How to Dress for a Sample Sale (and Theory Sample Sale Finds)

This past Saturday I sneaked out while my husband and daughter where playing together and went to the Theory sample sale. Theory used to be one of my favorite brands and I used to have quite a lot of Theory clothes in my closet. Their prices are quite prohibitive but I was lucky to work really close to the place where they hold their sample sales twice a year and I tried to never miss one. When I had my daughter and a consequent change of lifestyle I stopped going because what was really worth it was their workplace wear, in particular their pants, that are impeccably cut. Of course I could still buy a pair of pants to wear in the evening or somewhere where I need to dress up but my body also changed a little bit and I found that they didn't fit me as well as before, for the price (I am in between sizes now). So why did I go last Saturday? Well, it happens that they have just opened a Theory store around my block (like I hadn't enough tempations on my way to the grocery store) and you know how it is, when you walk by something everyday you start to notice and to take mental note and all of a sudden Theory was on my radar again. In particular I saw in the window some very nice linen dresses, so I wanted to see if I could find the same at the sample sale.

After years of going to sample sales in the city I can declare myself as an authority on how to dress for a sample sale to make the experience all the more enjoyable. There are some basic and important rules that can save you a lot of time and hassle and I am going to share them with you as some sample sales (like the Theory one) can be total crazyness to start with and you don't want your clothes to worsten the situation.
The first and more important rule would be to leave at home your handbag (and any other bag) and take with you only a small purse (preferably cross-body so you can have your hands free) with your money and keys. At almost all the sample sales you have to check-in your bag and having no bag to check-in can really make a difference in terms of waiting time (not to mention that sometimes you don't want to leave your valuables at the wardrobe as mistakes happen).
The second rule is to wear something that is easy to take off, so forget blouses with plenty of buttons or skin-tight jeans and pants, especially if they need a belt (layering is also a bad idea and a popover is much better than the combo cardigan plus shirt or tee).
A popover dress is a good solution but there is a downside: if you are going to try a top you want to have a bottom and sometimes if you are not looking for a bottom to buy you may forget to take one to the fitting room, just for try-ons purposes.
So the following is the ideal outfit, put together after years of attending sample sales in the city. A tunic-dress over a pair of leggings, that work as a bottom if you want to try a top (and also have the very practical function to cover you up if you don't want to show your underwear and your not-waxed bikini to everybody in the common fitting room):

This outfit was a little bit Flashdance (fault of the sweatshirt-dress paired with the leggings) but very comfortable. The last important piece of the outfit are the shoes. You have to be able to take off your shoes very easily, and especially if you see something on your way out you don't want the idea of taking your shoes off to prevent you from going back to the fitting room one last time (no buckles or laces and no boots!). Ballet flats are the best (these are the silver city flats by the Gap and they are like slippers).
The last rule has nothing to do with the outfit but is a rule that I imposed myself not to overspend. It is easy to be overwhelmed with the feeling that you have to buy as much as possible when you are at a sample sale, because of the good prices and the fact the stuff will be gone once you leave. So I give myself a budget before going and only bring cash: it forces me to make choices and not to regret too many impulsive purchases.

So what did I buy? I did pretty good, actually. I found THE perfect little black dress for the summer and one other item that I had tried to add to my closet for quite some time.
As I grow older I developped a love-hate relationship with black, especially black in the summer. I find more and more difficult to wear total black or black on top (close to my face) as I have the feeling that it makes me look old(er). As a matter of fact I own only one black summer dress but I reserve it for vacation as it is quite short. I was waiting for something like this to come along.
It's a woven cotton sleeveless dress, with a drawstring and a big tiered ruffled on the bottom. The cotton as always with Theory is luxurious and makes all the difference with another cheaper brand (which translates in higher prices, I guess). I really feel like I am wearing Prada:

I can go everywhere in this dress, from the playground to a restaurant to a party with a quick change of shoes (as you can see I can wear it with flats but I picture wearing it with a pair of black platform shoes in the evening or to stroll around without my daughter). It is really one of the best day black dresses that I have ever seen or tried on. I also love that the top is cut like a sheat dres, so I don't have to worry about the neckline being too low.

The other thing that I bought are a pair of navy pants. You know that I love navy, in fact I can easily say that I am obsessed with navy and I wanted a pair of navy pants for spring to pair with my (many) navy tops and jackets. Specifically, I wanted a pair of Minnies (I love the weight of the Minnies for spring) but the wild backberry color is long gone and never popped back in my size.
These Theory are in a similar material (that holds everything in) and have the advantage over the Minnies of having a zipper in the center and not a side zipper (that sometimes I find a little bit annoying in the Minnies, if you want to tuck your shirt in). Size-wise in this style the 0 was perfect (they are cropped with zippers at the ankle, but not exposed).
I wore them yesterday already, to a birthday party with an old TB shirt and a navy sweater:

If you live in the city, the sale has been extended until today EOB. The prices are now 25% off, so there are some great deals even if the selection was quite picked over on Saturday already, especially in small sizes (go to www.clothingline.com for more information).

