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.
Rent the Runway's sample sale comes to New York City twice a year, but in a magical place called Secaucus, the discounts on lightly-used Herve Leger dresses never end. Located just ten miles outside of Manhattan, the brand's shoppable New Jersey warehouse acts as both a resting place for retired RTR items and a massive dry cleaning operation, where formalwear is steamed, pressed, and repaired between sorority dances and weddings.
Unlike the company's other retail locations, where customers rent dresses, here they buy them. And with over 5,000 options for sale (including designs by Rent the Runway staples like Moschino, Halston Heritage, Calvin Klein, and Badgley Mischka), the 160,000-square-foot space is definitely worth exploring. We stopped by the warehouse (which is currently open Thursday through Sunday, aka party outfit crunch time) to browse the sale section, gaze at mounds of tulle on industrial racks, and meet the team responsible for making those party dresses look like they've never seen a red wine stain (or five).