Sample Sales This Week: November 29 - December 5, 2010

Who: Botkier Sample Sale
What: 50-70% off shoes and handbags
When: December 3-5, 2010. Fri (11am-8pm), Sat (12pm-7pm), Sun (12pm-6pm)
Where: 421 West Broadway (b/n Prince & Spring St)

Who: Giles & Brother Sample Sale
What: Discount on jewelry. Rhinestone bangles are $40 (were $125) and the enamel snake bracelet is $75 (was $215). Cash Only.
When: December 2-3, 2010. 11am-6:30pm
Where: 147 W. 29th Street - 5th Floor (b/n 6th & 7th Ave).

Who: Be & D Holiday Sample Sale
What: 30-50% off handbags, shoes & accessories
When: November 30-December 3, 2010. Tues-Thurs (9am-7pm), Fri (9am-5pm)
Where: 35 W 36th St., 10th floor (b/n 5th & 6th Ave).

Who: Gryson and Olivia Harris by Joy Gryson Sample Sale
What: Friends and family event
When: November 30, 2010. 6pm-9pm
Where: 180 Varick St., suite 916 (b/n Charles & King St)

Who: Tucker Sample Sale
What: 50-80% off retail pricing
When: December 2-4, 2010. Thurs (11am-7pm), Fri (9am-7pm), Sat (10am-6pm)
Where: Tucker Studio - 413 W 14th St., suite 403 (b/n Avenue 9th & 10th Ave)

Who: Paula Varsalona's Bridal Sample Sale
What: Discounted wedding dresses
When: November 29 - December 4, 2010. Mon-Fri (10am-6pm), Sat (10am-3pm)
Where: 1375 Broadway - 5th floor (near 37th St.).

Who: Simon Showroom Sample Sale
What: Select items from Aaron Ashe, Bailey 44, Citizens of Humanity, Goldsign, Iro and Kenny on sale
When: December 2-3, 2010. 10am-7pm
Where: 95 5th Ave (@ 17th St)

Who: Qi Sample Sale
What: Discounts on womenswear and accessories
When: December 2-3, 2010. 10am-6pm
Where: 260 W 39th St (b/n 7th & 8th Ave). 212.238.8880

Who: Vena Cava Sample Sale
What: Sale on select merchandise
When: December 2-4, 2010. Thurs-Fri (10am-7pm), Sat (10am-5pm)
Where:457 Broome St - 2nd floor (near Mercer St.)

Who: Christopher Fischer Sample Sale
What: Up to 80% off cashmere knitwear for men and women. Cashmere blended sweaters are $40-$179 (were $195-$895).
When: December 2-5, 2010. Thurs-Sat (10am-7pm), Sun (11am-6pm).
Where: 80 Wooster St. (near Spring St.)

Who: Bindya Sample Sale
What: Discounts on hand painted, cashmere & silk wool blended scarves. Scarves will be $35-$60 (were $160).
When: December 1-3, 2010. Wed (10am-7pm), Thurs-Fri (10am-6pm)
Where: 49 W 38th St. - 9th floor (b/n 5th & 6th Ave).

Who: Aysha Saeed Sample Sale
What: Up to 80% off retail prices. Items start at $25. Students receive an additional 10% off with a valid studed ID. RSVP required (events@ayshaeed@com)
When: December 2-3, 2010. 9am-7:30pm
Where: 109 W 38th St., suite 301 (b/n 6th & Broadway).

Who: Carlos Falchi Moving Sale
What: Up to 75% off handbags
When: December 1-2, 2010, 10am-6pm
Where: 80 W. 40th St., 8th floor

Who: Simon Spurr Sample Sale
What: First ever Simon Spurr sample sale with the majority of pieces below wholesale. Melton wool duffle coats are $705 (was $1,605), leather police jackets with shearling collars are $508 (was $1,395) and reverse-stich cashmere roll-neck sweaters are $370 (was $895).
When: December 1-3, 2010. 9am-6pm
Where: 210 11th Ave - suite 903 (b/n 24th & 25th St.) 212.796.5431 x 21

Travel Diary: London Day 2

Day 2 started early and after only 6 hours of sleep, I was wide awake and ready to go.  After sleeping in a plane, to sleep in a bed felt so sweet, but with plenty to see I didn’t want to waste time.

