Great Prices, but Limited Stock at the Alexander McQueen Sale

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We arrived at the Alexander McQueen sample sale an hour before the doors were scheduled to open, but luckily Soffier Haskin started letting customers in shortly after. We were hardly the first ones there—a line of 50 or so shoppers had already formed, and according to our line-sitting friends, the first spots were staked out at 11pm last night.

Inside, there were discounts of up to 90% off on men's and women's apparel, accessories, and shoes from very recent collections, albeit a very limited selection for women's ready-to-wear. A majority of attendees came out with at least one shopping bag, meaning that you'd better head over quick if you're looking to snag a piece from the label.

The elusive sample sale venue has recently required all customers to check their cell phones along with coats and purses at the door, so we weren't able to sneak any pictures from inside. When you enter the sale venue, find women's ready-to-wear and specialty pieces to the left, shoes in the middle, and men's clothing on the right, with accessories against the far wall.

Women's prices were as follows: tees are $50 (though there were none on the racks; tops, blouses, and corsets were $150, as were skirts; dresses were $350, blazers and light jackets were $450, and heavier coats are $500.

Ready-to-wear is hanging on racks in one long row, divided by size. Though the merchandise is pretty evenly spread among sizes zero through 12, there was very little to browse through—only a dozen or two pieces per size. Most of what was available were tops, including beehive-print bustier from the spring 2013 collection.

There's a larger selection of specialty items—sweeping gowns, heavily embellished jackets, and furs, most of which had four-digit price tags. Still, they're a bargain from their original prices from $6,200 to $8,275 and upward.

As for women's shoes, boots and heels were $200 and flats were $100. There was also a long table of specialty shoes, from knee-high blue-and-white snakeskin boots to heels that lace up the calf, all priced at $350. Again, an even spread among sizes, ranging from 5.5 to 11, but not a huge selection here either.

Men are a bit luckier than women since they have considerably more merchandise in the ready-to-wear department—there's double the number of racks as the women's side, and they're considerably fuller as well. Men's pricing starts at $150 for pants and shirts, while jackets are $300 and suits are $400. For shoes, leather loafers in brown and black are $150, while Puma sneakers are $100.

The accessories tables, attended by sales associates, were easily the most crowded section of this sale. Women were clamoring for knuckle clutches priced between $500 and $600, while leather iPhone and iPad cases went for just $50 and wallets were $125. Larger purses started at $350 for leather styles, and went up to $1,000 for exotic skins like python.

The sale space never felt crowded, but that's because security kept a strict one-in, one-out door policy—which means you could be facing a very long wait to get in, depending on how many others are there. There was a long line to pay as well (this sale is credit card only), which held up waiting customers. There's no word on restocking, but we'll likely head back later this week to see what's left before it wraps up Thursday evening. Check out the Dealfeed below for sale times.
· Dealfeed: Alexander McQueen [Racked NY]
· Gaze Upon the Alexander McQueen Sample Sale Line [Racked NY]
· September Sample Sales: From McQueen to Paragon Sports [Racked NY]