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A tan, polished army took over the Metropolitan Pavilion at 110 W. 19th Street in Chelsea today to shop the racks of spring and summer Intermix gear at up to 70% off. The sale looked deceptively quiet: There was no line to get in, but when we left, around 12:30, lunchtime shoppers had formed a serious queue waiting to pay. If you try to stop by on your lunch break tomorrow, allot at least half an hour for payment.
We found both the denim and the blazer selections inspiring. Unlike many S/S sales, the denim section had jeans that would actually make sense for fall. (It also had tons of high-waisted Gray Ant jeans for $69, suggesting that Intermix shoppers never fully embraced that particular trend.) Denim by Chloe and Stella McCartney was hidden away in the designer section and priced at what you'd expect to pay for more mass-market "designer" brands like True Religion. We spotted a whole row of high-waisted Stella McCartney's down to $99 (from $345), not far from another gaggle of her blazers, basic but structured in black, for $159 (down from $895.) Another rack of blazers had more colorful options, like a slate-blue schoolboy number from Elizabeth and James for $149 and a completely ridiculous but strangely adorable Blair Waldorf-worthy striped jacket from Raven Tailored for $129.
Stella and Chloe dominated everywhere, but we also saw scads of Michael Kors, particularly in the shoe section, and a certain Prince zip-up top in black and white for $149 was well-nigh ubiquitous. The broke might appreciate a small but well-priced collection of wide belts which, if deployed strategically, could conceivably make an entire fall wardrobe look current; the less broke would do well with a form-fitting Proenza Schouler ruffled sheath dress, once $2195 and now $359. Oddly, the biggest hit—judging from the women in line—seemed to be Matthew Williamson's beaded tunics, down to $199 from $1375, which were adorably flashy but also seemed impossible to wear. At $1176 off, though, presumably one could learn.