Above the Fray: The Complete History of L.A.M.B.

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

When we heard that Savvy was doing a sample sale of Gwen Stefani's L.A.M.B. and Harajuku Lovers purses (along with bags by Kidrobot, which aren't by Stephani, but are made by the same manufacturers), we grabbed our original L.A.M.B. wallet from her first LeSportsac collection and rushed down to Soho.

We had no idea what were in for, but after waiting on a staircase in a line of about 30 people, we found that the L.A.M.B. selection at the sale is somewhat epic, although it may not seem so at first. Savvy received one or two of most styles from all of L.A.M.B.'s past collections. Remember Stefani's early Rasta bags—with the red, green and yellow tint over the brown pattern? The ones which are now quite collectible? They've even got a few of those. So if there is a L.A.M.B. purse you've been searching eBay for, you may just find it here. Be sure to check your bag closely, though. The selection is made up of samples, overstock and a fair number of Nordstrom returns, which still have the tags on them. Most are in perfect condition but a few are a bit battered.

The Harajuku Lovers and Kid Robot selections appear to be made up primarily of overstock. We found much greater quantities of each design. In fact, judging by the number of boxes of purses stored beneath the tables, there is plenty of stock from all three lines, including L.A.M.B., so if you can't get there today, you should still have a decent selection to choose from later in the sale.

A sign on the street says that prices for all bags range between 70% to 90% off retail. L.A.M.B. pricing starts at $25 for wallets and cosmetic bags and goes up to $150 for the really large handbags. Most purses fall in the $100-$125 range. Harajuku Lovers prices start at $10 and go up to $40 and Kidrobot's range from $5 to $30.

Despite the line this morning, the sale was not crowded at all once we got in. Shoppers were actually giving each other advice about what to buy rather than fighting over bags—a rarity for the first morning of a sale like this. As we expected, a few women were buying enormous quantities of Harajuku Lovers bags, which we assume they were going to resell.

A couple of notes: Savvy will be doing some surprise giveaways at various points throughout the sale, so you may end up bringing home a little something extra in your shopping bag. Also, students from FIT and LIM get 10% off their purchases at this sale with a valid school ID.
· Dealfeed: L.A.M.B., Harajuku Lovers, Kidrobot [Racked]