Do you have a sample sale outfit?

Have a great week!

Our Day Trip to the Sample Sale

So I went to the sample sale again to exchange the-dress-with-giant-hole on Friday. With my daughter. To be honest when we left I wasn't sure that we would actually make it to the sale. It was a beautiful day and my plan was letting my daughter have fun first and then try to get the damn return done as quickly as possible. After all it isn't her fault if mommy spends way too much time shopping and then has to spend even more time to make up for her mistakes.

The great dilemma was: stroller or not stroller? Because leaving for an entire day without the stroller is very risky (she is a good walker but obviously she can't walk as much as I do and when she decides that she's tired I have to carry her. Not to mention that she still naps in the afternoon and the stroller comes handy when we are out and she needs to nap). On the other hand, I was planning to take the bus first to the zoo and then from the zoo to the sample sale and back home, so not much walking involved and even if she did fall asleep in the bus (it's a long ride) I would have had to wake her up anyway because strollers are not allowed in the sample sale premises. So in the end I left the stroller at home and prayed that I wouldn't regret it.

First stop, CVS where we stocked up on lollipops and other treats. Second stop, the Collection store where I made some returns, including the Lady Day coat that I had bought with the 30% off (beautifully made, but not my style). You must think that it wasn't really necessary to stop to make returns that day when our schedule was already pretty busy, but I needed to put some money back on the gift card because my PS (at another store) had put some stuff on hold for me and I had zero budget for new purchases. This was actually the longest walk of the day; then we hopped on a bus and we stopped at the zoo.

The Central Park zoo is so much fun, not only for my daughter but also for me. They have two red panda bears that are one of the cutest things that I have ever seen in my life and we always make sure that we go and see them. But this time around the big attraction were the polar bears, that we had never seen that close (they were hiding in a spot were we usually can't go because of the strollers):




Yes, my daughter was carrying the Crewcuts tote that I had bought still in the summer as a stroller bag for school. She insisted on carrying it after I put inside some sandbox toys (in case we stopped at the playground too, which in the end we didn't). The windbreaker is Boden (from last yea) and I was wearing the "matching" JCrew striped tee (I knew that that tee reminded me of something). Unfortunately I don't have pics of the two of us together.

After the tour of the zoo it was already 12.30, so we had a quick lunch at the zoo restaurant, that has an outside terrace. Can you believe that a bird defecated on us? My daughter screamed as if she was auditioning for a horror movie (for a moment a wave of panic spreaded through the crowd that was happily having lunch around us) and we had to go inside to finish our meal.
After this episode I seriously thought that we wouldn't make it to the sale: she was tired and whiny but NYC saved me. While I was dragging her to the bust stop at 59th Street we passed by the colorful art installation at the end of Central Park (called the Ego and the Id) and as soon as she saw it she run away from me to play with it. Kids! One moment they are all sleepy and the moment after they are full of energy again. She was delighted by the fact that one of the two pieces of the sculpture (the one that was accessible actually, as the one was being repainted) was the same color of her jacket. Of course it was also a good subject for a picture:



Fifteen minutes after we were waiting for the bus and two "statues of liberty" that were standing a few feet from each other fighting for their audience entertained us; then we got on the bus, we sang the wheels on the bus and we finally arrived at the sample sale (I had to carry her from the bus stop to the sale but it wasn't that bad).

Once inside I went directly to the accessory corner (where I had found the scarves, belts and necklaces) and besides a few necklaces that I wasn't interested in, everything was gone. No belts AT ALL (when they had two big boxes full of belts the day before). No scarves besides a very few oldies that looked all sad. Then I went to the shoes area (where my daughter had a lot of fun climbing on the chairs that were not meant to be climbed by a toddler but to try the shoes on) and again, very few shoes left, almost no flats and nothing that I would have bought (at least not for $99). I started to panic a little bit because besides a cashmere long-sleeved tee that started to pile I didn't see anything that I could exchange my dress for. But trading a party dress for yet another cashmere tee that I didn't need or really want felt like a waste of money. So I started reluctantly to look at the dresses again. I found a gorgeous strapless cocktail dress in a size 0 and almost got that one but it had a tiny spot on the skirt where it had been mended and even if I really liked it I wanted a flawless dress this time around, on the principle. So in the end I went with a party dress that is strapless (even if I didn't want to do strapless) but at least is silk taffeta, it is spotless and has all the tags attached (this must have been an overstock and not a sample). I knew that I was taking a risk again with the size (it was a size 2), but at least it was something that I could resell or even return in store. I also scored a Lea cardigan in addition (I couldn't let it go because I always regretted not getting a Lea) so all in all I was satisfied when we left.

