Above the Fray: Belt Deals and Bag Frenzy at YSL Sale

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As of 9:30 this morning it was still raining, and the line for the YSL Sample Sale was still all the way down the block. People are only being let into the building in small groups, so the line-standers will be standing in line for awhile and it's not too crowded upstairs at the sale. But today we learned that you don't need a crowd for chaos, just some handbags.

There were tons of straw bags and fabric totes that no one really cared about, but whenever someone came out to restock the leather bags, shoppers descended on the hapless salesperson like piranhas. It looked like a fight or two might break out when two people grabbed a bag at the same time, but they tended to resolve with a grumpy capitulation and one shopper would leave with the bag and the other would gripe at her back. The belles of the ball were definitely the Muse II and the reversible Double, both $450 for $450 and $700, respectively. There were some white Muse bags available, but be careful with anything white at the sale, because a lot of them had some marks.

Bags are being restocked, but there is no predictable schedule. Every once in awhile a salesperson will come out with however many he or she could carry. There is a posted two handbag limit, but people were walking around with armloads. For shopping technique, the saleswoman we spoke to recommended just standing next to the bag table until someone came out to restock, and then being fast, because people are seriously grabby over there. The staff is really friendly and helpful.

Everyone was focused on the bags, so the clothes were largely being overlooked. There are plenty of skirts for $250, dresses for $300, jackets for $400, and everything was sorted by size and relatively orderly. Yes, there was an occasional 6 in with the 4s, but in general everything was in order and easy to find. There were multiple racks for sizes 34, 36 and 38. Size 40 and 42 were a gold mine. Menswear was limited, but if you're looking for a sorbet-colored suit, they can hook you up. There is a dressing room for women, but not for the guys.

There were lots of women's shoes in sizes 6, 7 and 10, but the 8.5s were largely picked over. Styles were limited, though. Mostly wedges and some less-desirable heels. We only saw 2 pair of boots in the whole store, and they looked pretty slutty. Belts were the stealth deal of the sale, priced at $50 apiece with a buy-two-get-one-free deal, so 3 YSL belts for $100.

Update: The men's sale was kind of a bust. The men's shoes were very limited unless you specifically wanted a pair of red suede slip-ons. The guy's section was relegated to a corner of the store and there wasn't a whole ton there. We didn't notice any coats, but we may have been blinded by a creamsicle-colored blazer. If we'd waited a couple hours in the rain for the guy's clothes, we'd have been sorely disappointed.
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