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Today's summery weather is appropriate for shopping the colorful swimwear and color-blocked lingerie at the Araks sample sale, which started at the brand's Soho showroom this morning. With prices starting at just $10, we were surprised that there were only a handful of shoppers at the sale just a couple hours after the doors opened.
To make for a more pleasurable and less chaotic shopping experience, Araks is displaying one set of each swimwear and lingerie style on the racks and pulling size requests from shoppers (staff was very friendly and helpful with sizing questions, so don't be afraid to ask!) On the racks, we found all the classic styles, but not many classic colors—black, nude, and white were not available at sample sale prices. For the color-adverse, there's lingerie in dark teal and peach that looked quite subdued next to the neon yellow and electric pink bra-and-panty sets.
Lingerie, especially, was deeply discounted: Antonia bralettes are $35 and matching Josephine hipster panties are $25. Mesh Uma bralettes are only $55 (down from $165) with matching underwear for $30 (check out the gallery above to see available colors). Slips ranged from $75 for jersey material to $90 for silks. Camisoles were priced between $40 and $50.
The swimwear section had one-pieces like the Emiline and the Elmar for $100 each. Bikini pieces were sold separately with tops priced from $60 to $70 and bottoms, both high-waisted and bikini, for $40.
The real steals were in the bins. One box had $20 samples and included monogrammed silk robes and pajama sets (If your name is Mel or you have the initials MM, you are in luck!) Other samples (without monograms) included drawstring pants, Bermuda shorts, and a lightweight cardigan sweater. Bins full of panties, bralettes and camis ranged from $10 to $30, but you have to dig to find the treasures. A small floral print pajama set was also here (a great Mother's Day gift for those still shopping), plus shirts and pants for $50 apiece.
One rack of pajamas offered cotton shirts with long sleeves ($100) and short ($90), and cotton pants for $75. Silk robes were going for $100, the single silk nightshirt we saw was $135, and a Georgette white tee was $40, with matching pajama shorts for $50.
There were three racks of ready-to-wear in total, with one priced flat at $50, another at $100, and the third with pieces from the current spring collection ranging from $150 to $200. For $50, we spotted white poplin tops, nautical-striped jersey tanks, and long-sleeved tees. For $100 rack, there's a great range of formalwear, from drop-waist dresses to satin jackets. Among the spring pieces, we saw a beautifully tailored navy blue suit jacket from their organic line for $200, and pleated trousers in navy and white for $150.
Overall, this sale has a ton to offer and is worth a visit. There is a communal changing room in the sale, but only one full-length mirror. They ask that you check your coat and bag at the door—a blessing in disguise, since you'll have your hands free for shopping. See the Dealfeed below for hours and location.