Rag & Bone

Tattered denim shorts and ripped vintage tees adorned the hip shoppers in line, patiently waiting for first day of the Rag & Bone Sample Sale at Chelsea Market to commence. Two girls behind me were gossiping about the semi annual sale Rag & Bone notably puts on, stating that their winter sale prices were not exactly wallet friendly, but their selection of clothing, shoes, and accessories was “really, really, really good.” Yes, three really’s.

Before I say much more allow me to properly urge you to race over to Chelsea Market on your lunch break, grab yourself a lobster roll, and get to shopping because, like winter, the Rag & Bone Summer Sample Sale is really, really, really good. The bi-level sale is neatly arranged with tees and dresses up front, with a table for knit blouses and sweaters, and jeans within the men’s section down a few steps in the rear.

Now, back to the front. Once you enter hook a hard right and get to browsing the gorgeous array of Rag & Bone dresses. Mind you, these are all available in most sizes (I saw from 0-12) and there are many employees fluttering about offering to seek out unavailable sizes in their storage area. The stand-outs of the dress racks included the Lemon Yellow Chelsea Dress ($195), the Carmine Parachute Dress in Midnight Blue ($195), the Midnight Cholo Dress ($195), Bluebird Leonard Dress, and towards the back of the area I discovered the ultimate summer dress: the Ecru Bridget Dress ($195, pictured).

Two tables in the center of the room held knit tees, tanks, tee-shirt dresses and sweaters with employees furiously trying to refold every tossed around item in order to keep it all uniform and organized for incoming shoppers. Here, I discovered a luscious Pocket Knit Tank ($40 – this standard design is available in a wide selection of colors and in a tee-shirt and long sleeve cut as well) as well as a wonderfully soft Dark Grey Eugina Skirt ($125).

On your way to the denim area take a peak at the small shoe selection near the steps. Shoppers crowded the area, examining the few boots, flats, oxfords, and wedges that were on hand and shouted size requests at a busy employee. For the price, (Lux Shoes $350, Shoes $195, and Flats $125) I wouldn’t waste too much time here, but do sneak a peak at the Newport Wedge ($195) and Ivory Hamlet Ballet Flat ($125), they may be worth the price.

The denim section was buzzing. There are plenty of sizes and colors available in their standard legging-skinny jean, such as yellow, blue, textured black, and green, all for $95. Perfect for summer is the Coated White Zipper Capri ($95, pictured).

If you’re a hat lover like myself, get ready for a massive wall of fedoras and floppy hats, perfect for days on the beach or mornings where you don’t feel like spending time fixing your hair. For $65 the best of the bunch was the Serpent Dunaway Hat (pictured), the ultimate bohemian accessory.

Some random, non-dress or denim finds worth mentioning are the Raw Edge Sung Shirt in Ivory ($115, pictured), the Dakota Hoodie ($250), and the many Maxi Skirts in colors like Biscay Green ($175, pictured).

If you’ve saved up your pennies then I advise you to go crazy at the Rag & Bone Sample Sale, going on until Sunday. Make sure to try the clothing on in the designated dressing room in the back of the women’s section, as they do not accept exchanges or returns. With not a damaged, mismarked, or stained item in sight, there won’t be a quality sample sale like this one for some time to come.

WHEN: 6/14 – 6/17; Th-F (10:30-8), Sat (noon-7), Sun (noon-5).

WHERE: Chelsea Market
75 Ninth Avenue
between 15th & 16th Streets

By Caitlin Colford

Wasn’t among the lucky set of early birds to land some goods from Marni for H&M last week? Don’t fret my pets! You’re in luck, there is ample opportunity this week to land yourself some designer goods with their price tags slashed, thanks to the almighty sample sale.

Project Runway All Stars Sample Sale

Presumably borrowing the idea from the new sure-to-be-hit “Fashion Star” on NBC, the uber popular “Project Runway” is bringing out past designs from the vaults of their All Star cast, which includes the likes of Jerell Scott, Mondo Guerra and Michael Costello, and selling them at decent prices.

Gucci, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana Sample Sale

Designer, designer, designer! More, more, more! Keep bringing them on! Boutique on 57 is providing 75% off ready wear from Emilio Pucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, D&G, and Prada.

Blumarine Sample Sale

Beginning Monday (3/12) for members only, and Tuesday (3/13) for the public, Exclusive Fashion Club is offering 60-80% top designer brands such as Cavallli, Armani, Missoni, and Valentino, in sizes 2-14. Please note: You do not need to possess an Italian surname to gain entry, but you do need to own a credit card or a megawad of cash as these sales can still be quite pricey.

