

    Erickson Beamon @ Showroom Seven
    263 11th Avenue 3rd Floor
    Until Friday, 10am to 7pm.
    Kara 212-643-4810

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    DSW Gucci Sale Continues

    It appears as if the DSW Gucci sale is still going strong. We would have imagined that all the Gucci accessories would be gone. Au contraire, mon amie. A Mad-Spy reader writes that there is a generous selection and then gripes that she paid two times the DSW price for her bag that is still current in Gucci stores.

    Went to the Union Square store today just out of curiosity and they still have a lot left over 2 weeks later. I have to admit that I’m a little more than mad that they have about 8 of one style bag that I have and is still full price at Gucci. The off season stuff whatever but something that is selling in Gucci stores at full price should have never been sent to DSW. It’s not fair to all of us who paid well over $1,000 for a bag that others can not buy for $499.

    Besides reminding us to hit DSW, the comment had us thinking: How do you feel when an item you buy gets reduced or appears at a different location for fractions of what you paid.

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    Jimmy Choo Sample Sale

    The Metropolitan Pavilion is playing host to a Jimmy Choo sample sale, this Wednesday. The sale details state “there will also be a mix of professional sample sale sellers.” We don’t know what to make of that but the last Jimmy Choo sale had lines that went across 18th Street, up Sixth Avenue and around 19th Street. The wait was longer than any sane person could withstand.

    Check out this video to see how ridiculously long the line was:

    We are told that this week’s sale will be priced up to 70% off. As of July, the boutique discounted shoes 65% off. We suggest skipping the long sample sale wait, hitting the boutique or waiting until H&M launches their collaboration line with Jimmy Choo, in November.

    Details:
    Jimmy Choo Sample Sale
    Mix with professional sample sellers. Click your heels for up to 70% off.
    Aug. 26. Wed., 1-6 p.m.
    Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W. 18th St., at Sixth Ave.

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    The Gap Jeans Fit Challenge

    This week, the Gap introduced their 1969 Premium Jeans in one of the most splashy product launches in recent memory. There were full page ads in the paper, large spreads in the glossies and the Internet was in full buzz. We started wondering, could the Gap jeans really deliver?

    The full line features 12 core fits for women and men ranging in hues from the darkest ink to light, distressed finishes and different rises. Oh, and all the styles are under $70. Sure beats the $250 options that fill the shelves at our local denim bar. But will they fit?

    To find out we enlisted four Gap testers and let them take the new jeans for a spin around the dressing room. Click on the image below to read what they had to say:

    We think it’s remarkable that even half our testers ended up taking home a new pair of jeans. This was a tough crowed but the success of the Gap jeans is evident. The skinny jean is just about sold out nation wide and a sales person confided that she has never seen such traffic in the store outside of the holiday season. Not only are customers buying jeans but also picking up tops and tees to go with them.

    Now that it Gap has their jeans on the right track they should consider giving their stores a make-over. The fitting rooms at our local Gap were a bit smelly and the overall store appearance was a bit overcrowded. Customer service is also a key element, which could have lead to a sale in the case of Paige Turner.

    Waiting for the Mad-Spy deal? Ending Thursday, Gap is offering $20 off any style from their Premium Jean line. If you can’t get to a fitting room tomorrow just wait for the next promo. There’s sure to be another discount coming soon.

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