On our way back we stopped at the Rockefeller Center store to try on the new arrivals and the stuff that my PS had put on hold for me (when my daughter understood how to open the fitting room lock and started to bang the door I knew that my time was up), so when we finally got home it was 6 pm already. What a day! It was fun and we didn't have any major crises but I wouldn't do it again tomorrow.

By the way, I guess that you want to see the dress. As I said it's a size two and the bodice is a little bit loose this time, but it's an easy alteration. It is also a little bit shorter than the dress that I had in mind but I have at least three parties to attend this spring and I am sure that I will have the occasion to wear it:




I hope you enjoyed the post! Next, the new tee and the new blazer. A lot to blog about this week ...

JCrew Sample Sale: the Bad (advice needed)

So in case you don't live in the city and you feel a little bit jealous of us New Yorkers having access to these fabulous sales, this post is your revenge. Because at the sample sale you don't find only great deals, you can also waste your money very stupidly.

But first, a little background information. You remember that I had planned to wear the Ames watercolor dress at a wedding that I will be attending in Seattle in May. Besides the "chill" factor that many of you have pointed out in the comments to that post, I received the invitation last Saturday and I found out that it's an evening wedding (I don't know why I was convinced that it would be a daytime wedding). I think that I can still wear the potpourri dress at the rehearsal dinner (pretext to keep it) but I need something else for the celebration. So I have been perusing the Jcrew and other retailers websites for a party dress. I really wanted a simple but classy dress, something that Audrey Hepburn could have worn and that could become my "occasion" dress, to wear again and again.
I have a few LBDs but they are more cocktail dresses, because of the fabric (they are wool or chiffon). This time I really wanted a party dress, in silk taffeta, possibly black, with a full skirt. Jcrew as you know makes many silk taffeta dresses, but the ones that are available on the website aren't my size, or are strapless (and I don't want to do strapless, at least not ideally).

A good section of the sample sale was dedicated to party/occasion dresses and these were $60, a good very deal if you can find your size. The first problem is that they won't let you try anything on(this is really a silly policy). Buying a dress without trying it on is a big risk already but in this case it is aggravated by the fact that most of these clothes don't have a tag with the size, so you have to figure.
So when I found this dress that looked like the one that I had in mind I was happy to see that it had a tag and that it was a size 0. I have never been between sizes in Jcrew dresses (I have always been a 0), so I took a risk and bought it.

What I liked in this dress is that it has the bodice of a shift dress but a full skirt. And I LOVED the color, an indigo blue that could look very chic with the right accessories. I could even try the uber-chic black and blue pairing because it is the right shade of blue.
When I tried it on at home, I had a first (bad) surprise: the bodice was VERY fitted and I almost couldn't zip it up (the zipper is in the back). In the end it closed and even if a little bit uncomfortable at first I think that a 2 would have probably been too big around the armholes:



You see that little bump on the right side of the bodice? That's my rib-cage that is showing!



I still liked it and thought that I could make it work (also I am almost sure that my husband would like this style). I tried it with the BR blazer velvet black blazer, for the above-mentioned black/navy chic effect:



So why it is such a bad deal? Let's look at the back of the dress:


You see that spot at the bottom right? Yes, that's a big cutout. Let's call it a HOLE:





How could I buy this (you are entitled to ask)? Well, obviously I didn't see it while I was there! I forgot the rule number one of sample sale-shopping: always inspect carefully the merchandise before buying. Actually I did check the seaming of the bodice and skirt but I didn't check the hem. I mean, you wouldn't think there would be a hole there, it was hard to see.

Now I have basically two options: live with it and try to make it work or take it back today and exchange it with something else (exchanges are allowed during the sale). The good thing is that is not in the middle of the skirt (in that case I wouldn't have a choice) but at the hem, so if I have the skirt hemmed I can still wear it. But I'm questioning the result. It is true that it is not a petite dress and I have some room for hemming, but I'm afraid that it will loose its proportions (I have to cut at least 2 and a half inches), not to mention that it will cost me at least $30 bringing the price of the dress to $90-$100.
But on the other side, I'm not really looking forward to go back to the sample sale. Today is the last day of the sample sale, so it's today or never. I'm sure that I will find something, that's not the issue (there were still a lot of cashmere sweaters and necklaces) but my daughter doesn't have school today and the location is pretty far from where we leave, so it would mean a day-trip with possible lunch-in-a-box.

What do you think? Is it worth to have this dress hemmed? What would you do? Please don't say "You can do better" because honestly I'm not sure. I am not that good at party dresses as you probably know if you have been reading this blog for a while.