I started the day grabbing a Pasty, which is sort of like the British equivalent of a Jamaican Beef Patty.  Hot potato, onion and beef in a warm flakey pastry shell.  Satisfying, affordable and easy to take on the go.  Pasty stands are at every major train station I’ve seen thus far.

 

After checking out a Sunday morning service, I headed towards the South Kensington area to try a crepe that my friend informs me is better than Paris.  I’ve never been to Paris, but I have to say that I’m not sure that I can imagine a better crepe. I split with my friend and tried both a sweet and savory version.

I passed some delightful street scenes as I headed towards the V&A (Victoria & Albert Museum) to catch the Diaghilev and the Golden Age of the Ballets Russes exhibit.  I wasn’t sure what to expect from an exhibit about a dance company, but it was something I was told would definitely be influencing designers in upcoming seasons.

While photography was forbidden, here are a few images from the V&A website of what I saw. It was interesting to note that amongst the contributors to costume and set design over the years were greats in their respective fields like Picasso and Yves Saint Laurent.  I learned that it was a dance company that influenced and was influenced by art, music and fashion in it’s own time.

After the exhibit, I didn’t have time to see much else in the V&A because I wanted to have a look at luxe, traditional British retailer Harrod’s before dinner.I have a bit of a weakness for great window displays but could only snap a few scenes as I was afraid my camera was losing batteries.  The window’s in Harrod’s this year were inspired by Peter Pan.  My favorite scene was the one of models floating in clouds above a peaceful London night.

It was also my first time seeing all the food dedicated areas of Harrod’s.  It seemed like endless rooms dedicated to Chocolate, Seafood, Candy, Jams & cookies alongside areas for eating various prepared foods like sushi.  I must go back later on in this trip to check out French macaron shop La Duree.

I finished the night off in Angel (apparently a hip area with lots of resto & bars) for some ultra affordable cuisine at Le Mercury.  Le Mercury had a very cozy, casual feel that would be perfect for dates. The range of options was fairly broad and the portion sizes were quite generous.  I didn’t realize it was a French restaurant until after dinner, otherwise I might not have ordered my very Brit menu selections but it was Sunday and Sunday Roast called me.  I also had wine poached pear with blue cheese and walnuts in Balsamic and finished with some Banoffee pie. By the time I finished dinner I was done for the day.

Now Wearing…

I shot this outfit before I left for London. It’s one of my fave weekend looks as lately I want to live in sweatpants but don’t want to look like a slob so I try to mix some dressier accessories and add some heels into the mix.

Sweatpants - Norma Kamali for Walmart
Splatter Tank Top - tna (talulah national athletic)
Oversize Sunglasses - Versace
Knotted Crossbody Bag - Katherine Kwei, Donna Sling Bag
Metallic Scarf - Club Monaco
Black Ring - found a Rubber band and decided to wear as a ring
Metal Cuff - Fallon
Leather Biker Jacket - Jodi Arnold
Two Tone Lace-up Boots - Marc by Marc Jacobs

All photography courtesy of the wonderful James S. Rand.

Sample Sale Report: Mackage

Earlier tonight I had a chance to stop by the Mackage sample sale. There was no lineup outside but the store was pretty full with the after-work crowd hitting up the sale. There were four racks of menswear (one rack of leathers and the rest a mix between puffers and wools), two racks of women's ready to wear and about 5-6 racks of women's outerwear.

The men's section was relatively untouched with only a few shoppers. For Mackage, the leather pieces will set you back around $400 a pop, wools around $300 and puffers $350. For Kyo, pieces were retailing between $175-$200 for wools and $250 for leathers. In terms of sizing, almost all of the Mackage pieces were 40 (with the occasional 38) and medium for Kyo (with very few pieces left).

This was the first time I saw the RTW collection in person and I have to say some of the pieces were really nice. There were some great dresses available with a distinct Mackage flare including leather trims and asymmetrical zippers. The pieces were going for around $200+.

All of the action was concentrated in the women's outerwear. Leathers were going for around $330 a pop (in mostly S and M) while wools also ran around $330 (in XXS, XS and M with the occasional S and L). There were a few Soia & Kyo jackets but this sale definitely seemed to be Mackage heavy (S&K prices ran between $175-$200).

On a side note, if you are extremely petite, Mackage's outerwear is a great option (since they carry XXS). I ended up grabbing a coat for my sister who is crazy small and has the hardest time finding anything that's not made for a child.

If you're interested in getting some shopping done before Thanksgiving, the sale ends tomorrow at 6pm.

