Additional Markdowns: Barney's Warehouse

Stopped by this morning at the Barney's Warehouse and was roaming around as the new markdowns were being posted.  While the sale is definitely not as good as previous sales, there's still some decent stuff if you fervently dig.

Happy Labor day weekend!

Sample Sale Report: KAS New York

If you're thinking about dropping by the KAS sample sale in midtown make sure you're a size small.  While there are a few pieces that are in other sizes, for most part 95% of the sale are actual samples in size small.  For most part there are only a couple of each style at the sample sale but racks are well laid out according to category and easy to sift through.

All sales are final and prices range between $20-70.  Most pieces I looked at were in the $30-$40 range.  Prices are color coded on the tag and easy to identify.  There was also a small selection of cami's for just $4 in knit/woven as well as a box of pashmina scarves for $40 a piece.  The sale was well lit with natural light and there was only a couple shoppers when I dropped by during lunch.  If you're looking for clothing with bold embroideries / mixed prints this is a great sale to snag goods at a reasonable price.

Who: KAS New York Sample Sale
What: 70-80% off retail on striking silhouettes and luxurious statement pieces with their vibrant prints Agnette Skirt was $220, now $55. Othilia Top was $135, now $35. Rosita Top was $170, now $45. Yuri Dress was $260, now $65. Dori Dress was $245, now $60. Pearl Skirt was $170, now $45
When: August 27-31, 2012. Mon-Fri 10am-6pm
Where: 231 West 39th Street, Suite 1002

Dupli-CAUGHT: Zara vs Alexander Mcqueen

Monk strap shoes have been making a splash the past few seasons in men's footwear.  It's a dapper look that I personally can't pull off - until now...enter the monk strap book with three buckles à la McQueen.  I love this boot - it's classy and has just enough rugged appeal to move it out of the traditional dapper realm and into street wear.

The above boot comes in burgundy, brown, and black and will set you back $795 (you can purchase them at Mr. Porter or Bergdorf's). 

Meet the copycat - Zara's monk strap version. The shape and structure of the boot are almost identical to its McQueen counterpart except for a few minor details. The stitching patterns differ, there's a double buckle on this version and best of all (and most practical) - there's a zipper running down the back of the boot for ease.  This version will set you back $129 and although the quality of the leather isn't the same, it's not bad - I checked these out at the Bryant park location earlier this week. The zipper function is amazing - I hate fumbling to put boots on or take them off - so this was definitely a smart addition on Zara's part.

Just to prove a point, McQueen did this boot last winter with some metal plating (which was ditched along with the patent leather for this season).  Since it got reissued, I'm thinking the style did pretty well - and apparently, so did Zara.

NYC Sample Sales August 27-September 2, 2012

Who: Acne Studios sample sale
What: Swedish purveyor of effortless cool will have RTW, accessories, shoes, and denim at deeply discounted prices.
When: August 27-31, 2012. Mon-Fri noon-7pm
Where: 401 Broadway (b/n Lispenard & Walker St.), 22nd Floor.

Who: Gryson and Olivia Harris Sample Sale
What: Snag signature handbags at up to 70% off at the Gryson and Olivia Harris Sample Sale. Samples as low as $50. Vibrant leather chain-strap bags $150 (was $495)
Classic doctor-bag styles $150 (was $495) Roomy zipper-detailed looks $200 (was $655)
When: August 27-28, 2012. Mon-Tues 10am-7pm, Wed 10am-5pm
Where: 180 Varick Street (b/n Charlton and King St), Suite 916

Who: KAS New York Sample Sale
What: 70-80% off retail on striking silhouettes and luxurious statement pieces with their vibrant prints Agnette Skirt was $220, now $55. Othilia Top was $135, now $35. Rosita Top was $170, now $45. Yuri Dress was $260, now $65. Dori Dress was $245, now $60. Pearl Skirt was $170, now $45
When: August 27-31, 2012. Mon-Fri 10am-6pm
Where: 231 West 39th Street, Suite 1002

