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When it comes to the YSL sample sale, it seems to be the case that the longer the wait to get in, the more chaotic the sale is inside. This morning's line was nowhere near as epic as last October's, barely reaching Ninth Avenue. Even then, we were surprised to walk into a scene of general calm.
We had our hearts set on shoes, so that's where we headed to first. Ladies looking to stock up on YSL's classic shoe styles will be happy to know that Tributes, Tribtoos and Palais Pumps were plentiful this morning. Tributes are available in leopard calf hair ($399) and silver ($599) in sizes 39 ½ and smaller. As always, larger shoe sizes have many more colors to choose from. Tributes were generally $399, and there were plenty of the gold Tributes we saw yesterday for $549.
The Tribtoos we saw ranged from $399 for patent leather to $599 for black Napa leather and exotics. As for other styles, very few options were $200, but only flats and work-appropriate low heels. At $399 boots were the same prices as most Tribtoos, which is almost a steal if you are looking to plan ahead. And the best part? Every shopper we saw only grabbed 3 to 4 pairs at once to try on—a vast improvement from last year, when some ladies hoarded as many as 20 pairs.
We then headed to the bag table. Remember last year, when almost everyone had 4 to 5 bags dangling off their arms? That too has changed. 90% of the bags were leftovers from the last sale at vastly inflated prices. Prices are now closer to half-off retail. For example, the same Roadies that were $400 on the last day of the sale in October are now $800. Duffle bags and mini Muse Twos have also doubled to $800. Even the small silver postcard bags were $649, and there were no clutches at all.
With all these repeat styles, many shoppers were gravitating toward the black Muse bags (also $800) that weren't at the last sale. What puzzled us was that even though it came in two different sizes, they were the same price. However, we saw as many people setting them down as we saw picking them up, so we assume half-off is still a bit hard to swallow for most shoppers.
In RTW, we overheard one shopper note that there are "a lot less ugly styles" this year, and we have to agree. However, at around a third off retail, they were nothing to write home about. Evening wear dominated the section, but we did not see anyone trying on clothes while we were there.
As for accessories, there were no rings or wallets. iPad cases with the label's signature branding were around $200, and belts range from $50 to $350 for exotics.
We learned yesterday that the overall theme of the sale is "expensive", and now we have all the details. We would recommend coming if you're looking for classic shoes, but this sale does not offer much in terms of anything else. It was about a two-hour wait from the back of the line when we left, but frankly, it might not be worth it.—Joy Fan
Update: Looks like the sale was a little too expensive for everyone. Soiffer Haskin just sent around an email saying that further reductions have been taken.
· Dealfeed: YSL [Racked NY]
· The Line for the YSL Sample Sale Started at 11pm Last Night [Racked NY]
· Everything We Learned From Stalking VIPs at the YSL Sample Sale [Racked NY]
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