Official Fan of the New York Sample Sale
Thursday, January 12, 2006
I don’t know what took me so long, but i went to my first (and probably last) sample sale today!
This is a completely frivolous topic compared the one just prior to this, but i figured you’d want to hear something to lighten things up.
I have only about another week left in the great city of New York and i’ve really been feeling it. Can you feel homesick for a place that you haven’t left yet? I’ve been trying to squeeze every last drop of New-Yorky goodness out of this place before i say my parting farewells. On that list was chasing down sample sales. I’ve heard that they are very hit and miss, but let me tell you that today was very HIT.
I found two sales: one was for a jewelry designer showroom called “gabi d.” (40 W. 37th St, btwn. 5th & 6th Ave., Suite 905), and the other was a UNIQLO sample sale (76 Greene St., Between Spring and Broome Sts). I did hit up this other place at the corner of 5th Ave. and 29th St. that i’m not counting because their sample sale included Versace and Cavalli, and while i’m sure the items were deeply discounted, the awesome Versace coat was still a tad high at $452 down from $1132. I actually didn’t even understand the price tag, as it was written as: “452/1132.” I thought it might have been a product code. Afterall, there were way too many numbers! Yeah, so i didn’t shop there very long.
On to the good stuff. The jewelry place had everything half off, and I got a cool interesting bracelet, necklace and matching “make-you-look-middle-aged” clip-on earings for a good price. But the UNIQLO sample sale was my moment of triumph. When Erica and I walked in, we were generally unimpressed with the sale. $20 and $15 are good prices but simply don’t have the flavor of excitement that sample sales should have in order to produce the reputed salivation of women (and men too!). THEN we discovered the discreet downstairs sample rack. Everything was $5 regardless of item. We cleaned up.
This was particularly impressive because most of the stuff was a size 61 cm waist. I think that translates into a size 4 or something like that. And if you know me and Erica, we are NOT small women. Somehow we managed to find pants to fit both of us and look good! I got five items for a whopping $25!! W00t! I was even adventurous and got me a cowboy (cowgirl?) shirt. It’s the next hot trend as predicted by W magazine. Whatever.
In any case, i highly recommend sample sales. Look them up. Try them out. Come dressed in a cat suit so you can try stuff on. It’s a lot more fun than suspected! Here is a good site to look stuff up, but you have to give them your email. They have listings for L.A. as well.