L.K. Bennett's Sample Sale: Discount Princess Clothes, $95 Heels

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The L.K. Bennett sale started off with a bang this morning, with a sizable turnout of well-heeled ladies jostling for their pick of the brand's princess-approved footwear (though Kate Middleton was, sadly, nowhere to be found).

The first room of the sale after the coat check houses ready-to-wear and jewelry, but everyone seemed to be making a beeline for the shoes. Flats are going for $60 (2 for $100), heels for $95 (2 for $180), and ankle boots for $105 (2 for $200).

The footwear is organized by size in roughly ascending order, with an array of handbags, clutches, and wallets on the left-hand wall. By far the most substantial shoe offerings are in size 40 (the brand's main sample size), but sizes go all the way up to 42.

That said, not everyone was as pleased as the 40's in the room. Sizes 37 and 37.5 were clearly the most popular, and had been almost entirely picked over within the first 45 minutes of the sale. Lots of ladies were already asking about backstock, hoping to score the signature Sybila pump. Other shoes spotted were the Sylvie knee-high boot ($150), the Perla kitten wedge, and the Aspen point toe heel (all of which are currently full price on the L.K. Bennett website).

The upshot is that staff continually reassured these beleagured 37's that they will be restocking every day, probably around noon. They also said that there are over 160 boxes in the back that they plan on bringing out over the course of the sale, AND that they're getting another shipment of merchandise in. If you're one of the many disappointed shoppers who trickled out after the sale's first hour, staff were recommending the best day to come back is Friday.

There was a good amount of handbags, though people didn't seem all that interested in them (maybe due to their close proximity to the much-coveted footwear), which was surprising given how many styles were super versatile and available in black. A standout was the Anna, which has been spotted on the other Middleton and was available here for $125.

As for clothing, there were a number of racks organized by size, with bins housing pants and knits. While there were some nice, work-appropriate options (dresses, skirts and pants are all going for $90) and comfy, transitional sweaters in the bins ($60 for basic knits and $90 for cashmere), brand loyalists were complaining that clothes were all last season and that "there's nothing here". It also sounded like many of the clothing options were repeats from the last sale, and many items have tags that indicate they're department store returns. This may explain why the clothes all look a bit wrinkly and tired, though nothing a good steam couldn't reinvigorate.

There were no fitting rooms here, so plan accordingly. (Or see if you can very nicely ask the gentleman calling the shots if you can try things on in the back room. He just might give you five minutes.) Further markdowns are not officially expected, but apparently the boss is "very spontaneous" so you may get lucky come Friday.—Joanna Smolenski

Update: This sale has been extended! Stop by on Sunday, November 9th between 11am and 5pm and Monday, November 10th between 10am and 6pm.

· Dealfeed: L.K. Bennett [Racked NY]
· 58 New York City Sample Sales to Shop in November [Racked NY]
· Samples Sales [Racked NY]