Who: Scoop NYC Ultimate Closet Clean-Out Sale
What: Up to 90% off and include dresses, denim, shoes, handbags and more. Designer women’s styles on sale include those by 3.1 Phillip Lim, Alice + Olivia, AG, Castañer, Current/Elliott, Diane von Furstenberg, Helmut Lang, IRO, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Poupette, Rag and Bone,Stuart Weitzman, T Alexander Wang and more. Men’s styles on sale include those by Acne, Adam Kimmel, Dsquared², Etro, Hartford, John Varvatos, Maison Martin Margiela, Moncler, Paul Smith, Rag and Bone, Shipley & Halmos, and more. For the first time ever, the sale will also run online at ScoopNYC.com.
When: August 27-September 15, 2012. 8/27; M (9-9). 8/28 – 9/5; Tue-W (10-8). 9/6 – 9/15; M-Sat (11-8), Sun (11-7)
Where: 430 West 14th Street (at Washington Street). 212-929-1244 or Online

Who: Proenza Schouler Sample Sale
What: Deep discounts on Spring 2012 and samples.  Prices run from $20-$1,310.
When: Aug 28-29, 2012. 10am-6pm
Where: 82 Mercer St (b/n Broome and Spring St)


Who: Sophomore, Lindsey Thornburg, Some Odd Rubies
What: 50% to 70% off dresses, tees, jackets, vintage, and jewelry
When: August 24-30, 2012. noon-8pm daily
Where: 114 Stanton St (b/n Ludlow and Essex St)

Who: Courtshop
What: 50% to 70% off shorts and jeans from the spring/summer collection. Shorts are $30 to $50 (was $78-$143), and jeans are $50 to $80 (was $117-$172). Most jeans are $55, and there are also one-of-a-kind samples
When: August 27-31, 2012. Mon-Fri noon-8pm daily
Where: 178 Mulberry St (b/n Broome and Kenmare St) 212-925-1022.

Ongoing Sales:
Who: Barneys New York Warehouse Sale
What: Up to 75% off on a selection of designer clothing, shoes + accessories
for men, women + children as well as gifts for the home
When: August 23-September 9, 2012.
August 23, 2012 8am - 9pm
August 24, 2012 8am - 9pm
August 25, 2012 9am - 8pm
August 26, 2012 9am - 8pm
August 27, 2012 10am - 9pm
August 28, 2012 10am - 9pm
August 29, 2012 10am - 9pm
August 30, 2012 9am - 9pm
August 31, 2012 9am - 9pm
September 1, 2012 9am - 8pm
September 2, 2012 9am - 8pm
September 3, 2012 9am - 7pm
Where: 255 West 17th St (nr 8th Ave)

Now Wearing...

You can't really tell from far away, but the shirt and sandals both have prints on them.  My love for mixed prints has yet to fade.

Polka dot blouse - Wintercheck Factory "Helen" (previously worn here)
Tropical skirt - Zara
Sandals - Melissa "Wind Sandal" (65% off at Karmaloop!)
Metallic bag - Madewell
Gray & hot pink glasses - SEE Eyewear

In general I rarely wear the same outfit head to toe, but I'll admit I've recycled this one a few times this summer.  I wore this number for the first time last month on a trip to Denver, where I opened for Option4 and Moon Boots.

Photos courtesy of The Hundred Denver

None of these pieces will transition well into fall, so I'm going to wear the hell out of them the next couple weeks before it's time to put them away.

Photos shot in Lakeview by James Rand

Sample Sale Report: DKNY

I stopped by the first ever DKNY sample sale last night which is up to 70% off but now featuring additional reductions.  One of the surprises of the sample sale was there was also a small selection of Donna Karan Collection on the rack.  In addition there were quite a few faux fur coats that claimed to be runway pieces now marked down from $2000-3000 down to $300.

DKNY Price List
Handbags $40
Belts/Scarves $15
W Boots/Booties $50
W Shoes/Sandals $20
W Flip Flots $10
Wallets $10
Gloves, Hats $10
Small cases $5
Sunglasses $45
Hosiery, socks & tights $5


DKNY Women's Apparel
Jackets $75
Dresses $50
Shirts/Blouses $30
Skirts/Pants/Shorts $25
Knits/Tees $15
Swim $10

DKNY Jeans
Denim $20
Jackets $20
Dresses $20
Knits/Tees $15
Shirts/Blouses $15
Sweaters $15
Pants $15
Shorts $15
Skirts $15

Donna Karan New York
Shoes/Sandals $50

The selection of merchandise for women is pretty vast and it requires some work flipping through the racks of miscellaneous merchandise to find what you might really desire. For clothing I saw a range of sizes from 0-16 while pants were mostly in the range of 25-32.  There were a lot of bold graphic prints and stripes available in addition to some more basic pieces.  Plenty of denim was available from dark wash to color.