Bird Blowout Sale

Brooklynites and Alexander Wang fans: don’t miss out on Bird’s Blowout Sale going on now until 3/15. With boutiques in all of Brooklyn’s trendiest areas – Park Slope, Cobble Hill, and Williamsburg – you have an excuse to try out the latest buzzed about restaurant after shopping 25-75% off accessories and clothing at Bird from Alexander Wang, Rag & Bone, A.P.C., Loeffler Randall and more. A slim selection of sale items are available on Bird’s website, but this one may be worth the venture into foreign shopping territory.

I-ELLA Spring Sample Sale

Keep ‘em coming! As promised ladies, I have another opportunity for steep designer discounts this week. I-ELLA is hosting a two-day sale, beginning 3/15, with up to 75% clothing, shoes, and handbags from Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Christian Louboutin, Rebecca Taylor, and DVF. I’ve never visited this showroom, so am unsure why they request shopper’s to RSVP to [email protected], but if Chelsey’s going to ‘wow’ us, a measly little RSVP email is my pleasure.

A whole week of discounted designer shopping from a whole slew of top luxury brands sounds like seven days of pure bliss. After being beat up at Marni last week, I’ll need this, as well as a pint (or three) of green beer on Saturday while I celebrate St. Patty’s Day in style. Caution: Green beer does stain.

By Caitlin Colford

The overly hyped Barneys Warehouse Sale in Chelsea kicked off this morning at 8AM, reeling in crazed shoppers from around New York City, some of who stood in line since 5:30AM, simply to be the first through the doors.

The setup of the sale remained the same as it has been in the past: check your purse and jacket at the door with your first stop being the shoe department. As per usual, the shoe selection was a mess, hands grabbing designer stilettos and discarding them wherever they please. I wasn’t too impressed with the shoes this time around as they were mostly CoOp or suede shoes covered in scuff mark. I soon became focused on the men carrying shopping bags loaded with shoes in order to restock the shelves with unwanted items. After following them around, I was able to get my hands on a few decent items: Carven Velvet Pumps in Ecru ($220), Lanvin Brown Snake Skin Pump ($639, pictured), Manolo Blahnik Grotta Neutral 5” Pump ($567), Manolo Blahnik Alter Moccasin Booties in Cream ($399), and Rag & Bone Brown Leather Ankle Boots ($235, pictured).

Next up is a row of bags and clutches waiting to be sorted through. The same Deux Lux Basket Woven Faux Leather Bag ($99), in various styles and colors, such as black, purple, silver, gold, ivory, etc, kept appearing and flooded the crates. “They’re all the same bag!” one girl whined to her friend. I didn’t hate the Barney’s CoOp Potato Sack Bag with a brown leather handle ($169), but other than that there was literally nothing else worth mentioning, as the purses were all boring, broken, or stained.

Oddly enough, the best selections in the denim section were…not denim. The Theory Khaki Cotton Tech Chino Pants ($79) are perfect for vacation wear and the upcoming seasons, as are the Resin Sahara Khaki ($69) and the J Brand Army Khakis ($49). As for the denim there were a few nice pairs by brands like Current Elliot, J Brand, Acne, and Hudson.

The designer section of the sale was very slight. There were more imperfections and damaged dresses and blouses than there were anything else. I did find a simple and cozy looking Piazza Sempione Foresta Nera Pure New Wood Brown Sweater ($535), a Helmut Lang Knee Length Particle Silk Dress in Light Rosewood ($540), a Balenciaga Silk Vest in Ivory ($779), and a Thakoon Grey Knit Cardigan ($99). The ultimate find was an amazing corduroy blazer by The Row in Proffington Yellow ($959, orig. $2390, pictured).

I’m not quite certain why there was a specific section for Imperfections when they were all mixed in with everything else storewide. Most items throughout the sale seemed to have at least one thing wrong with them, whether immediately visible or not. Said Imperfection section offered clothing from slightly tattered to extremely tattered. All Imperfects were 25% off but the only find worth the money was a sheer, oversized white tee shirt by Ella Moss ($39) with a tiny hole by the collar.

The other clothing selections – marked by size – were average at best. For fans of Marc by Marc Jacobs, I found of a lot of cute designs at fair prices: the Calf Length Tank in Army Green w/ Gold Zips ($145), Peter Pan Collar Baby Doll Shirt in Red (119), Black Sleeveless Floral Dress ($359, pictured).

Again, CoOp was the majority in the clothing section. Most items were not marked at all, making pricing a guessing game, amounts you’d have to either wait for an attendant to find out for you or be surprised upon checkout. Among the unmarked was a cotton and silk blended Lanvin Tuxedo Tee in Cream and a navy Penning Ceremony Cropped Knit by Opening Ceremony.

With all the anticipation, hype, and promotion, one would think that the Barneys Warehouse Sale would be something straight out of a shopper’s dream. Instead, the sale is mediocre and disappointing. With a few good finds here and there, I couldn’t imagine how upset I would be had I froze on line since 5:30AM and was not greeted by a stellar sale selection and amazing prices. Hopefully Barneys will learn their lesson and give us something better next time, we know they’re hiding something.

