Dolce & Gabbana Cleans Out Their Closets & Slashes Prices

First off, let me start by saying: the Dolce & Gabbana Sample Sale is not…a sample sale. The abuse of this phrase needs to be put to rest – if your sale doesn’t feature samples, then sorry to say, but it’s not a sample sale! Don’t let this deter you though shoppers! Despite the aforementioned fact, the Dolce & Gabbana “Sample Sale” has incredibly deep discounts (up to 90% off!) on merchandise from mainly ‘09, ‘10, and ’11, causing me to take it upon myself to rename this event: The Dolce & Gabbana Closet Sale.

At the stroke of 1 P.M., when the doors of the Metropolitan Pavilion were unlocked and security waved in the first round of excited shoppers, a line formed down the street, nearly touching Sixth Avenue. With about 100 shoppers in front of me, I observed departing fashion lovers as I waited in line for 45 minutes. It seemed that the trend among shoppers was that they either left empty handed or with so many bags stacked up their arms that they required assistance. One woman in particular left with 10 (yes 10!) bags and required two gentleman to help her back the cab. I know what you’re thinking, “Did she leave anything for me?” Well, sort of.

After the elevator whisked myself and nine other shoppers to the 5^th floor, I entered a pleasant loft space with tight aisles, but a manageable crowd. To start, there is a small table of accessories with nothing exciting. Many were crowded around to check out the headbands and men’s wallets. Like I said, not too exciting.

Many shoppers were confused by the pricing and mark-downs. It takes a lot of math and a lot of reading to determine the price of each item. Discounts were arranged by year, so if a dress was made in 2009 (or prior) it was 90% off, 2010 = 80% off, 2011 = 70% off, 2012 or 2999 or Archives = 60% off. In scouring the racks I saw no archives, nor did I see anything made prior to 2009, the majority of what was featured was from 2010 and 2011.

Half of an aisle was dedicated to amazingly gorgeous waistcoats and jackets, which were definitely the stars of the show. A pretty Green Giacchino Verdone Jacket ($499, pictured, orig. 2,495) first caught my eye, next was the Cardigan Con Inserti Variante with gold trim ($410, pictured, orig. $2,050), then the bright and vibrant Gold Crop Jacket ($269, pictured, $2,695), and lastly a super cozy looking sweater jacket labeled Antracile Scurissimo ($330, pictured, orig. $1,650).

Many of the dresses that were worth a look were all from D&G, such as the black laced Variante Abbinita ($185, pictured, orig. $925) and a retro-glamorous blue velvet Melanzana Scurissm ($300, pictured, orig. $1,000). The skirts are also worth a browse, but again, the winners were from D&G vs. Dolce and Gabbana, like the D&G Fantasia Gold Skirt ($88, pictured, $295).

The pants were all jammed together in no particular order. There was every style you could think of from Dolce & Gabbana, but only in one or two sizes per design. I saw black corduroys, brown and black dress pants, white linen pants, cream dress pants, leopard and floral print pants, wool trousers, denim, you name it! On an average the pants started at $995, making them ring up between $100-$696, depending on their year.

I was surprised to see the shoe and purse section pretty much devoured by the time I arrived. There were little to no handbags to be spoken for and a mess of a shoe section. Although still packed with styles, it seems most of the good pairs of shoes were already swiped. I did see a few options like the D&G Brown Two Town Strap Heels ($208, pictured, orig. $208), the D&G Sandalo New Air Shoe in Red or Black ($208, pictured, $695), and the eye-popping priced Dolce and Gabbana Black Pleather Scavigiata Z ($119, pictured, orig. $1,195).

If you love Dolce & Gabbana, or better yet, D&G, then heading down to the Dolce & Gabbana Sample Sale is a no brainer. Despite the sale’s disappointments, the incredible discounts are undeniable and hard to pass up.

WHEN: 9/19 – 9/23; W (1-6), Th-Sat (10-6), Sun (11-5)

WHERE: The Level at Metropolitan Pavilion
123 West 18th Street
5th Floor
between Sixth and Seventh Avenues

By Caitlin Colford

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Posted by Caitlin Colford at 09:38 PM
Opinions , SALES , Sample Sale Reviews , The City |