It's a Beautiful Day for a Barneys Warehouse Sale

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Seasoned shoppers tend to agree that the Barneys Warehouse Sale is best at the end, when prices drop. But every year, crowds flock to opening day, drawn by the prospect of fresh deals of 50% to 75% off designer goods. Doors open in Chelsea at 8am; below, Fawnia Soo Hoo reports live from the line.

7:03am: Hello on this glorious and balmy 47 degree morning! There are probably about 30 people waiting outside right now, and three girls actually ran past me to get in line before me.

7:05am: About six more people have joined. I remember a year ago, there was only one other person (and his big furry hat) in line at this time. But then it was also like 20 degrees colder then.

7:09am: The line is like 80% female right now, which I feel is different. Usually it's a lot of guys in blue shirts.

7:15am: Whoa: There are about 25 people behind me who seem to have appeared out of thin air. Also, I just talked to the first arrivals and they started camping out at 6:15am.

7:19am: There are probably over a hundred people in line now. The warmer weather seems to have invigorated Barneys fans. I don't see a single person with a hat on, either. So daring! Oh wait, I see two baseball caps.

7:21am: The guy in front of me estimates that the line is growing by two people a minute.

7:22am: Staffers are putting out signage, too. Things are happening!

7:29am: I spy a girl nearby who is making the most of the weather and Fashion Week. She's wearing a blouse in that ubiquitous maize hue tucked into a floor-length skirt. No jacket. It's not that warm out here...

7:33am: Hey, where's Fox 5 News? They're always out here.

7:38am: I have to say, this line is kind of subdued. No babies, no fights, no chatty FIT students nearby to eavesdrop on. Everyone in my vicinity is strictly business.

7:46am: The line may have reached its terminal length, topping out about three-quarters of the way across 17th Street towards Seventh Avenue. I'm about to fall asleep standing up due to lack of action, and I'm pretty warm and toasting since I overdressed weather-wise, just in case.

7:49am: A yellow school bus came to a stop in front of us, and the kids are going crazy laughing and waving. One girl just smushed her face onto the window and made a face at us. That's probably the most amusing thing that's happening this morning.

7:55am: A family in a minivan just drove by, and the mom in the passenger seat yelled, "Hey guys, what's on sale?" Silence.

7:58am: Two more minutes. Maybe a look at the Nicholas Kirkwood for Rodarte heels with perk me up.

8:02am: A staffer just came out to tell everyone about the womenswear flip. It's so hard to hear her, though.

8:03am: Yay! We're going in now.

8:04am: Ugh. Bag check. Came to a complete halt. I'm hitting shoes first.

Fawnia's liveblog continues here from inside the sale. If you want a closer look at womenswear, women's shoes, menswear, or housewares, check out yesterday's highly detailed preview posts.