/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61198893/racked_placeholder.4.0.1421606121.0.jpg)
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.
This afternoon, we headed over to the Hugo Boss sample sale inside their showroom at 601 West 26th Street. And they mean it when they say sample—as far as the women's department goes, it's like being in a sea of size fours. And we'll just come right out and say it: The men's section is the best. But first, we're going to talk about the women's, and a little bit later today, we'll report on men's.
To get some logistics out of the way: It's credit card only, there are two changing areas, and pricing is standard for a given item (as in, all casual pants are $45—you get the idea.) Take a look after the jump at what you can expect to find on the women's side of things.
Like we said, these are sample sizes, so if you happen to be a size 4, you're in luck. If you happen to be a size 6, you're sort of in luck because there were a few of those. And that's about it. As far as dresses go, long gowns are $140, short dresses are $110, and jersey and knit dresses are $60. In this area, some standouts included a long white, green and purple printed gown, a neon chiffon shift, and a ruffle-y purple frock. Mostly, there's only one out in each style, so it's a little hit or miss, but we'd say this is probably the best part of the women's area.
That, and the blazers. They're all $109—except a questionable denim one, for $55—and most of them are pretty basic. You've got your blacks, your greens, your khakis, etc. We did find two short-waisted blazers we liked a lot, which included a bright blue and a bright red (colorblocking!). And then we saw one that looked like a Helmut Lang knockoff.
The pants section is pretty standard: Dress pants are $50 (expect basic blacks, khakis, etc.) and casual pants are $45. Similarly, dress skirts are $45 and casual skirts $35. The skirts are mostly black or navy, but we did see a surprising amount of denim skirts (two of them). There's also also a handful of women's shorts for $25 a pop, most of which are of the dressy, silky Bermuda sort.
The shoe area was absolutely picked through when we arrived, with maybe ten or so pairs left, and prices are as follows: Boots are $110, heels are $60, flats and sandals are $30, and booties are $72. Of what's left, there are sizes 8 through 10, and the best of the bunch was a pair of brown studded leather clogs and a pair of brown leather boots with some buckle detailing at the ankles.
The shirt section in the women's department isn't as sparse as the shoes, but it certainly is kind of random. Long-sleeved knits are $45, short-sleeve knits are $35, long-sleeve button downs and blouses are $40, short-sleeve button downs are $30, long-sleeve jersey polos are $25, and tanks are $15. Here, we found a nice red silk tank as well as a few basic white button downs. And then, there was another red tank that had feathers along the hemline, so really, there's a little bit of everything here.
The pricing for the coats is very specific, and we don't really remember seeing any shawl collars, but here's the entire rundown just in case something pops up tomorrow that wasn't here today. Shearling coats are $299, shawl jackets are $220, leather coats are $275, leather jackets are $210, heavy down or wool coats are $165, light fall and spring coats are $125. A highlight on this rack (yes, that extensive price list is for one rack that is not by any means full) was a fuchsia belted down coat that looked serious enough for the winter, warmth-wise, and which we're figuring would be $165.
And that's about it for the women's: There were, like, three belts, and if you exclude the unisex-looking travel bags in the front, not really much else as far as accessories go. All in all, the women's section is worth checking out if you're already there shopping for menswear, but might not necessarily be worth the schlep to 12th Avenue otherwise.
· Dealfeed: Hugo Boss [Racked NY]
· Hugo Boss [Official Site]