Sample Sale Report: Mackage/Soia & Kyo

Stopped by the Mackage sale on my way home from work today at Chelsea Market. The weather has been so whack this entire winter (not that I'm complaining!) that there seemed to be a ton of stock at this sale.  Mackage will always have a special place in my retail heart - mainly because it's Canadian and one of the first outerwear brands that made me stop and go wow - I want/need/gotta have that!

The space is pretty gargantuan and spans 1.5 levels and is comprised mostly of womens outerwear (there's a few mens racks and a couple of womens RTW racks as well).  The merch is fairly organized with the exception of menswear - which is scattered on either side of the space in different racks (not the smartest if you ask me).

Sample Sales This Week: March 12-18, 2012

Who: Escada Sample Sale
What: Up to 90% off womenswear.
When: March 11-14, 2012. Sun 9am-6pm, Mon-Wed 10am-7pm
Where: 317 W 33rd St (near 8th Ave)

Who: Project Runway All Stars Sample Sale

What: Up to 80% off threads from Jerrell Scott, Kara Janx, Mondo Guerra, Michael Costello, Rami Kashou and Mila Hermanovski.  Prices start at $25.

When: March 14, 2012. 11am-6pm.

Where: 242 W 36th St. - 8th floor (b/n 7th & 8th Ave)

Who: Handbag Sample Sale
What: Discounts on leather and vinyl totes, hobos, satchels and wallets from Perlina, Mariposa, Plum & Nica.  CASH only and please bring your own shopping bags!
When: March 14-16, 2012. 10am-3pm
Where: 10 W 33rd St - Suite 210 (b/n 5th & 6th Ave)

Who: Giles & Brother Sample Sale
What: Discounts on great accessories.
When: March 15-17, 2012.  Starts at 10AM on March 15 and lasts 48 hours.
Where: Online

Who: Mackage and Soia & Kyo Sample Sale

What: Score deep discounts on one of Sugar Rock Catwalk's fave Canadian outerwear labels.

When: March 15-18, 2012. Thurs-Fri 10am-9pm, Sat-Sun 10am-7pm

Where: 75 9th Ave (b/n 15th & 16th St) - Chelsea Market

Who: Tusk Sample Sale

What: 50%-70% off leather bags and accessories for women, men and travel.  All regularly priced merch is 15%.

When: March 16-24, 2012. 11am-7pm (closed Sunday March 18, 2012)

Where: 242 W 26th St (b/n 7th & 8th Ave)

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)

Sample Sales This Week: November 22-28, 2010

Last week's barrage of sample sales has calmed down this week just in time for Thanksgiving. There's a couple of sales going on this week with Mackage being my go to sale for the week!

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)

Who: Jay Godfrey Sample Sale

What: Up to 85% off fall and holiday collections.

When: November 22-23, 2010. 10am-6pm

Where: 333 W 39th St (b/n 8th & 9th Ave)

Ongoing Sales:
Who: Heike Jarick Sample Sale
What: 40-80% off womenswear from The German born designer is known for timeless designs, impeccable draping of modal jersey and incredible fit.
When: November 16-24, 2010. As well as Black Friday, November 26th. Mon-Fri 10am-7pm, Saturday 11am-6pm, Sunday and Thanksgiving closed
Where: 262 West 38th Street, Suite 503 (b/n 7th & 8th Ave)

Who: Portolono Sample Sale
What: Discounts on cashmere hats, gloves, sweaters and scarves for both men & women.
When: November 18-19, 22-23, 2010. Thurs-Fri, Mon-Tues 10am-6pm.
Where: 15 West 37th St (b/n 5th & 6th Ave) 2nd Floor. (212)719-4403

A Little Piece of Home...

I've been home for the past week and when I compare NYC to my home in Toronto, NYC has my hometown beat in almost every category from food, to shopping, to nightlife and entertainment.

But thankfully, Toronto has a couple things that outshine NYC....

#1 Chinese food:

Chinese food in NY is just plain bad. It's wrong on so many levels....which is something I just don't understand. Food in general is AMAZING in NY whether it's Venezuelan food from Arepa Arepa, southern food from Pies'N'Thighs, Japanese soba from Soba-ya, and the list goes on and on. Everything is stellar except for Chinese food which is sub-par.

