:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61181049/racked_placeholder.4.0.1421458748.0.jpg)
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.
When we stopped in at the Wes Gordon sample sale this morning, it almost felt like we were in the wrong place. Amid so many crowded and hectic sales this time of year, Wes Gordon was an oasis of calm, with staff outnumbering shoppers (in fact, there was only one other person browsing when we showed up). The experience is more akin to shopping in an actual boutique than likely any other sample sale you'll hit this season.
The good news is that some of the prices are good—alarmingly good: Pants and silk tank tops were on sale for as low as $30. Though not quite as impressive price-wise, we also found a Chanel-ish boucle-style jacket for $150 and a lovely long black coat for $350.
The bad news is that some of the prices are outrageous. Gordon's normal price point is a notch above J. Crew (to say the least), but we were still surprised to find cashmere cardigans on sale for $1,110, simple powder blue cocktail dresses for $1,050, and even one embroidered dress for a whopping $5,995 (less than 50% off its retail price of $9,990).
However, there is some middle ground. Among the quadruple-digit price tags, we also saw lacy blouses for $195, satin dresses for $550, and cashmere pullovers for $415.
The explanation is that the pricing is based on season, with the more current merchandise that's closer to the front of the sale room being more expensive than the older items in the back. In fact, some of the lowest-priced items included tags that indicated they were from Gordon's debut collection. That also means that there are no true samples here: everything is a production piece.
In particular, don't sleep on the footwear: there are a few boxes of Manolo Blahniks for $150, available without any of the frenzy associated with the brand's sample sale.
If this appeals, we recommend you show up soon. Staff said there would be no restocking and inventory was generally limited. The sale runs through Thursday at 6pm.
· Dealfeed: Wes Gordon [Racked NY]
· 78 New York City Sample Sales to Shop in December [Racked NY]
· Samples Sales [Racked NY]