Rag & Bone

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