A few weeks ago, I ordered delivery from a dumpling place that had great reviews on GrubHub and I seriously couldn't eat it and chucked it. I can eat whatever is in front of me usually and hate wasting food but I literally couldn't eat what I ordered. Nasty.

Here's what Chinese food is supposed to look/taste like....

#2 Soia & Kyo & Mackage

Excluding sample sales in NY, Mackage/Soia & Kyo merch in Canada retails below what it does in NY since it's a Canadian based company (go Canada!). I've been scouring NY for the new KYO line (click here to see our previous post on the line) but haven't been able to find it anywhere.

Toronto Eaton's Centre

Low and behold, the very first mall I hit up in Toronto carried the line which was awesome to see in person. Quality wise - Kyo's wool are ok. They're not the best but they're not terrible. Their puffers on the other hand are amazingly warm. I was getting really hot just trying it on in the store so I picked one up for myself for this winter.

The puffy jackets have some great detailing including multiple zippered pockets (all lined with fleece for added warmth), removable hood and a removable elastic piece that lets you wear your jacket like a backpack when you're indoors. When carrying the jacket like a backpack it looks a bit awkward but it frees up both of your arms up which is super practical.

Kyo Part II: The Full Line

An mentioned in a previous post, Soia & Kyo will be introducing a new men's line named Kyo this fall that I'm uber excited for. Mackage (S&K's sister line) is one of my all time favorite lines for men's outerwear - but at roughly $650-$750 a piece, its often not the most affordable option out there... Needless to say, when the folks at Soia & Kyo emailed to let me know that there would be a men's line this year - I was stoked. While pricing isn't stated, my guess is that the pieces will cost about 1/2 of their fancier counterparts (consistent with the women's lines).

Here's a peek at all of the different styles that are set to hit stores in the fall with my personal faves from each category.

The Wools:

Of the three styles, I personally dig the Edi - I have a thing for cuff detailing on jackets. The Maverick would be my second pick.

The Leathers:

Both of these are great pieces but Kert wins this round - great ribbing detail at the waist and cuff.

The Puffers:

Puffers are always a bit tricky. They're definitely warmer than wool but bulkier in a marshmallow-esque kind of way. The Vinny takes my pick as it combines warmth and appeal while minimizing the bulk factor.

The Reversible:

Not too crazy about the puffer side but the other side is pretty decent. Two for the price of one! For all the Canadian readers - this reminds me of a male version of the infamous TNA winter jacket from Aritzia.

Accessories:

Can't forget about the hands! I never really sport gloves in the winter for some reason but if I did, I'd opt for Henry over Owen.

In terms of colours, each style has a couple to choose from:

• wools mostly come in black and charcoal (the Danen style has an extra colour which is a speckled grey shown above)
• leathers come in black and espresso
• puffers come in black, espresso, and carbon
• gloves come in black and espresso

Also, if you'd like a copy of the fall/winter lookbook - just flip over an email to SugarRockMan (at) gmail (dot) com and I'll send it out.

Sample Sale Report: Mackage, Soia & Kyo

So I meant to go to today's Soia & Kyo / Mackage Sample Sale but there was a big line out the building door and after waiting for a 15 min or so I decided I should go back to the office as I only have a 30 min lunch break. Fortunately my good friend Jeff is in town and helped me snap some pics and write a report to share with you all! Hurray!

The Line:

Waited in line for about 15 minutes to get into the sale. There were quite a few people but it was still comfortable to navigate through the space and check out the merchandise. No line when I left!

Mens Report:
There were two racks of mens jackets mostly made up of leathers and packables from the spring line. The leathers were mostly black, brown and creme and sizes were mostly 38 or 40. There were also a couple of black trenches from last spring ($350). Prices on the packables were about $130, leathers were around $430, and the trenches were in the mid $300 range.

Women's Report:
There were about 10 racks of women's jackets (about 3 of them were from Soia & Kyo). For the mackage jackets, there were lots of leathers (mostly black), some spring jackets in black and creme (including some packables) and a few winter jackets from the winter collection. Prices ranged from the mid $200s for the spring jackets while the leathers started around $350 and up. Lots of XS and some L were also in stock. XXS, S & M were available in limited quantities.