JCrew Sample Sale: The Good

The JCrew sample sale in NYC has become a regular appointment for New Yorkers. I think they have been helding one every two-three months since the first one in January 2009. I went to that one and to another one this early fall, then I decided to stay away as much as possible because I tend to overbuy while I'm there and regret after. Also, as many have pointed out on the JCA blog, the prices are sometimes higher than final sale prices on the website (especially the shoes and the cashmere sweaters) and the general quality of the merchandise much lower (I'm talking about big holes, "sample" marked on the sweaters with a black marker etc).

However I was tempted to go to this one because they announced that they would have a lot of jewelry, some stock and also shoes (and I'm looking for some hard to find oldies). A friend of mine went on Tuesday at the opening and she said that it was worth it, so I went this morning while my daughter was at school.

When I walked in I was disappointed because they had only samples and there wasn't any current stock merchandise on the floor. Moreover, the dresses and the few jackets that they had looked like they had been around for at least a decade (they were all wrinkled) and were really unappealing. Honestly, thrift stores have stuff in better conditions. Second, it's true that they had much more jewelry that at the last sample sale and nicely displayed this time around, but a lot of them were charms bracelets and necklaces (including some very hard to find) and I'm not much of a charm person (but I know that some of you would have liked those and my friend bought many of them). I was hoping for some sparkle but they had nothing in the current styles.

So you would think that I left empty-handed. Well, after two hours of digging, I had a bag full of stuff. I found some pretty darn good deals, some that won't maybe look like a good deal to some of you but still are for me and a very bad deal (of course I didn't know that it was a bad deal until I got home).

Let's start with the good. Accessories were a good deal. Belts and scarves were $20 each and $30 for two. I got two belts (one is the skinny pyramid-studded in black that retails on the website for $36 and one is a plain black) and two scarves. The scarves are from the current collection and one of them is the very popular floral (aka potpourri) scarf in papaya. As you know I own it in the other color but I couldn't resist the fantastic deal (the only fault is that there isn't any Jcrew tag on it but, honestly, who cares). The other one is a fringed linen one in neon orange (I'm really liking this new shade). Being linen and fringed it can also be worn on the beach as a bottom cover-up (and the shade is very beach-y).

I also couldn't resist buying another two short-sleeved cashmere cardigans. I bought one in apricot last week during the 30% off promo and when I received it I kicked myself for not buying more and earlier when there were more color choices available. It was my first short-sleeved cashmere tee (I have an old Ralph Lauren short-sleeved cardigan but it's a little bit too small now) and it is just what I need to go through spring. Luckily I found a navy one (one of my favorite colors) at the sample sale and while I was at it I grabbed another one in natural (there were $45, pretty much what I paid last week on the website).
These are last year's (with the ribbed hems) and the fit is slightly bigger than this year's in my opinion. Anyway, now I can finally wear an outfit that has been on my mind for a while (I must have seen it somewhere because I'm pretty obsessed with it. If you have worn it and posted about it, let me know):



This is the natural one, with the floral scarf (I actually wore this to the playground this afternoon. The short-sleeve cashmere tees are great when it gets chilly at the end of a warm spring day like today):



I did buy two necklaces. One that I was pretty sure about because I regretted not buying it last year (I don't remember the name but you will recognize it as I think it still pops back every once in a while). Remember that I said that I needed a necklace to wear with my yellow merino boyfriend sweatshirt? Voila:



By the way, I had never noticed before that the beads are asymmetrical. If you own this necklace, can you let me know if yours is the same or if this is an irregular (not that I really care but I'm curious)?
The other necklace was an impulse purchase, but it's really growing on me and could be my best necklace purchase, after the crystal symphony. It's from a couple years ago, maybe summer 08; I remember the matching cuff but I don't remember the necklace (I wasn't much into custom jewelry back then). I tried it over the cashmere tee just to take the pic and it definitively has an outfit-transforming factor. I think that I'm going to wear it a LOT. The pendant is very substantial and in my opinion looks like real vintage jewelry:



The last thing that I bought and I'm happy with is an embellished tee (all the embellished tees were $25 and all the plain ones, including the few graphic ones, were $15 or 2 for $20). This one is one-of-a-kind, I think. The tag pinned on the inside says FA 08 but I don't remember it, at least not in this color. I like that it's in the same hazelnut color then the reindeer tee from this holiday season, but with another (non-holiday) embellishment (I'm not sure of what it is actually, a caravan maybe?):



I took a risk with this one because there was no mention of the size on the tag. I must thank my friend who pushed me to buy it. It is a little bit long and the neckline is a little bit low but otherwise it fits like an XS.

It is later than I though, so I will leave the bad for tomorrow.

What do you think of this purchases? Is there anything that you would have bought for yourself? Do you own one of the two necklaces that I bought? Please share!