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.
The nice girls over at Lauren Merkin finished setting up early last night and let us in for a sneak peek at the sale before it kicks off this morning. Fans of the sale—which offers up to 70% off of the designer's ladylike clutches, handbags and small leather accessories—will be happy to know that organizers did not throw one of those VIP pre-sales that decimate the best bargains yesterday, so everyone has an equal chance at the full selection at 11am today.
And you know what that means: The bargain bins, ranging from $20 to $60, are at optimal level.
Per usual, the bargain bins are located to the left of the entrance and start off with three glorious bins of $20 clutches. We eyed the fiesta raffia Louise, the punchy coral crepe de chine Eva, and the orange and silver raffia Lucy. At the $30 level, we spotted an orchid-hued ostrich-embellished Louise plus a smattering of leather samples that will definitely go fast. There are two $40 bins with studded Dianas, perforated leather Eves, shiny navy disco Dianas, and a lovely lilac Ava with jewel detail on the flap. The bins top out at $50 and $60 with the tile-textured Lucy, the sexy Ava speckled-leather zipper-edged envelope, and chain link strapped snake-embossed Tess.
The main portion of the sale features handbag and clutch offerings from the past spring, holiday, and fall collections. If you missed out on any items from the last sale—congrats, you might have a second chance today. Let's start with the bigger items first. The Sylvie shoulder-strap hobo in classic leather hues is now $250 (from $400). The Astrid tote in both basic leathers and embellished-skins is $175 to $195 (from $395 to$425). The structured Juliette handbag runs from $225 (for the black and white chevron) to $275 (for python-embossed). The Paige duffel is $195 (from $525—and at the last sale, it was priced up to $250). And the Dylan cross-body in classic and electric colors is now $175 (from $425).
The bin of as-is Cecilia woven-strap hobos is back and the contents range between $75 and $95. We also saw a few of the plush suede and leather Bailey saddle bags in lilac, grey and beige priced again at $125 (from $395).
As for the absolute copiousness of clutches, the pricing ranges from $90 for the petite hinge-closure Eve to $100 for the Louise in loads of fun prints and embellished-leathers to $125+ for the chic Tatum pleat-front clutch (we loved the caramel laser-cut leather style and the embellished skins). Amongst the line-up of Tatums, we came across a couple press samples for $150 each and one embellished python that felt pretty genuine.
Accessories-wise, the wallets, both rectangular and square, are marked to $50 and guess what? There are iPad cases ($60) and a few one-off sleeves ($45), next to the cash wrap, so grab those first if you're itching for one.
Most everything is out on the floor, but there is some back-stock of styles. As expected, the bargain bins will not be replenished. Cash and all credit cards are accepted and staffers say that they may lower prices toward the end of the sale—it will be a game-time decision. Also, we have to laud the staffers' consistently fun shopping soundtrack choices. One time we stopped in, we shopped to 80s karaoke rock and last night the mix was spinning through indie rock circa late-aughts. Keep it going, ladies!
· Dealfeed: Lauren Merkin [Racked NY]
· Springtime Hues and Bargain Bins at Lauren Merkin [Racked NY]
· Lauren Merkin [Official Site]