A few of my favorite pieces were the flowing color block pleated maxi dress and bold striped sundress both now just $50.

Shoe sizes for women were for most part between sizes 6-10 but the largest selection was between size 7 and 9.5.  The real deal is with the sandals at just $20 a pair! But I suppose $50 booties aren't too hard to swallow, especially if you can nab one of the collection booties for the same price (although it was an incredibly small selection for collection).
 
While I didn't look very carefully at the scarves they are well organized and priced to go at just $15 each.  Tights and socks were a bargain at $5 a pair.  I noticed a few charcoal and beige chunky knit over the knee socks.  Hosiery was a great price but most of what was left was either nude or black patterned tights/fish nets.  If you're looking for the DKNY Cozy style you really won't see any at the sale but I did spot this similar draped one but only in a camel tone.

The sale was primarily womenswear but there were still a few things for the boys including blazers, leather jackets, button-down shirts and pants.  As for men's sizing blazedrs were mostly size 36-46 with 1 lone size 34.  Pants were mostly a range of sizes 28-30R and 38R-42R.  Button-down shirts were sizes S to XXL.

DKNY MEN Price List
Jackets $75
Suits $125
Sweaters $30
Pants $25
Shorts $25
Knits/Tees $15
Shirts $15
Ties $10
Underwear $10

Belts and scarves are now marked down to $15.  There was only a small selection of men's shoes sized 8-11 but they are just $30 a pop.  Most of the selection though was a slide on sandal.

With reasonable prices and a large selection you could easily pick up a few things at the sale if you're in the area.  There is still plenty of merchandise left but it's not the sort of sale that makes me ecstatic with glee.  While there were no lines to enter the sale, there were plenty of women waiting in line to head for the change rooms.

Who: DKNY Sample Sale
What: Up to 70% off on Women's apparel, shoes, accessories and handbags as well as Men's apparel, shoes and accessories.
When: August 21-25, 2012. Tues 10am-8pm, Wed-Thurs 9am-8pm, Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-5pm
Where: 260 5th Avenue (b/n 28th & 29th St)

NY Sample Sale Report: Ash Footwear

Our good friend and reader Kim Nguyen stopped by Ash's sample sale and was kind enough to send us photos and a sample sale report. If you've been lusting after Isabel Marant sneakers, but can't imagine spending almost $700 on sneakers, this post is for you.

Ash Sample Sale Report by Kim Nguyen
The sale is going on in the back room of Ash’s Soho store, which looks like a spaceship filled with shoes from the future. And there are many deals to be had in the sandal arena (the Masia and Meg for $64.50), but I went straight for this summer’s divisive trend: the wedge sneaker.

While I have been told my personal style falls solidly into high school goth or 1950’s librarian, I was pretty smitten with Isabel Marant’s weird ugly-chic sneaker when I first saw them last season.

But not so smitten that I would shell out $760 for a pair of shoes that look like they would be worn by J. Lo (circa her Jenny from the Block era).

Which is why I was so excited when I was asked to cover a sale of the more affordable maker of the sneaker wedge, Ash.

So here we go.

Bowie (only neon yellow or green) – $112.50

Alfa – $64.50

Genial (canvas in grey, tan, white, black, denim) – $54.50

So if you are a fan of the sneaker wedge, affordable sneaker wedges are to be had, and I would recommend you go quick because the sale ends on Aug 26th.

This is not on sale, but I love it.

The Bowie in black suede – $235.00

So at the end of the day, these guys came home with me, but they are not from the Ash sale…

Gold stars and a piece of bacon to whoever can guess where I got them and how much they are.

Strawberry – $49.99

NO I WILL NOT SHUT UP!

(I only say this because I assume you, the reader, yelled at your computer screen “SHUT! UP!”)

But it is true my friends. I found these near exact knock offs at the celebrated hoochie emporium, Strawberry. And as Lani said, “Well if Strawberry’s got a hold it, then this trend is probably on it’s way out.”

But for now, I will rock these $50 knock offs because I put a pair of Dr. Scholl’s insoles in them and they are comfy as shit.


Ash Footwear sale at 44 Mercer Street now through August 26, 2012.

For a list of Strawberry locations, click here.