Sample Sale

Last week I went to my very first NYC sample sale. I was browsing my InStyle magazine one evening and came across an ad for Accessoiree . The sample sale was right across the street at the Time & Life building. I was able to recruit a couple interested co-workers, paid our $30 fee, that goes to charity, and we were off to shop last Wednesday.

We really had no idea what to expect and were a bit disappointed. Some of the well known vendors like Coach and Cole Haan were big let downs. Coach, on the two occasions we went in the same day, had ZERO handbags. Upon shopping, I learned that most of the girls that were manning the vendor stands had bought up all the Coach handbags! Cole Haan had only one type of handbag and I thought it was ugly - it just wasn't my cup of tea.

I hit the jackpot at the Havaianas table. I got myself a pair of their gold slim on the first visit to the sale and later on visit #2 got a silver pair for myself and another gold pair for my sister-in-law. My sister-in-law loved hers. And I've been wearing mine all weekend because the weather has been unseasonably warm.

The only other item I bought was a necklace from Tracy Matthews Designs that I absolutely love even if it isn't exactly my day-to-day style. The necklace I bought looks like a combination of the two. The coloring and chain is like the top one with the tear-drop and multiple dangling stones. At the sample sale the necklace I got was only $20! Something similar is quite a bit more. I'm kicking myself now for not doing the research and getting more for myself or even for Christmas presents. Another time perhaps. Either way I got some awesome buys that I don't, for a minute, regret.