19 May, 2011

sample sale season - part 1




one of the best parts of living in new york is shopping. and one of the best parts of shopping in new tork are sample sales.


although most often, they are not sample sales at all (lucky for me, as i am not a size 2/4, as are most samples), but are usually overstock sales. this is much better for most folks, since there are usually a range of sizes, and actually production run colors, rather than the sample materials and colors that might be used for development.



one of the sales that has come to be my most favorite on the twice-yearly calendar is the bird closet sale. jennifer mankin's store has become known as one of the most influential in brooklyn, and her buying is impeccable. twice a year, tho, she cleans out her own personal closet, and does a sale at the store in my neighborhood. i think she's been doing this for the last couple of years, and in the past it's been a fun evening- the store gets a bit crowded, but there's wine and snacks, and great prices on "gently used" clothing.


this year, it was totally insane. there was a line at the door, before the sale opened. there was diva behavior from business owners who shall remain nameless bitchy. there was pushing and shoving! and dirty looks!


fortunately, for me, since i've attended the sale in previous, calmer years, and i happen to know that ms mankins and i wear the same size jeans. rather than wait in the 40-person line for the three fitting rooms, i crossed my fingers that neither jennifer, nor i had gained or lost much weight in the past year, and grabbed a few things. after culling down my selection (returning to the racks a $35 t by alex wand t-shirt dress, a pair of fur lined clog boots for $95 and cute pair of navy suede pedro garcia flat desert boots), i decided on my purchases:


1 pair acne high waist, slightly wide leg jeans (medium wash)* - $25



1 pair earnest sewn high waist, wider leg trouser jeans (dark wash)* - $20



1 pair no. 6 bone color peep toe clogs - $20



1 pair isabel marant black linen shorts - $25



(i missed out on a beautiful, black mid length asymmetrical dress from zero by maria cornejo. it got snatched off the rack right in front my longing gaze.... but i'm a lover, not a fighter. i'll be very happy to see that girl strolling down smith street, looking lovely later this summer.)


you can read all about the madness in a racked.com article, complete with a really flattering photo of me. click on my head to read the article:












* turns out that jennifer and i are still the same size. however, it also turns out that i'm at least 2 inches taller than she is (still). fortunately, the earnest sewn jeans must have been hemmed for wearing with heels, and are barely long enough for me to wear with flats, and the acne jeans looks really cute cuffed. 
phew.



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