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Last night's preview of the Diesel sample sale, which opens to the public today, was teeming with fans of the brand who all seemed to have one thing in mind: leather. Almost every person we spotted—male or female—was trying on at least one of this sale's many leather jackets. For women, options include everything from the Kolli ($175) to the Diesel Black Gold Lardet, a classic moto-style jacket with the added bonus of a detachable, sheer train ($321). For men, designs range from the everyday to the truly extravagant (like a navy blue suede number that must be seen to be believed, for $608).
Don't forget to bring your calculator (or prepare to keep your calculator app handy). Everything at this sale is 75% off retail, but all of the items still have their original price tags, so you'll have to do some number-crunching to figure out how surprised you should be when you make it to the register.
The men's section is to the left of the bag check, and separated from the women's area by tables stacked with bins of men's and women's jeans organized by size. The denim bins are clearly labeled with style name and fit information, making shopping a breeze if you're familiar with Diesel's roster. We spotted the Livier (women's super-slim low-rise, $40-$50), the Waykee (men's regular straight leg, $42-$82), the Krayver (men's 'carrot' fit, $50-$82), the Grupee (women's super-slim low-rise, $45-$75), and the Thavar (men's low-waist skinny, $59-$82) in a variety of washes, among others. If none of these are your style (or you hate bin rummaging), there are additional denim offerings on the racks, though these were mostly of the embellished or specialty variety. A spangly, studded pair with zippers was on offer ($231 retail), as was the multicolor Papryl (retail $134).
Otherwise, Diesel seems to have something for every fan of their aesthetic, from sweatshirts to furry leather vests, and many of the items available here are still on their website. Be aware, though, that the women's merchandise seems to skew small, with very few larges in the mix, while the men's runs the full gamut, size-wise (we even spotted some XXL's). Maybe this explains why, more so than usual, there seemed to be a lot of ladies migrating over to the men's half of the sale to peruse their selection of tees and sweaters. Unfortunately for the women hoping for footwear, the only shoes available here were men's.
You'll find accessories (cell phone cases, hats, etc) by the register, along with bags (like a lovely studded bucket style for $300, or a cubist top-handle design for $90), and mirrors scattered throughout to compensate for the lack of dressing rooms. Staff confirmed that they will be restocking (though no word on which items), but wavered on additional markdowns (an emphatic "the prices are already so low!" evolved into a "maybe towards the end... check back in later" pretty quickly). The sale runs through 5pm on Saturday, November 8th.—Joanna Smolenski
· Dealfeed: Diesel [Racked NY]
· 58 New York City Sample Sales to Shop in November [Racked NY]
· Samples Sales [Racked NY]
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