Get out your tasers…it’s sample sale mania

In these troubled economic times, we are being bombarded with more offers, specials and deals than we have ever seen before. My advice: milk them for all they’re worth! A great way to explore the sales is to bring along a personal shopper who can throw elbows on your behalf and dig for the best deals at the stores you love. As always, my services are available and you should feel free to contact me if you are interested in letting someone else do the dirty work.

Below you will find an aggregate list of NYC sample sales sorted by date. Don’t blame me if you go broke…I’m just the messenger:

· Virtual sale: Farantino Designer Handbags (40% off Gucci, Fendi, Prada, Alexander McQueen, Dolce & Gabbana…)
BY INVITATION ONLY
Call 866.890.1241 for invitation access code
· Dec. 6 – Dec. 7: Catherine Holstein (90% off retail prices)
213 W 35^th St (bw/ 7^th and 8^th Ave), 7^th Floor
Sat, 10am – 6pm; Sun, noon – 6pm
*CASH OR CHECK ONLY*
· Dec. 7 – Dec. 11: Frette (up to 80% off bed, bath, accessories…)
Soiffer Haskin – 317 W 33^rd St (just west of 8^th Ave)
Sun – Wed, 9am – 6:30pm; Thurs, 9am – 5pm
718.747.1656
· Dec. 8 – Dec. 10: Edite Showroom (dresses and bags start at $50)
134 W 29^th St (b/w 6^th and 7^th Ave), Studio 709
10am – 7pm daily
· Dec. 8 – Dec. 11: Alice + Olivia
261 W 36^th St (b/w 7^th and 8^th Ave), 2^nd Floor
Mon/Wed, 10am – 6pm; Tues/Thurs, 10am – 7pm
· Dec. 8 – Dec. 12: Minnie Rose (50-80% off cashmere)
264 W 40^th St (b/w 7^th and 8^th Ave), 15^th Floor
10am – 6pm daily
212.575.5766
· Dec. 8 – Dec. 12: Vivienne Westwood
Scatola Showroom – 544 W 27^th St (b/w 7^th and 8^th Ave), 6^th Floor
10am – 8pm daily
212.371.2777 ext. 326
· Dec. 8 – Dec. 12: Prairie New York
250 W 39^th St (b/w 7^th and 8^th Ave), Suite 404
11am – 7pm daily
212.391.4700
*CASH ONLY*
· Dec. 9 – Dec. 11: Lauren Merkin (up to 70% off bags, clutches…)
231 W 29^th St (b/w 7^th & 8^th Ave), Suite 201
11am – 7pm daily
212.239.2459
· Dec. 9 – Dec. 13: Diane Von Furstenberg
260 Fifth Ave (b/w 28^th and 29^th St)
Tues, 9am – 6:30pm
Wed, 9am – 8pm
Thurs, 9am – 7pm
Fri, 9am – 5:30pm
Sat, 9am – 3pm
· Dec. 10 – Dec. 11: The Globe Showroom
263 W 38^th St (b/w 7^th and 8^th Ave)
Noon – 7pm daily
· Dec. 10 – Dec. 12: Catherine Malandrino (up to 75% off)
145 W 18^th St (b/w 6^th and 7^th Ave)
Wed, 8am – 8pm; Thurs/Fri, 10am – 8pm
· Dec. 10 – Dec. 12: Furla Handbags and Shoes (first ever sample sale)
552 7^th Ave (b/w 39^th and 40^th St), 5^th Floor
10am – 6:30pm daily
· Dec. 10 – Dec. 12: By Francine
231 W 39^th St (b/w 7^th and 8^th Ave), Room 602
Wed/Thurs, 10am – 6pm, Fri, 10am – 7pm
· Dec. 11 – 12: Nanette Lepore (50% and more on dresses, pants, shoes…)
225 W 35^th St (near 7^th Ave), 9^th Floor
9am – 6pm daily
212.764.8810
· Dec. 11 – Dec. 12: Proenza Schouler
120 Walker Street (b/w Centre and Baxter St), 6^th Floor
9am – 6pm daily
· Dec. 11 – Dec. 13: Alexander Wang
386 Broadway (b/w Walker and White St), 6^th Floor
Thurs, 3pm – 7pm; Fri/Sat, 10am – 7pm
· Dec. 11 – Dec. 13: Iisli
25 Bond St (b/w Bowery and Lafayette St)
11am – 8pm daily
· Dec. 11 – Dec. 13: Julie Haus and VPL
39 W 38^th St (b/w 5^th and 6^th Ave)
11am – 7pm daily
· Dec. 13 ONLY: Vera Wang Bridal and Bridesmaids
New Yorker Hotel – 481 8^th Ave (corner of 34^th St)
9am – 5pm
· Dec. 13 – Dec. 17: TSE (up to 80% off cashmere)
Soiffer Haskin – 317 W 33^rd St (just west of 8^th Ave)
9am – 7pm daily
718.747.1656
· Dec. 17 – Dec. 21: Tory Burch
261 W 36^th St (b/w 7^th and 8^th Ave), 2^nd Floor
Wed/Thurs, 10am – 7pm; Fri, 10am – 6pm; Sat/Sun, 11am – 5pm
· Dec. 19 – Dec. 21: Carolina Herrera
Soiffer Haskin – 317 W 33^rd St (just west of 8^th Ave)
9am – 6:30pm daily
718.747.1656

N.B.: There is some false information going around about a whole bunch of sales, including many of the ones listed above. I diligently checked each one before posting it so that I could pass on accurate information, and I did not post any sales that I could not verify. If you have received e-mail forwards alerting you to a whole mess of sales, you might want to cross check them with those listed above, as well as with the following info that I got from companies that were listed in e-mails but aren’t even having sample sales. Behold:

· Balenciaga: NEVER has sample sales. Their ready-to-wear and shoes are 40% off through the holidays, but their fabulous Motorcycle bag is not now nor will it be on sale.

· Blue and Cream: Both locations are on sale through the holidays – no sample sale.

· Stella McCartney: 40% off fall and winter merchandise through Jan. 31 – no sample sale.

A note of caution for you sample sale rookies: stay sharp. I will never forget the time that I took a possibly misdirected upper cut to the face over a bag at a Kate Spade sample sale. I wasn’t even sure if I was going to buy the bag, but as I came up from the swarm of people that descended upon the box from which the items were being unpacked and took a shot to the mug, I decided that no matter what, I would need to purchase the bag just so that the C-U-Next-Tuesday who had popped me didn’t get her overly aggressive hands on it. So sample sale-ing virgins beware: it’s a jungle out there. Kill or be killed. Happy shopping!