Who: Mackage/Soia & Kyo Sample Sale
What: Discounts on outerwear for men & women. Cash only!
When: November 23-24, 2010. Tues (12pm-7pm), Wed (12pm-6pm)
Where: 275 W 39th St. - 7th Floor (b/n 7th & 8th Ave)

Dirty & Dandy: Lani Love's Upcoming Events

How amazing is this flier by Austin Eustice?
Before you stuff yourself for Thanksgiving, drink up and enjoy some quality disco at The Counting Room with Dirty Diamonds, Lani Love and K!O.

If you haven't been before, be sure to try one of The Counting Room's signature cocktails. The Vanishing Sun and Sherry, Jerez, Xeres are my personal favorites.

Who: Dirty Diamonds, Lani Love & K!O
What: Curated drinks and disco
When: Wednesday, 11/24 starting at 9PM
Where: The Counting Room @ 44 Berry, Brooklyn (Bedford L)


Fine & Dandy Shop!
Our good friends at Fine & Dandy Shop are having their first ever pop-up shop next weekend at The Blind Barber in East Village. It'll be a great chance to shop for holiday gifts, and there will be lots of great festivities like shoe shines from Angelo's, shave & trim specials from The Blind Barber, $50 portraits from famed fashion illustrator and blogger Richard Haines, and DJ sets from yours truly. I'll be spinning from 4-6PM both days.

Who: Fine & Dandy with friends Lani Love, Richard Haines, Angelo's Shoe & Leather Specialists, Dandy Wellington and The Made to Measure Band
What: Dapper men's accessories like bow ties, pocket squares, cufflinks, money clips. Plus
When: Saturday & Sunday, 12/4 & 12/5 from noon-6PM
Where: The Blind Barber @ 339 East 10th St between Ave A & B

Travel Diary: London Day 1

It’s been a busy couple of days getting to London.  By incredible fortune, the couple next to me on my flight decided to move up to some empty seats on the flight for more leg room and I ended up getting 3 seats to myself on a red eye flight so I forced myself to not get sucked in by watching movies, as I would be arriving in London at 7:30am.

After what seemed like an endless queue to get through customs, I found myself in London Heathrow airport feeling utterly confused.  The problems started when I got out of the terminal and tried to use the phone.  I tried dialing for what seemed like an endless amount of time only to have the phones tell me that my cousin who was meeting me at the airport had an invalid number.  I tried the pay phone with the text messaging/email option and it not only did not work but it ate one of the few coins I had in my wallet.  Thank goodness for the kindness of strangers because a kind lady noticed my desperate frustration with sweat forming on my forehead and not only explained the British dialing system but lent me her phone and helped me to find my cousin.  Who knew you had to drop the +44 and add 0 to call local numbers?After a quick freshen up and dropping off my bags, at a friend’s house, we headed to London’s famous Borough Market by London Bridge.  Borough Market is not only a foodie’s paradise, it is a representation of the best of Britain.  It must be a source of pride as some of the finest agricultural offerings in the country alongside locally made wines, jams and mustards are sold at stands.

Meanwhile the food stalls reflect the multicultural side of London by showcasing food from some of neighboring European nations. with Swiss Raclette, Greek and Mediterranean cuisine, German sausages, cheese galore, exotic meat/eggs, fois gras, Turkish Delight - the list goes on.  The air is thick with the fragrance of stinky cheese, grilled cheeses, roasting meat, mulled wine and apple cider. 

Samples are abundant and being offered generously to all passersby's.  I had a difficult time narrowing down the options as everything was tantalizing me.  In the end I tried some Raclette, Scallops, had a bite of wild boar, Apple Cider and finished it off with some Crème Caramel.

I can’t help but notice how beautiful it all is.  Especially these flowers for sale that look even prettier than the pictures. 

After a quick nap, dinner and hitting up a couple pubs I headed over to Heaven near Charing Cross for a late night concert of 2 different X-Factor performers, including the R&B boy band, JLS.  I was waiting for them to take the stage and the night kept getting later and later.  I found myself getting more and more squashed to the point where I felt my lungs could almost not take a deep breath.  I thought New Yorkers were supposed to be pushy but they have nothing on Londoners!  The shoving began long before the bands hit the stage.  Fortunately when the music started, the pushing subsided and we were blown away by great choreography and vocals

Just wanted to share a slice of what I saw, smelled and ate on day 1.