Lots of Men's, Not as Much Women's at the Vince Sample Sale

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When stopped in the Vince sample sale at Chelsea Market at lunchtime today, we encountered a Jekyll and Hyde-type shopping situation. Occupying about two-thirds of the room was a huge men's selection organized by size and style, with only a handful of patrons perusing the racks. The rest of the space was allocated to women's stock, which had already been pretty well picked through.

Unlike the serene men's section, the atmosphere in the women's area was more akin to traditional sample sale mayhem, especially since the long lunchtime line to the register wove its way only among the women's racks. Prices also tended to run slightly higher for the women's selection.

With prices at generally about half off retail, there were some gems to be found. Women's and men's sweaters were $105, with the standouts for women being soft navy boatneck sweaters and loose-woven white numbers that could double as cover-ups for summer. Aside from sweaters, the biggest selection for women was in pants ($98) and knits ($48). Flattering beige V-neck knits were available in a variety of sizes, which could be paired with the work appropriate pants located directly across from them.

Women's blouses are $98, and the choices include mostly silk long sleeve shirts in bright blues and pinks. We loved a mint green pair of denim pants, but alas there were only about four pairs left with one in size 26 and the rest size 27. Denim is marked at $85.

The rest of the ladies' options are relatively limited. There are one rack each of basic tanks/tees ($25), shorts/skirts ($75), dresses ($125), and leather tops/suede dresses ($235). Earlier, the rack marked dresses included only one variety–a tangerine orange shirt dress. The rack marked leather tops/suede dresses held only a few leather sleeveless tops in lavender and light grey.

Leather for both men and women are priced at $478. Women have their pick of dark leather pants and motorcycle jackets, all in good condition. The men's leather options are more limited. That's about all that's limited for men, though, as there's an abundance of nearly everything else for the Vince guy. There are button-up shirts galore, $65, with long and short sleeves, plaid, seersucker, and solid varieties. Jackets marked at $148 mainly consisted of blazers, with a few raincoats and heavier coats hidden throughout.

Light sweaters/thermal ($65) looked to be the best overall choice for men. There were numerous choices available, all of which would be great for summer nights with a cool breeze (assuming it's ever not raining or 90 degrees outside). For a mountain getaway, thermal hoodies looked super cozy at $65. Bottoms range in price from $30 for lounge shorts, $55 for shorts, and $75 for pants. Ringing in at the lowest price are short sleeve knits, easy basics worth grabbing for $25.

We recommend stopping by if you are in the market for men's clothing. For the bashful fellow, no need to worry as there are gender-specific fitting rooms cordoned off by black curtains. For additional info and hours, see the dealfeed below.—Jessica Wisniewski
· Dealfeed: Vince [Racked NY]
· The June Sample Sale Rundown: 30 and Counting [Racked NY]