Updates: Jodi Arnold Sample Sale

After Lani's full report on the Jodi Arnold sample sale at The Savvy space, I had to check it out for myself. Sizes ran 0-10 for most part. Those hot $50 Leather leggings have been sold out. Those amazing buckle leather jackets are gone too. There was only one size 4 left in a double zip leather jacket. However, there were plenty of colorful leather skirts left. Lovely party frocks and pretty embellished blouses are plentiful!

Actually, I have to say that personally I thought the pricing was quite excellent given the level of detail and quality of the merch. Definitely design within reach and much cheaper than you'll find on most sample sale websites for Jodi Arnold's designs.

Fortunately the sale continues and each day brings more special events and discounts giving you more reason to visit the sale. Especially tonight, this is not just a sale but a chance to relax and have a drink while offering opportunities for artists and live music! Saturday even offers a chance to meet the designer, of who I'm informed is also super sweet. Don't you love nice designers?

Thursday, February 18th
15 % off for all Students with student ID.
Open Call for Artists:
bring in a sample of your work for consideration to be exhibited at the Jodi Arnold Flagship Store.
5:30 – 7:30 pm Refreshments and Live music by artist Yuri Velez’s band, Oh You Devil.

Friday, February 19th
Spend $300 and receive a $100 gift certificate to the Jodi Arnold store at 56 University Place.
Leave your business card for the chance to win a spa treatment.
5 – 7 pm Champagne

Saturday, February 20th
Leave your business card for the chance to win a spa treatment.
2 – 4 pm Meet Jodi Arnold
Bring back your receipt from purchases made earlier in the week to receive 20% off pre-spring merchandise brought in for this sale.

**New Shipment of leather merch arrives as part of the pre-spring collection! May include some more buckled leather jackets ;)

Sunday, February 21st
Educators’ discount: An additional 15% off lowest prices

Sample Sale Report: Jodi Arnold

The Savvy is hosting a Jodi Arnold sale with merch from her namesake line, as well as MINT and Redbird.
Real leather jacket, available in black and white, only $150! Run, ladies, run. There were just a few in each size. As for the embellished top and leather skirt, both pieces are selling for $75 each.

Another leather steal, real leather leggings for $50. The top on the left $75 and the black one-shoulder dress on the right $125. I've been looking for a nice one-shoulder dress myself. I find them elegant and sassy.

Casual knit vest, available in blue and gray, and silky top, available in nude and black. If you're feeling the nude trend for spring, there were lots of nude and khaki tone pieces.

The price list is as follows: embellished dresses $125, plain dresses $99, sweaters $65, tops $75, bottoms $50, leather jackets $150, leather skirts $75.
There was a lot of merch in all sizes at deeply discounted prices. While some prices might still be a bit high for some, there are definitely some affordable gems and deals to be had.

I would recommend this sale if you're into feminine silks and embellished pieces or looking for some chunky knits and sweaters. There were lots of flirty and classy cocktail dresses and cute tops!

Who: Jodi Arnold
What: Sample Sale & Art Event. Shop merch marked up to 80% off retail.
Where: 2 Great Jones Street near Broadway
When: Wed-Sunday, February 17- 21, 2010 10am-8pm through Sat, 10am-6pm Sun

Erin in WSJ & Online Shopping Tips

I guess you never know what's going to happen in your life! Blogging + living in NYC has let me to so many unbelievable moments and opportunities that I am so very grateful for. Perhaps, through it all it's been teaching me to aim higher personally and that anything is possible with a little bit of hard work. Hope I don't sound too sentimental :)

Anyways, here at Sugar Rock Catwalk we know shopping! My previous post on being cautious with pricing on Online Sample sales got me noticed by the lovely Ms O'Connell at the Wall Street Journal and she interviewed me for the article. To read the WSJ article click here.

Special thanks to the wonderful photographer Brian Harkin who so patiently took my photo (check out a couple of the shots that weren't used his photo blog and website)!

I guess there are always things that you can't control when other people are doing the writing, but for you readers, I can honestly say that I wish the article had mentioned the blog. Also, I feel it's important to note that Lani and I are regular girls, with very ordinary budgets so we are always careful to scrutinize who or what will get our hard earned dollars.

Truth be told, I will not give up online shopping! I love the thrill I get from looking at what I could get, being educated on knowing what's out there, and what is possible for what price.