For the Soia & Kyo jackets, again there were quite a few leather pieces, spring jackets and some winter coats. The leathers were around $200 and came in quite a few colors including black, brown, olive and a deep purple. The spring jackets were mostly neutral tones (black, greys, and cremes). Lots of XS and some L were also in stock. XXS, S & M were available in limited quantities.

Who: Soia & Kyo, Mackage and Candela Sample Sale
What: Most likely 50% off on great outerwear and shoes
When: May 24-25, 2010. Mon-Tues noon-7pm
Where: 275 West 39th St, 7th Floor (b/n 7th & 8th Ave)

Sample Sales This Week NYC: May 24-30, 2010

Who: Soia & Kyo, Mackage and Candela Sample Sale
What: Most likely 50% off on great outerwear and shoes
When: May 24-25, 2010. Mon-Tues noon-7pm
Where: 275 West 39th St, 7th Floor (b/n 7th & 8th Ave)

Who: Kieselstein-Cord Sample Sale
What: Womens and Mens Jewelry & Accessories. Kieselstien-Cord's signature handbags, sterling silver jewelry, belt buckles and straps. Handbags for day and evening in a wide array of colors, fabrications and styles-all with the finest detail. Sterling Silver Jewelry, including bracelets, rings, necklaces and earrings will also be at the sale. Prices are up to 70% off and range from $150 to $1,500.
When:May 25-27, 2010. Tues-Thurs 9am-5pm
Where: 119 West 40 Street (b/n 6th Avenue - Broadway) 18th Floor. 212.764.6140

Who: W29 Showroom Sample Sale
What: Designer sale on Ashish, Rodebjer, Dagmar, Margarita Saplala, The Local Firm, Fin, and Alexander Koutny.
When: May 21-24. Fri 10am-6pm, Sat-Sun noon-4pm, Mon 10am-6pm
Where: 208 West 29th Street, Suite 201, (b/n 7th and 8th avenues) 212-563-0163.

Who: Be & D Sample Sale
What: 30-75% off handbags, footwear and small accessories
When: May 25-27, 2010. Tues-Thurs 9am-7pm
Where: 35 West 36th Street, 10 floor (b/n 5th & 6th Ave)

Who: Cynthia Rowley Memorial Day Weekend Sale
What: Enjoy up to 70% off merchandise!
When: May 28-31, 2010. Fri-Sat 10am-9pm, Sun 11am-8pm, Mon 10am-8pm.
Where: 376 Bleecker Street (b/n Perry and Charles); 212-242-3803

Who: James Jeans Sample Sale
What: Men's and Women's denim for $15-90! Women's sizes 23-32. Men's sizes 29-40
When: May 25-28, 2010. Tues & Thurs 9am-7:30pm, Wed 10am-5:30pm, Fri 10am-2pm
Where:500 Greenwich St b/n Spring and Canal Sts, Suite#202 (212-221-4603)
5.25 - 5.28. Cash & Credit Cards Accepted

Who: Ali Ro Sample Sale
What: Over 65% off Spring/Summer blouses, dresses, jackets and shorts. Cash only and all sales final.
When: May 26-27, 2010. Wed 8:30am-6:30pm, Thurs 8:30am-6pm
Where: 530 Seventh Avenue (at 39th Street), 14th Floor

Who: Lyell Closing Sale
What: Cult brand Lyell is closing shop. Grab some Spring 2010 and other remaining stock at up to 60% off.
When: Now through stock runs out or May 31, 2010.
Where: 173 Elizabeth Street (at Spring Street) 212-966-8484.

