Last night I stopped by the Botkier Friends and Family sample sale to moderate crowds and plenty of bags as low as $50. I have been a longtime fan of Botkier handbags thanks to their lightweight nature and great design. I've witnessed the transformation from slouchy downtown cool to a simpler and more refined elegance and I'm still a fan.
Anyways as for the sale, it was held at Botkier headquarters in the showroom itself so it is a much smaller space than previous sample sales. The sale is set up into 2 rooms with many shelves of merchandise in addition to tables. The first room contained mostly stock while the back room held the one-offs and samples. Here I spotted mini pouchettes in metallic and camo print for just $50!
In the sample section I also spotted a couple of my personal faves at reduced prices including the Eden Mini Satchel in pretty pastel color block for $125, the Valentina shoulder for $100 in pewter and the Valentina Satchel in oxblood for $150. I personally love shopping this section for a bit of a discount and a chance to pick up a bag in a unique color that may have never been manufactured.
As for the stock, quilted wallets are $50, Valentina wallets and coin purses are $85 while you can even snag a crossbody for $85.
Smaller bags like the Calie envelope clutch and Calie/Carter crossbody as well as the Valentina shoulder are now $110. A great price for a rainbow of lovely little purses. Certain shades of the Valentina shoulder are $125 as well as the Venice crossbody and slightly larger bags like the Scout Crossbody, Marlow Crossbody and Kenya Satchel.
For $150 you can score the Lucy crossbody or Jackson small satchel while $175 will get you a Lucy Shoulder or Eden Satchel or Venice Satchel. You can also snag your share of Rae convertible clutches, Aldyn Satchels and Valentina Satchels in fashion shades for $175.
On the top end of the spectrum $195 will score you a Misha clutch, Blair satchel and Eden small satchel in black. For $230 you can grab a Kent shoulder, Brando satchel and Adele satchel as well as more Valentina's in classic colors as well as textured lizard look. The sale tops out at $295 for the Blair satchel and Eden Satchel in black.
So to note, in general the larger the bag, the higher the price in most cases. If you are looking for classic/basic colors expect to pay a little more. I personally think that in general most merchandise is priced very well at $175 or below compared to previous sample sales. Shop early for the best selection - especially if you're aiming for a sample although past experience tells me that they re-stock these throughout the sale so you never know what you're going to get.
On a side note this sale also had shoes, but they were a bit tangled together on a table and I didn't get a great look at them except to note that the couple pairs I picked up just happened to be size 37 :)
