J.Crew Sample Sale: Classic Summer Steals

The J.Crew Sample Sale, which officially kicks off tomorrow, held a private event today for those lucky enough to be invited (like The Stylish City!). The super strict, guest list only affair was hush-hush with their shades drawn on 260 5^th Avenue, with the door men turning away anyone who couldn’t flash photo identification as proof they weren’t crashing the sale.

Your first task as a J.Crew Sample Sale shopping extraordinaire is to bee-line it to the back of the room. In a few bins hold J.Crew’s amazing leather handbags that we lust after for only $120! The medium and large leather bags fall within this price point, including their popular Biennial Satchel in Red, Tangier Orange, and Saddle ($120, orig. $348, pictured in red). Also in the bag section was the Brompton Hobo ($120, orig. $298, pictured in blue), a few brown leather samples similar to the Biennial hobo ($120, pictured), and the Tilary purse in a rainbow of colors ($80, orig. $148, pictured).

There are random accessories as well (i.e. iPad cases, notebooks, belts), all within the $10-$15 range, but nothing worth noting except for their intense collection of straw hats. Large brim, small brim, fedora, sun hat, you have your choice for an approximate $15. Also in this section were three bins of swimwear, each piece costing $25 each.

The shoe collection did not seem as good as last year. For the most part, all shoes were $65 with the high-quality leather and suede shoes running a bit higher at $100. In this section I found the Minnetonka Leather Moccasins in Beige ($65, size 10), Madewell’s 1937 Carryover Pump in Suede ($100, Size 7, pictured), and a pair of buttery leather Brown Oxfords ($100, Size 6.5, pictured). There was also a bin of jeweled flip-flops for $10 that shoppers were ignoring.

And now on to the clothing! Unlike last year, there was a nice selection of Madewell clothing. Albeit small, there were some good finds mixed in. These racks are also located in the rear of the store, right in front of the accessory section. Sweaters are all $35 and feature funky finds such as the Neon Knit Throw-over (pictured) and the Zooey D-esque Navy Heart Sweater (pictured). Their popular denim was also on hand for $40, including their Super Destroyed Boyfriend Shorts (pictured), Mint Green Chinos (pictured), and a cute pair of Madewell Cuffed Red Shorts ($25, size 27, pictured).

Now that you’ve covered the back, make your way to the front exploring the racks of J.Crew samples and past season’s designs. There is no sort of organization as far as sizes go; everything is hung in their designated blouse, tee, dress, or skirt section. Note that this is a true sample sale therefor many pieces are indeed sample sizes (2 or 4). Blouses are marked for $30, with finds including a Light Green Silk Button Down w/ Tie (pictured), a Sleeveless Silk Blouse (pictured), a Chambray Button Down, and a blue and yellow flannel “The Boy Shirt.”

Tee shirts and tank tops were lined up parallel to the blouses, offering comfy cozy V-necks and short sleeve linen tops for $15. Here was a cute Blue and White Stripe V-Neck (pictured) and a Cropped Navy Thermal (pictured). Skirts are $40, such as a pretty Silk Mini Skirt (pictured) and shorts are $25, namely the Broken in Boyfriend Short in Salmon (pictured).

The big winner of the sale (aside from the bags, duh) was the dress section. Most dresses are $60 unless they are from the J.Crew Collection, in which case prices vary. Unlike the blouses, the dresses are in a wide variety of sizes. The best of the selection was a bright and cheery Sleeveless Peach Knee Length Dress with a tag that deemed it “ready for work” ($60, pictured), also available in yellow and turquoise, a Bumble Bee Yellow Party Dress ($60, pictured), a cute Sleeveless Polka Dot Dress w/ Tie ($60, pictured), a Black and White Puffed Sleeve Dress from the Collection ($169). Lastly there was some cheaper Summer Dresses mixed in for only $30, such as a cute Chambray Sleeveless Ruffle Dress ($30, pictured).

The doors to tomorrow’s  J.Crew Sample Sale open at 10AM. It is a guarantee that shoppers will be lined up, waiting to break through to pile heaps of prep-wear on one arm as they sort to find cute steals with the other. The aisles are tight, so if you’re claustrophobic then you may either want to be the first in line, in order to race in, grab what you like, and get the heck out of there, or wait until later in the week when the crowds have died down.

WHEN: 6/19 – 6/24; Tue-Sat (10-8), Sun (noon-5)

WHERE: 260 Fifth Avenue
(Between 28th & 29th Streets)
New York, NY 10001
N / R/ 6 Trains to 28th Street

By Caitlin Colford

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Posted by Caitlin Colford at 10:28 PM
bargain news , Opinions , SALES , Sample Sale Reviews , The City |