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We stopped by the Bulgari sample sale at Soiffer Haskin shortly after the doors opened this morning and were greeted with a rather intimidating line of 60-plus shoppers just waiting to get inside the building. (And, might we add, there were 60 more eager shoppers behind us by the time we got through the doors.) But luckily, the slow-moving line was dead by the time we left around noon, with more than enough perfume, jewelry, and bags to go around for everyone.
Fragrances are the star of the show here, as the sale host advertised, and there's a limit of 30 fragrance items per customer. For women, we spotted Jasmin Noir, Mon Jasmin Noir, Omnia Coral, Omnia Indian Garnet and Pour Femme. Prices varied slightly between brands, but not by much—for example, 10 ml, 25 ml, and 75 ml Mon Jasmin Noir perfumes were going for $10, $20 and $42.80, respectively.
There were plenty of deluxe sets available, but if committing to one particular scent isn't your thing, check out the mixed sets that contain three fragrances for $25. Body care products were not as plentiful as perfume, but we saw Au The Blanc bar soap for $12 and Au The Vert body lotion and shower gel for $20.80 and $18, respectively. For men, we spotted Aqva Amara and Aqua Marine colognes, and similar to the women's section, prices varied only slightly between different scents; we saw 60 ml bottles going for $26 and $100 ml bottles for $35.20.
As for all non-fragrance items here, expect high prices—like, investment piece prices. We spotted a gorgeous waterfall green serpent bag for $1,275 (originally $4,250)—a great deal at 70% off, but definitely not cheap. We also saw plenty of Isabella Rossellini carry handbags in all your standard colors (brown, gray, black, baby blue) and Missoni-like zigzag patterns. Although not quite as expensive, sale prices for these started at $870. The superlative for highest purse price tags go to the fancy evening bags that were discounted to $2,340. Men's bags are hardly worth looking at...unless you're into men's fanny packs? (Yeah, didn't think so.)
Other accessories included small leather goods and sunglasses, also at 70% off retail prices. Women's wallets went for $180 to $210, while sunglasses for both genders ranged from $99 to $195.
The jewelry section was the least crowded space in the sale, and for obvious reasons, too—prices were steepest of all here, and the discount is only 60% off original prices. There's an equal mix of women's and men's watches, with guys' styles starting off at $1,080. Prices went as high as $20,400 for a women's bracelet/watch hybrid (originally $51,000). If you're in the market for a classic, high-end timepiece, expect to spend between $3,000 and $10,000 at this sale (It is Bulgari, after all.)
It's not clear whether fragrances will be restocked throughout the week or if markdowns will come in the later days—and if they do, don't expect them to be on any of those watches or bags. The sale runs through Friday, and you can see the full sale hours below.
Tuesday, April 7th through Friday, April 10th. Tue—Thu 9am—6:30pm, Fri 9am—5pm.