Above The Fray: Impress Your Mother-In-Law at Furla

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.

It's pouring rain out. You're toying with the idea of going to the Furla sale, but is it worth it? Okay, let's cut to the chase. Even at prices ranging from 50% to 80% off retail, Furla's supple Italian leather bags are still selling for between $65 and $345. And while there is a great selection of nice purses that spans all the price levels, inevitably, the one you'll covet, will be priced at $345. This is dramatically less than department store prices, but still a decent chunk of change.

But the big lure of this sale are the leather wallets. They're priced at $45 for standard sized ones and $85 for longer ones. And there are plenty of styles and colors to choose from. The Savvy team has four tables covered with wallets and make-up bags (priced at $15 for fabric and $45 for leather) with more boxes of wallets and make up bags waiting in the wings. These are the wallets your mother-in-law eyes at Saks, or would eye at Saks, if they had a store where she lived. They're tasteful, good quality and rich looking—perfect for holiday gift-giving.

The sale is in a decent sized space and while it was a little busy early this morning, it wasn't crowded, so shopping felt quite civilized. Stock is primarily from the fall and spring '09 collections, although we spotted some items that were older. Many of the pieces still had price tags attached to them from the Furla Outlet store, but these new sample sale prices were significantly cheaper. Most of the stock is in excellent condition, but like at all sample sales, check your merchandise before you buy it, particularly if you're considering getting one of the off white wallets.

Aside from the wallets and a vast array of purses in every color, a few of the more interesting items at the sale include men's briefcases (especially a smart black one we spotted for $195), key chains for $10, and a few pieces of leather rollerboard hand luggage selling for $345 (down from over $1,000). There are also a couple of tables of shoes in the back, both flats and heels, priced at $65 and $95 dollars a pair.
· Dealfeed: Furla [Racked]