nykeiko shops::J. Mendel sample sale [March 2014 NYC sample sale]

J. Mendel sample sale 2014

I love J. Mendel sample sales. I love them because I get to see and feel beautiful runway gowns. I guess I could also do that in the retail stores but at the sample sales, there's no judging and even if I think 80% off a $10,000 gown is not good enough, it is perfectly okay. The staff won't hate me. This year's sample sale is comparable to last year's sale. It was certainly more fun for me last year since I was actually shopping for a gown (for my wedding!). There was also a small private sale back in October but the March one is so much better!

The sale opens to the public today and it will be great to shop for the early risers as well as the afternoon birds since I read that there will be midday restocking of samples. And samples my friend, is what you want to wait for. Will the sale be worth the trip midtown (27 Union Square West)? Well, read on to find out.

nykeiko shops: J. Mendel sample sale...yes, there are (some) samples! [October 2013 NY sample sale]

The beautiful gowns at the J,Mendel sample sale

I attended the J. Mendel private sample sale last night. I was expecting the same amount of inventory as the last sale but there was definitely less stock (evening gowns, ready to wear, accessories) this time around. The selection of fur items was also very small...to my relief. 

When you enter the showroom, you have your long gowns to your right organized by size (size 0-4, size 4-6, 8 and 10-16). Most gowns went for 85% off the retail price tag and most gowns were priced over $6000 retail. There were a few samples amongst the bunch but mostly in size 0. Ever seen a J.Mendel runway show? It is skinny model heaven. 

All the gowns were lustrous and beautiful as expected. The most abundant variety of dresses and styles, including a couple of bridal gowns, are in the size 0-4 rack. There were a couple of damaged or stained pieces though.

The ready to wear pieces were nice but not great. A pretty pink blush dress stood out for me. There were also some decent leather pieces and the fur coats were 85% off. 

All the accessories at the sale were displayed on one long table. When I got there, there was only a pair of hand warmers, two white bags, two fur throws in pink and brown, silk sequined scarves for $50, leather belts and a bunch of embellished satin belts for $25. I wonder if the items were already picked over or the selection was just that small.

Finally, a rack with fur vests/capes and wraps were priced between $350 and $550. This white fox fur cape was so decent and marked at $400 down from $3,290, some might say they got themselves a deal? Not for me although I pictured myself wearing it on the red carpet of an imaginary event that would never happen...

$1395 laced beauty

$25 embellished belts

Furry hand warmers

J.Mendel fox fur cape $400

Gorgeous! For an underwater photoshoot maybe? $1737 (marked down from $6950)

J. Mendel fur and shearling coats

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nykeiko shops: The gowns at J.Mendel sample sale...[March 2013 NYC sample sale]

J. Mendel sample sale

I stopped by the J. Mendel sample sale this morning to look at the gowns hoping to find something I could wear to change out of my wedding dress. Well, there was tons of gorgeous dresses and the ones I liked were over my budget even when the pieces were all at 75% off. The samples started at $50 including pants, shorts, skirts, dress but um...no... nothing to see in that section.

There was a short line in the morning which was open to the public but there were many women that were able to skip the line since they were able to make appointments. I saw many nice dresses but all in bigger sizes. So, when you see nothing you like on the racks, the best bet is to go into the changing room and see if there are any dresses left behind. I was able to find a couple of dresses in size 2 and 4 ...the price point discouraged me to try them on though. That and being too lazy to strip down since I didn't have my sample sale "outfit" (leggings, tank top etc.) since it was a last minute decision to attend the sale which was at Union Square where I switch trains to go uptown.

Anyway, here are some pictures of the gowns at the sale...