WHEN: 2/16 – 2/26
2/16 – 2/17, Th-F (8-9)
2/18 – 2/19, Sat-Sun (10-8)
2/20, M (9-9)
2/21 – 2/23, Tue-Th (10-9)
2/24, F (9-9)
2/25 – 2/26, Sat-Sun (9-8)

WHERE: 255 West 17th Street
(between 7th and 8th Avenues)
New York, Ny 10011
212-450-8400.

By Caitlin Colford

Bloomingdale’s, unlike other luxury department store sales, has worthwhile markdowns store wide. “If you have a Bloomingdale’s charge card you can get an additional 15% off a lot of great items. The best deals in the house are in the jewelry department, where so many items are 50% off, and also in the handbag department, but for the most part you can’t use your added bonus, the discounts are already applied,” an excited Bloomingdale’s associate proclaims. “There are also some really ridiculous prices in clothing, mainly in Aqua and Bloomingdale cashmere where everything is an additional 50% off the already marked down tags!” The Aqua and cashmere sale ends on the 24th, so she urges you to get down to Bloomingdale’s to check it out!

On the Main Floor of Bloomingdale’s on 59th Street there is a small collection of Marc by Marc Jacobs wallets ($34), iPad cases ($40) and bags, namely the Metallic Classic Q Hillier Hobo in Gold ($313), on sale for 30% off. The Tory Burch section also offers select items for 30% off, such as the Robinson Small Tote, Edye Satchel in French Red and Moss Gold Handbag ($346). An assorted table toward the back of the handbag department houses fantastic deals from brands such as Kate Spade, Coach and Michael Kors, offering an additional 40% off of their already marked down prices.

En route to the Balcony for some great jewelry deals (50% off a selection that includes diamonds, gemstones, culture pearls, and 14K & 18K gold), make a pit stop in the Burberry department – their Magenta Check Brushed Wool Scarf is on sale for $220.

The Second Floor features up to an additional 40% off sale items, with discount racks in each brand’s department. I spotted a DVF Hazina Red Spice Dress for $153 (orig. $365), and some fantastic little black dresses in the Theory department, an excellent option for Holiday parties and New Year’s Eve bashes, like the Nillon Georgette Dress in Black ($381, orig. $795). I love everything about Rag & Bone, so I was especially thrilled to see most of their denim on sale plus an additional 40% off, with their Winter White Skinny Cords for $106 thrown in the mix. Comptoir Des Cottoniers is an interesting brand that I don’t know much about, but they certainly caught my eye. This brand had a vast array of 1970’s chic jackets, jeans, and tops on sale for 20% off.

There were some great options in the Contemporary Shoe Department, with an extra 40% off select items. Many will be thrilled to hear this discount applies to the Hunter Boots on sale, such as the Original Gloss Short ($46, orig. $115). Frye boots were also on sale, like the Naiya Kiltie Moccasin ($174). I fell in love with the Marc by Marc Jacobs Stacked High Heel Loafer ($161, orig. $390).

Overall, it seems Marc by Marc Jacobs had the best deals throughout the store; even though there was only a limited selection per category, the deals were great for the quality and fabulous designs, clothing department included. Alice + Olivia is worth a peek, as is the denim collections, with an extra 40% off designer jeans.

As the sale associate mentioned, Aqua steals the limelight and takes center stage (beating out Marc by Marc Jacobs) with their offering of 50% off their wool and cashmere sweaters. Their basic cashmere collections will ring up as $100 per sweater, and their wool, $70. I especially loved the Aqua Ribbed Cashmere Zip Up, in a variety of bright and cheery colors ($90).

Third Floor highlights included 30% off a wide selection Ralph Lauren, namely the Sergeant Blue Silk Blouse ($95), as well as 40% off select Elie Tahari and Nanette Lepore (there was one, super cute, Valley Coat in Teal Blue left in a size 4!).

I was slightly disappointed with the designer collection sale offerings, however, there were beautiful Zac Posen fur coats and an extra 40% off a handful of Giorgio Armani and Calvin Klein items. As far as designer shoes go, the only good sale was an extra 40% off a few Miu Miu (Catzatore Donna Heel $329) and Prada heels, with a few less than thrilling Stuart Weitzman’s ($137) mixed in.

Sales on contemporary clothing really outshined the designer collections options at the Bloomingdale’s sale. Your dollar will go a long way if you stock up on cute sweaters and jeans, rather than splurge on a designer dress or two. This sale truly is also a great opportunity to purchase a gorgeous new bag, with a matching new wallet, as well as some sparkling new jewelry. With all the gifts you purchased for others this holiday season, don’t you deserve to gift yourself something fabulous?

By Caitlin Colford