Danielle Guercio

Vente-Privee Sample Sale, A Must For Fancy Dresses, Not Worth Your Time For Everything Else

25 June 2014

A gathering of a few premium brands can be in your favor.

I hate to say it, but sometimes knowing what a sale holds can make or break whether or not you attend. Vente-Privee had a few big name brands on site for a new sale this week, but there was more room to walk around than things on the racks. This means if you can get there asap, by all means stop in and help yourself to pieces by DVF, Catherine Malandrino, and Elizabeth and James among a few others.

Not much of a line for the opening allowed a nice easy start to this sale, located on 36th street between 7th and 8th avenues. The checkout queue was also not yet bustling, but we have seen it get miserably long very fast.

Brands we saw included many big names, but oddly enough, there was a rummage sale type feel to the rest of the sale. Now don’t get me wrong, there isn’t a single thing wrong with thrift shopping, vintage shopping, bag sales, yard sales, and estate sales. Those are some of my all time favorite ways to shop especially on the cheap. We have all scored countless times for all of the digging, even huge designer names and rare goodies never seen anywhere else, but this is a sale with prices that enter the triple digits. So seeing bins of miscellaneous t shirts and junky vinyl handbags next to pricey dresses was a bit of a mismatched scenario.

To be honest it seemed like they needed some ‘filler’ to this sale. But lo and behold the real reasons for coming were not a disappointment by any means. Gowns lined the better portion of the front of the space, and they were joined by a plethora of cocktail dresses and other one off big name pieces. We saw Catherine Malandrino, Halston Heritage, Diane von Furstenberg, Elizabeth and James, and Erin Featherston, and Oscar De La Renta.

Most of the big name tags could only be found on the dresses, but there was no lack of selection. Rich blues and poppy pinks were all on hand to make a special event just right, and the cocktail dresses were even more varied. There were drape-y styles and plenty of fitted styles to suit many body types.

A few other things we saw were denim, in dark blue and white, but no one too notable on the tag. Shoes were a decent variation, with plenty of pairs from DVF going for $80. There was a small amount of mens shoes to choose from too. A large rack of designer pajamas and nighties was in the middle, bathing suits lined one wall and lingerie another.

This sale would make an OK lunch break stop if you need an occasion dress and have money to spend. If you don’t, we suggest skipping this one.

WHEN: 6/24 – 6/26; Tue-Th (11-7)

WHERE: Clothingline Sample Sales
261 West 36th Street
2nd Floor
between 7th and 8th Avenues
New York, NY 10018