The James Jeans Sample Sale Is a Current Season Denim-fest

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While some brands dig deep into their archives for sale merchandise, James Jeans' sample sale includes items that are currently in department stores. For example, the Dietrich Thigh High Twiggy in Femme Fatale and the Slouchy Fit Utility Cargos are both full price at Bloomingdales as we speak, though here they're $90 and $100, respectively.

In certain categories, buying multiples of an item results in a discount. Most notably, all basic women's jeans (the styles that are on tables, folded by size) are $80 per pair, but $150 for two. Sizes 29 and 30 are most plentiful, as they each have a dedicated table, while others (notably 27/28 and 31/32) have to share. Here, the Twiggy seems to dominate, though we also saw a good number of High Class Skinnies, cigarette legs (Randis), straight legs (High Class Straights and Hunters), and boot cuts.

We were told there's lots of additional stock—last night, staff members were continuously checking in the back for more colorways and cuts. Speaking of which, the staff is very knowledgeable about the merchandise, which means they can direct you to the styles you're looking for (high-rise with good stretch, low-rise with a lot of distressing, etc.) or let you know if your dream jeans aren't available. This gives the sale a more boutique feel than your average Clothingline blowout.

The bulk discount also applies to moto and novelty styles ($90 per pair, $170 for two), blazers ($175 each, $300 for two), corduroy, velvet, and coated designs ($60 per pair, $100 for two), cropped pants ($30 per pair, $50 for two), white denim ($50 per pair, $90 for two), and shorts ($40 per pair, $75 for two). Of these items, shoppers seemed to gravitate toward the most current styles, which (naturally) are also the most expensive, and in some cases, not all that discounted.

For example, the Twiggy Slip-On Black Ponte leggings are on sale for $90, but can be found on the James Jeans website for $123. That puts the discount at slightly over 25%: your average department store markdown is probably higher. (It's worth mentioning that the Twiggy Thigh High Whiskey—not too dissimilar from the aforementioned Dietrich—is $50 here, marked down from $189.) Still, staff said that this was one of the sale's best-selling styles so far, so that meager discount hasn't been much of a deterrent.

White denim, shorts, and vests are all available, and didn't seem to be getting much attention. Similarly, the men's denim—there's a small section of $80 pairs—was populated by only a handful of patient boyfriends. We suggest stopping by if you're in the market for classic styles or the current lineup of novelty denim. Also worth mentioning? Additional discounts are coming, possibly on Thursday. As of now, the sale is scheduled to run until Friday at 2pm. Check out the dealfeed below for more info.

· Dealfeed: James Jeans [Racked NY]
· 121 New York City Sample Sales to Shop in December [Racked NY]
· Samples Sales [Racked NY]