I honestly have found great bargains on Gilt Groupe, Hautelook and The Savvy but it is important when shopping online to know your size, know how the brand fits and to know what the retail of those items are before buying (if a brand you like is coming on Gilt soon, do a little internet research! I love ShopStyle for comparison shopping). It's important to consider not the perceived discount but rather the amount you would be willing to pay for an item and be happy with. Also important to consider are shipping costs which often add at least $10 to the final price and shipping time (Gilt has a 1 to 2 day turnaround in the East Coast, but both Hautelook & the Savvy can take weeks, so I only order basics or items I know I won't get sick of from them).

Remember to note sale starting times too to make sure that you have the opportunity to get the best selection! Online sample sale shopping can be very competitive and if you don't shop fast enough, items in your cart can disappear but don't rush! Great deals come to those that are patient and persistent shoppers!

Now Wearing...

Loving today's amazing NYC weather! Could I ask for a more beautiful day? I just picked up this dress earlier this week and my co-workers told me that it was on this week's People.com fashion face off between Shakira and Taylor Momsen! So random :) Interestingly I think my outfit combines elements from both their looks!

Btw if you haven't checked it out yet, just found out that the Savvy is slashing prices tomorrow :) All shoes will be an additional 50% off. There's not that much left but great prices. All Denim will be $65 a pair or 2 for $100. Torn will be reduced further except for the fur.

Plaid Tunic/Dress - Torn by Ronny Kobo via Savvy Sample Sale
Ruched Leggings - Silence & Noise, Urban Outfitters
Octoganal Heel Sandals - Stella McCartney
Leaf Pave Necklace - Rachel Leigh
Toes - OPI Pamplona Purple (from the new España Collection)
Lips - Maybelline Red Revival (snagged one at Fashion Wk, has a pretty nice velvety texture)

Sky High Mark-ups...Gilt-y or Not?

As you probably have gathered I love shopping and finding great deals on beautiful clothing. I mean, I don't mind getting down and dirty with the elbow flailing at an in-house sample sale but leading a busy life, I'm not always able to make it to a sale. Online sample sale shopping has now made this easier than ever and you can shop with the touch of a finger while sitting at your desk job during lunch. There are downsides though...you can't always know what the fit is like, you can't feel the fabrics, you pay for shipping and I always suspected there was a bit of a mark-up for the convenience. But how much are you willing to pay for convenience?

Gilt Groupe has always been one of my favorite online sample sale websites, they have great pictures, great service and super fast shipping (sometimes it only takes a day!) and I always thought some pretty great deals. I mean I did get a pair of Habituals for a mere $34 once!

In January after buying a Cacharel Eiffel Tower Sweater for $25 at an in-house sale and then seeing it on Gilt for well over $200 (I wish I could remember the exact price and had a screen shot) shortly after I began to question if buying items on Gilt was really that great of a deal. I shrugged it off that with in person, perhaps you are just cutting out the middle man. Lately there has been a lot of controversy with Gilt's pricing over Sofia Cashmere aka "Scarfgate". And I understand that they work off the manufacturer's suggested retail price in most cases but today I had another revelation.

I was so excited that Gilt was selling Bensoni today as Bensoni is a young design team I love love love, but I was shocked when I saw they price that they were selling the Betty Flapper Dress for, $198. Why? Because last December at the Gen Art event they were selling the same dress for about $170, and this past March I picked up the same dress on theSavvy.com's online sample sale for a $70. The reason the comparison is so jarring to me is that both are online sample sales! I am not comparing in-house to online but online to online!

The Savvy is not as user friendly, the photography not as thorough and shipping took quite a while but overall the savings were significant. Also to note, as time passes fashion clothing does not usually go up in value from the previous season, I will have already had 6 months of wear out of my dress before any of those who ordered from Gilt today will get their shipment.

I am assuming The Savvy Co made some form of profit selling the merch to me at $70, so that leads me to believe that Gilt made an additional $128 in mark-up. Is convenience and fast shipping really worth double the cost compared to another sample sale website? I work in the fashion industry too so I understand that mark-up is important but at what point does making mark-up become greed? Interestingly enough though the manufacturer's suggested price differed on the websites being $646 on Savvy's site and $561 on Gilt. What is the real MSRP?

Will I shop again on Gilt? Of this I am sure, but I also know that I'll be wary and proceed with caution. In the meantime I'll be watching you Gilt. Anyone else have any experiences to share?