Sample Sales This Week NYC: May 17-23, 2010

Who: Pono Sample Sale
What: With items starting at $5 and up to 80% off retail on a large selection of necklaces, chokers, belts, bracelets, and much more!
When: May 17-21, 2010. Mon-Fri 9am-6pm
Where: 132 West 36 St, 8th Floor

Who: Paula Varsalona Sample Sale
What: Up to 75% off bridal collection. No appointment necessary
When: May 13-20,2010. Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-3pm. Sun Closed
Where: 1375 Broadway, 5th Floor (b/n 37th & 38th St)

Who: Yigal Azrouel Sample Sale
What: Up to 75% off current Women's and Men's Spring Resort merchandise. Dresses was $865, now $250. Tops was $525, now $150. Knits was $815, now $240. Pants was $360, now $100. Gowns was $1420, now $425. Scarves was $255, now $75.
When: May 18-20, 2010. Tues-Thurs 9am-7pm
Where: 225 West 39th Street, 7th Floor (b/n 7th & 8th Ave)

Who: Eberjey
What: Reduced prices on lingerie, swim and mini collections!
When: May 18-19, 2010. Tues 8:30am-7pm, Wed 9am-5pm
Where: 231 West 39th street (b/n 7th & 8th Ave)

Who: Nanette Lepore
What: Skirts are $95 (reg. $195-$295), pants are $95 (reg. $210-$295), and dresses are $150 (reg. $335-$595).
When: May 18-20, 2010. Tues-Thurs 9am-7pm
Where: 225 West 35th St, 4th Floor (b/n 7th & 8th Ave)

Who: Colette Malouf
What: Hair accessories and jewelry up to 70% off! Headbands now $40 (was $150) and Accessories now $10 (was $175).
When: May 19-20, 2010. Wed-Thurs 10am-8pm
Where: 594 Broadway, suite 1216 (b/n Houston & Prince St)212-941-9588

Who: Noir
What: Statement jewelry, including pavé octopus ring and stackable pyramid rings, at up to 80% off.
When: May 19-21, 2010. Wed-Fri 10am-7pm
Where: 350 West 38th St, 5th floor (b/n 8th & 9th Ave)

Who: Melissa Shoes
What: Stylish plastic shoes designed by Vivienne Westwood, Alexandre Herchcovitch, and others are now $20-$150.
When: May 19-22, 2010. Wed-Sat noon-8pm
Where: 520 West 27th St, suite 601 (b/n 10th & 11th Ave)

Who: Araks
What: Up to 75 percent off clothing and lingerie, and swim sets are $40 (reg. $228).
When: May 20-21, 2010. Thurs 8:30am-7:30pm, Fri 9:30am-6:30pm
Where: 137 Grand St, 5th Floor (b/n Crosby & Lafayette St)

Who: VPL
What: 40-70% OFF Regular Prices!!! Including: Bras, Panties, Tanks, Summer Dresses, Knits, Lingerie, LD Tuttle Shoes, Sandals, Swimwear and Rare Runway Pieces.
When: May 20-21, 2010. Thurs-Fri noon-8pm
Where: 39 West 38th Street (b/n 5th and 6th Ave)

Who: Nicholas K Sample Sale
What: Sale features collections by Nellie Partow, Candace Ang and Cardigan by Lynne.
When: May 20-23, 2010. Thurs-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat 11am-6pm, Sun 11am-4pm
Where: 2 Great Jones Street (between Broadway and Lafayette).

Who: Steven Alan New York Sample Sale
What: 30-75% off a wide selection of Spring 2010 Steven Alan men's, women's and children's collections along with other designers. 100% Cotton Poplin Shirts in Solids and Plaids - Originally $168, Now $68. Stonewashed "Naval Pants" - Originally $198, Now $79. Cotton Pleated "Ella Skirt" - Originally $168, Now $69. Cotton Gathered Neck, Button Front "Izzy Dress" - Originally $225, Now $109.
When: May 20-23, 2010. Thurs-Fri 8:30am-8pm, Sat noon-7pm, Sun noon-5pm
Where: 87 Franklin Street(b/n Broadway and Church) 212.343.0692

Who: Young Designers - Sally Tseng, Cammie Hill, and others
What: women's apparel, handbags, jewelry, espadrilles, pillows
Where: 409 W 39th Street (store off 9th Avenue, between 9th & 10th Avenues) 212-868-1881
When: Thurs May 20th - Sun May 24th, 10am - 7pm

Upcoming Sales:
Who: Be & D Sample Sale
What: 30-75% off handbags, footwear and small accessories
When: May 25-27, 2010. Tues-Thurs 9am-7pm
Where: 35 West 36th Street, 10 floor (b/n 5th & 6th Ave)

Who: Soia & Kyo, Mackage and Candela Sample Sale
What: Most likely 50% off on great outerwear and shoes
When: May 24-25, 2010. Mon-Tues noon-7pm
Where: 275 West 39th St, 7th Floor (b/n 7th & 8th Ave)

Soia & Kyo to Launch Menswear Line KYO

UPDATE:

I've just got a first look at some of the new styles for KYO thanks to the lovely Megan! What do you think of them? The first look above is actually a reversible down jacket!

