Sample Sale Report: Helmut Lang

Stopped by the Helmut Lang sample sale after work tonight. With the promise of a free bra top with purchase and an additional 30% off sample sale prices this promise to be a good one. As with all Clothingline sales there is mandatory bag and coat check although they do allow you to keep a small purse with you. The fitting rooms closed 30 minutes before the sale ended with warnings for last call to get in line. The line looked plenty long even with the 10 item per person restrictions.

As for the goods I saw size petite/0 to a size Large/10 at the sale. Sizes 0, 4, 8 and 10 offered the most selection.

There were plenty of sexy dresses in jersey, signature print and leather trim.

I loved the bold printed blazers $140 and Ponte jacket priced at $99! I think it was originally $579. Jeans are very gently priced at just $56 a pop and come in size 24 to 32.

Sweaters and tees are kept behind a table and displayed on the wall. Staffers will give you a sample to look at for handfeel and sizing but you are not allowed to try the items on. The staff will take the items you want straight to the register filed on a shelf by your name. The system ensures these items don't get mangled or coated with makeup and staffers give you freshly packaged items that haven't been touched. Tees are $28 and sweaters are $56.

And how do you know prices are good? I picked up a couple pieces and managed to score one of the last 3 free bras (which retail for $90) they were giving away. I snagged a mesh side tank top for $28 and a open knit sweater for $56. Sorry ladies, as far as I know there is no more free gift with purchase available, but who knows? Maybe they will come up with something else for the last day.

If you are a Helmut Lang fan, there is still plenty of merchandise available! And for most part everything looked to be in great condition and neatly organized by size and style.

Sample Sale Report: Club Monaco

UPDATE 3/13/13: As I suspected, prices have been slashed for the last 2 days of the sale. Here is the new price list:

tees, sweaters, shirts now $7.50 - $20
shorts, skirts, pants now $10 - $20
dresses now $25
blazers now $40
outerwear now $50
hats, belts, scarves, ties, jewelry now $5
footwear now $10 - $40

I stopped by the Club Monaco Sample Sale last night and as always it's a popular one. The line creeped down the 36th Street and was about 40 people long and growing when I got on the scene. Fortunately things moved rather quickly and I managed to get inside in the last 15 minutes of the sale. As per usual at the Clothingline sales, you have to check your coat and any large bags. I also didn't see fitting rooms available to use at this sale or mirrors, so bring a friend.

As for womenswear prices have increased since previous Club Monaco sales but is still affordable with a range of $10 for a basic tee/tank-$60 for a blazer, $95 for outerwear and $109 for real fur/suede or leather. While unlike previous sample sales, this time around there is not just "sample size", which in the Club Monaco world is a size 6. However smaller sizes are hard to come by. Most of the super cute skirts and pieces that I looked at were between a size 8-12 or a Large.


I loved the battenburg lace skirt (only size 10/12), the color block tailored skirt (size 12) and the chunky knit sweater below (all sizes). Scarves were a great price at $10 a pop but also the fast moving item and there didn't appear to be many left by the end of the day.

As per usual though the menswear side of the sale was a lot emptier than womenswear and pricing was similar. Items seemed to be neatly organized into rows and there was an abundance of green wool outerwear, tee shirts and check shirts. Pants seemed organized in a more haphazard manner. While I didn't have a chance to look at sizes at the men's sale, past experience tells me that size 32 pant is plentiful as is size Medium/Large.

Full price lists below:


At just $10 a pop I thought men's ties were a great price if you were willing to dig through a bin of assorted pieces. Although the choices tended to be tweed, plaid or diagonal stripes on the winter-y side they were a great buy.

Lastly when it came to shoes it looked like the size to be was a 9, 10 or 11 as most shoes available were that price. If you are though you can score some Minnetonka moccasin's for just $20, Loeffler Randall rainboots for $30 or other shoes like espradilles for $40. There were a few lonely booties and riding boots that were priced at $109 a pair. I think the smallest size spied might have been an 8 1/2, so if you are a small shoe size like myself, don't get your hopes up.

Overall with great prices and a huge selection of merch the Club Monaco sale is a winner. According to staffers the emptiest time of day is between 2:30-4. I'm going to hold out to go back at a later date when things calm down and prices are likely to be slashed. However it's at this point where a lot of merchandise becomes slim pickings. If you're a Club Monaco fan, get over there.

A Couple More Sales this Week

Who: Clothingline Blowout Sale
What: Merch for women is now all under $40 for one day only. All sales final.
Free People tops, bottoms, sweaters, dresses, jackets $10 - $15
Joe's Jeans one of a kind samples, shirts, sweaters, jeans & more from $10 - $20
Gryphon tops, bottoms, dresses, outerwear $20 - $40
La Fee Verte lingerie separates, one pieces, silk robes $10 - $25
Hat Attack cold weather accessories $10, 2 for $15
Thursday Friday assorted totes & small bags $10 - $25
Julie Brown tops, shorts, dresses & more $39
Ketz-ke tops, skirts, pants, dresses & more 2 for $15
Qi assorted sweaters $40
When: Jan 24, 2012. Thurs 11am-7pm
Where: 261 W 36th Street, 2nd Floor (b/n 7th & 8th Ave.)

Who: Rubin and Chapelle Sample Sale
What:Discounts on dresses, tops, pants, and bag
What: Jan 24 - Jan 27, 2013. Thurs 3pm-7pm, Fri noon-7pm, Sat 11am-6pm, Sun noon-6pm
Where: 150 W 25th St

Sample Sale Report: Club Monaco

Stopped by the Club Monaco sale today after hitting up the YSL sale down the street (don't bother going for menswear).  Pricing is a bit higher than previous sales held at the Club Monaco office but still pretty good overall.  Menswear starts at just $10 for tops, $20 for shirts, $25 for sweaters,  $50 for cashmere and maxes out at $65 for leather/suede (which by the way, I didn't see any of).  For pricing charts, scroll down to the very bottom.  Items are organized by type (i.e. pants, tops, shorts, etc.) but digging is still very much required at this sale.  As with all Club Monaco sales, there are actual samples up for grabs and lots of damages thrown in the mix so make sure you check your items thoroughly before paying!

In terms of sizing, for shorts, there was a mix - but man there were a lot of shorts! I would say about 40% of the menswear was comprised of shorts/swimwear which is disproportionately high - but at $20 a pop the prices are pretty good.  There are no changing rooms or mirrors so either bring a friend, take pictures of yourself or know your size in Club Monaco gear and you should be good to go.

There was half a rack of knitwear (mostly M) and another rack of shirts (also mostly M).

There was one rack of tops including T's, a couple tanks, and some polos - all of which were M and going for just $10 a piece.

There were a couple racks of pants including chinos - most of which are a 32 W and are just $25 each.  If you're looking for a pair of white denim, there was one rack full of them which actually had varying sizes from 29 and up.

Accessories were priced between $5-$50 but most things rang in under $20.  Belts were a steal at $5 but I didn't have the patience to dig through the bins.  Jewelry was also priced really well from $5-$15 and there were lots of containers to dig through.

Pricing charts:

Who: Club Monaco Sample Sale

What: Deep discounts on menswear/womenswear/accessories

When: Oct 23-25, 2012. 11am-8pm

Where: 261 W 36th St (b/n 7th & 8th Ave)