Bad news for those of you who haven’t made it inside the Jil Sander sample sale in Soho today… just a couple of hours into the sale and the merchandise was quickly dwindling, especially for men. And there were plenty of them in line this morning. The wait was ridiculous! Even if you got there at 9am, you had to invest several hours just to get upstairs. The problem was the security guard was only letting in 5 people at a time.
Inside, the scene was fairly calm. That’s because it was empty (about a dozen shoppers when I got there). Everyone was outside waiting in line! Unlike last season’s sale, security did not check invitations. I spoke with a couple of frustrated shoppers who mentioned that since this was pegged as an invitation-only sale, they could have at least allowed those with invitations inside before the crashers. Another problem and why the selection was picked through: loads of hoarders. There were a number of people walking out with six or more large shopping bags (eBay?).
As for merchandise… Clothing & shoes are 85% off retail and accessories such as handbags and belts are 80% off. Don’t expect to find much spring/summer stuff. Sale organizers are getting rid of the overstock from fall/winter. So think coats, wool sweaters, pants and jackets. I’ll start with the men’s goods since there’s not much left (don’t bother waiting in line if you still have not made it inside by now!). When I left this afternoon there were just a couple of racks of clothing (velvet suits, quilted jackets, shirts) and a measly stack of wool sweaters.
Now to women’s merch… I go to this sale for the accessories. In the past, I’ve found great handbags and wallets. This time, the selection was disappointing. Looking at the handbags, I spotted nothing special (check out the photos). As for apparel, there were plenty of coats, jackets, dresses, pants and sweaters. The shoe selection was fairly limited. However, they had several nice flat shoes/boots and platform pumps (check out the photos for those items).
As for pricing,there were signature Jil Sander wool dresses for $251 (was $1,675) and $351 (was $2,345); quilted button up top at $90 (was $600); black button up long-sleeved shirt for $75 (was $495); ski knit hoodie (bright colors) for $162 (was $1,080); orange cashmere cardigan for $146 (was $975); black cashmere hoodie for $147 (was $980); long & short quilted coat $222 (was $1,480); long wool coat for $457 (was $3,045); leather coat $506 (was $3,375); bomber jacket was $506 (was $4,675); Flat ankle boots for $119 (was $795).
If you are planning to go to the sale before the end of the day… head over there now! In the past, they’ve stopped admitting people inside at 5:15pm. Another note: a sales associate informed me that they will not be restocking. All the merchandise is apparently out on the floor.
Where/When: 8 Crosby St. (b/w Howard & Grand St.), 4th Floor. April 24-28. Daily (10-6p).
Thanks for the details,! I’ve wanted that hoodie for awhile. Also love the short sleeve jacket. Hope it’s there on saturday
why i will never go back to cynthia steffe
last time they let 5 women in for 20 minutes alone -same family from long island-they piled all the clothes on floor in one heap and they wouldn’t let anyone near the clothes. By the time anyone let in they cleared out all racks …they rin it for everybody as thsi is why sample sales have to hire middlemen and increase prices
hermes, ysl etc..
Thanks Sally
I agree – the sale is totally picked over – not much left. I made it to jil sander yesterday before closing. Had to wait on line for over an hour and there wasn’t much there. The bags were pretty much gone – only a few nylon makeup bags left. I got the last pair of shoes . I asked the staff if they were planning to restock and I was told maybe Friday. Who knows – I wouldn’t head over there – they let only about 5 people in at a time and the place was practically empty when I got in. I don’t get it.