As I've mentioned previously I am a huge fan of Soia & Kyo, the younger more affordable sister line of outerwear specialist Mackage. This line has until now only been available for women much to the chagrin of my shop savvy male friends. Thanks to the email below that my friend Jeff received, I now know that they are planning to launch a menswear line called KYO for Fall 2010 to hit this August.

On a side note...I had to share the email because check out the response time. It only took 3 years and 5 months to get a reply!!! Slowest response ever and sort of amazing because who can really keep track of emails that old?

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Soia & Kyo - Toronto
Date: Tue, May 11, 2010 at 4:52 PM
Subject: RE: Men's Jackets
To: Jeffrey C.


Hi Jeffrey,

We have launched a new collection for Men called KYO. The debut will be
this coming August for FW10.

Happy Shopping!

Kelly

-----Original Message-----
From: Jeffrey C. [mailto:jeff@email.com]
Sent: Saturday, January 13, 2007 12:30 PM
To: toronto@soiakyo.com
Subject: Men's Jackets

Hi i was wondering if the men's jackets are on sale anywhere in
the GTA area.

Thanks.

Sample Sale Report Dec 2009: Mackage

Stopped by the Mackage/Soia & Kyo Sale over lunch today and to my delight I found it to be fairly empty with only a handful of shoppers, so it was definitely easy to navigate around the spacious, well lit showroom featuring fabulous leather, windbreakers, trenches, puffers and wool jackets for both Men & Women.

To note the showroom requires coat check, the elevator is a little slow and it's cash only. There is a Chase bank located conveniently across the street to hop by if you're not crunched for time and figure out what it is you want to spend first :) There are also a couple of huge mirrors that make it easy to see how the coats look on.

For the Mackage label there were no puffers left for women as they were the hot item that sold out the first morning of the sale! But if you're in need of any other form of outerwear, it's here.

Here are some of the prices I spyed. Wool Coat $275, Trench$248, Nylon Windbreakers $135, Leather $349. Luxe long shearling coats were definitely the most expensive item at the sale at 50% off $2640.

For women they have sizes XXS to L available but most prevalent sizing is in the XS-S category. As the with the previous sale, everything was 50% off retail.

The leather jacket on the right was a definite hot seller priced at 50% off $649.

On the cheaper end of the spectrum was the Soia & Kyo coats. Perhaps they sold out but they didn't have as many multiples in styles as the Mackage brand. Puffers for $138, Wool for $175 to 198, Leather $220 (?). These feature great styling, but slightly thinner fabrics (than Mackage) and no leather trims but still high quality and fun detailing for about 1/2 the price of Mackage. I actually picked up the purple puffer with the toggles on it to keep me warm in the coming winter months!

For men they have sizes 38 to 44 available but 38 and 40 are the most prevalent. There are about 3 racks of mens outerwear including 1 1/2 racks of leather, 1 wool rack and 1/2rack of puffers.

A couple of the men's wool coats that were available. I really liked the plaid one with the cable knit sweater collar! I believe it was around $375.

While it's not the cheapest sale ever, I think it's still a great price for high quality, super stylish outerwear that will get you compliments year after year (I speak from experience!). It's a pleasant shopping experience with loads of outerwear choices. Go if you're a size XS/S woman or a size 38/40 man. Tomorrow is the last day!

Who: Mackage and Soia & Kyo
What: Fall & Winter coats up to 50% off. Cash Only
Where: 275 West 39th St (b/n 7th & 8th Ave) 7th floor
When: December 15-17, 2009. Tues-Thurs 11am-7pm