Danielle Guercio

On the hunt for some high quality shoes at killer prices?  You have one day left to hit up the Butter & Something Bleu sample sale!

These shoes retail at over $298 on a good day, but for one more day, you can snag these beautiful babies for only $60!  That is a deep discount, if we ever saw one.

Butter shoes are 100% manufactured in Italy, so you will find nothing but the finest quality construction here.  Butter and Something Bleu are crafted with top-notch leather, suede, and specialty materials.  We were seeing crinkled patent leather, sequins, rosettes, molded leather embellishments, and well executed basics.  For sharp kitten heels with mesh negative space details to smooth flats ready for a polo match, you can really score at this sale.

Wedding season is also upon us, and whether you are a bride, member of the bridal party, or esteemed guest, this is almost an essential stop.  All Something Bleu shoes come embedded with a blue crystal in the sole, perfect to check that box off your list.  Bridesmaids will find all essential colors: nude, basics brown, black, and white; and new classics silver and gold.

The sandal section wasn’t too large, but honestly had the only 3 options one needs:  Basic thong sandal, embellished gemstone sandals, and trendy leather bow sandals.  The vintage punched leather style came in many versions: flat, wedged, stiletto, and kitten heel, allowing for you to really fine tune your heel style.

Butter prides themselves on high quality construction with comfortable but trendy style selection. Nothing you see is overly avant garde, but nothing you see won’t get worn frequently with a multitude of styles both casual and formal.  Pairing some of the more refined styles with a skinny jean would take your style to the moon.  Whichever is your target shoe style, this sale is important if you want the high end details of a designer shoe at a department store price.  All leather soles, proper hardware and kidskin inner soles prove the pedigree of this shoe, not something you will find at Urban Outfitters, Target, or Steve Madden.

The sale itself takes place in the actual showroom for Butter shoes, which is one medium sized room in the front of the offices.  Pieces were from the past 3 seasons, and many of the styles are not overly trendy, allowing for many seasons of wear.  This one takes place in midtown, right across from FIT, on 7th avenue between 27th and 28th streets at 307 7th Avenue.

This sale was not the biggest, but not lacking in selection by any means.  Smaller sizes might be sold out on day 2, but the ‘Last Chance’ section had a number of large and small sizes, only missing the more popular middle sizes.  Let’s face it, size 7 has to be the first online at a shoe sale.  If you have a larger size foot, you need to hit this sale, as larger styles are some of the last hanging around, allowing you to have the most expansive selection of all the sizes.  Butter’s sample sale is cash only, and worth a look if you are in need of designer quality shoes at an over 80% discount.

WHEN: 5/7 – 5/8; W-Th (9-6)

WHERE: 307 7th Avenue
between 27th & 28th Streets
Suite 901
New York, NY 10001
(212) 366-1822

By Danielle Guercio

What better way to kick off a beautiful summer than to hit Fifth Avenue and shop away the day?  If you are looking for bright, demurely loud accessories for your closet, you need to get to the Rebecca Minkoff sample sale as soon as humanly possible.

When an accessories designer like Rebecca Minkoff has a sale, it is a veritable gold mine.  Well known for her ‘Morning After Bag’ , Minkoff’s IT bags are more than trendy accessories, they are well made, well known, and fit numerous wardrobe styles.  Whether you are searching for the perfect studded black backpack (at less than $300!) or a fun, neon, zippers-a-plenty saddle purse, this is your stop.

The sheer abundance of special bag after insanely special bag was staggering!  Initialed Mini Mac’s in TWO colors (red and black, respectively) and a plethora of wallets can revamp your carry on game exponentially.  To the right by the cashiers you can find the sample stash.  These bags were only very slightly blemished, and priced at only $100, in my opinion looked perfectly broken-in.

Shoes and sandals were also priced to move at less than $100 per pair, meaning going earlier in the week is key if you want to score some stompers.  The color palette of this selection was dreamy and warm, with coral reds, peacock blues, and ashy grey colors that looked almost green.  Of course, black and white sandals and stilettos were hanging around, and will most likely be the first to go.

If you are still playing with last season’s super saturated neon trend, this really is an essential sale for you. Highlighter yellow and pink studded Elle Mini’s were my favorite, and almost pulled me back into last season.

More new classics such as leather pencil skirts, leather sleeved military jackets, and black and navy blue leather fit-and-flare dresses were also shining displays of discounts, priced at around $400 a piece! Clothing was of the more spring variety, with dense florals, silk maxi dresses, and lace cutaway A-line dresses.

Rebecca Minkoff’s handbags are becoming iconoclasts of form, function, and fashion, but her clothing is quickly gaining pace with its ladylike silhouettes and bold print range.

Looking for something more masculine is easy to do with the back right table’s goodies.  Bold navy blue canvas and brown cowhide is paired to create more conservative styles to hold all of your files and electronics.  Whether you crave a luxurious all leather case or an all canvas casual style tote, this table has all of that and more, an early Father’s day gem for sure.

Belts, laptop cases, keychains, and eyeglasses case are priced at impulse buy threshold, and you might find yourself grabbing one of each before stopping by the super friendly cashiers desk, making this the first and one of the best stops for sample sale season!

WHEN: 5/5 – 5/10; Mon (11-9), Tue-F (10-8), Sat (10-5)

WHERE: 260 Fifth Avenue
between 28th and 29th Streets
New York, NY 10001
212.725.5400
N/R/6 Trains to 28th Street

By Danielle Guercio