The Shophound

OVER AND OUT: Betsey Johnson Schedules A Final Liquidation Sale This Weekend

It's been a rough few months for veteran designer Betsey Johnson whose ongoing business troubles over the past couple of years has ultimately brought her to a liquidation of her business and left her trademarks in the hands of Steve Madden and a group of licensees. Though there is no shortage of good will in the industry for the preternaturally energetic, cartwheeling character whose influential career stretches back to the 1960s, the cheering crowds at her seasonal runway romps haven't been followed up by customers at her stores, lately. In fact, the common refrain when news of her liquidation hit the industry was something along the lines of, "I love Betsey! She's so great ...but I never wear her clothes."

Well, as such things will do in the industry, her business is closing with big liquidation sales in her stores that began over the weekend, but that's not all. Starting this Friday through Monday, her company will be holding a special Liquidation Sample Sale at the Millennium Broadway Hotel in Times Square which will presumably include whatever apparel and accessories are left in Johnson's warehouses at up to 80% off "and more" as they say. Click for a view of the official flyer after the jump.

It's not completely the end for Betsey, as Madden and licensees will continue to offer products with her label at wholesale, and Johnson and a few design staffers will remain to offer creative direction, but it looks like we have seen the last of her Fashion Week extravaganzas —which, it must be said, haven't changed much in the 20 years or so since The Shophound attended our first one.
Maybe that was the problem.

Betsey Johnson Liquidation Sample Sale
10 AM to 9 PM, Friday, May 18th - Sunday the 21st
Millennium Broadway Hotel, 6th floor
145 West 44th Street between Broadway & Sixth Avenue, Times Square
See flyer after the jump

SAMPLE SALE PREVIEW: The New And Improved GANT Sample Sale Starts Today

To be honest, The Shophound was a little bit concerned that the GANT Sample Sale was going to happen while we were gallivanting around Los Angeles last week, but we were happy to discover that the sale would be taking place the week after we came home ...and spent all our money on vacation. Oh well... It opens to the public today.

This seasonal sale has become such a sleeper hit, that the folks at Gant have finally moved it out of their midtown showroom and into the popular facility at 260 Fifth Avenue that most seasoned New York sample sale shoppers will be very familiar with. Yesterday, there was a mid-afternoon VIP preview, but the folks at Gant kindly asked us not to encourage non-invitees to try their luck at early entry because there was, in fact a strictly enforced guest list, this season. At a quarter to three, there was already a sizable line outside in the light drizzle (above), but we got inside quickly ince the doors opened at three o'clock, and here's what we can report about the new version of the sale —mostly pros, and a few cons.

PRICES: You can click on the list below to see that the prices are a little bit higher than in past seasons (boo!) but not by much (yay!). The days of all pants for $20 each may be over, but $35 is still a pretty damn good deal for pants that start at around $100 and go up from there at retail. You can still take home a pretty sizable haul for a fraction of what you would pay at full price. And there are some steals to be had, particularly in accessories like belts for $20 including handmade pieces from Sweden's Tärnsjö Tannery that retail for $175.
Click below to enlarge as clear a shot as we could get of the price list.

SAMPLES: As regular shoppers of this sale know, the sale really consists almost entirely of vast amounts of showroom samples. That has usually meant only trimly cut Mediums from the Rugger and Gant by Michael Bastian labels and more generous fitting Mediums and Larges from the main Gant brand. This season, however, shopper will find a bit more STOCK (yay!) from previous seasons. That means there are a few styles in full size runs, particularly in outerwear from Rugger and Bastian. If you are a Small, XL or even an XXL who has been shut out of previous Gant sales, you may be in luck.

SELECTION: It's the same as you have come to remember: a TON of shirts, sweaters and pants. This time, thanks to more space, almost everything is hanging on racks, and there are now attendants behind some of the tables to help you rummage through cartons of accessories and boxes of shoes. Somehow, this makes it both easier and harder to shop, since sizes were almost instantly jumbled, and some of the racks were so crammed that it was difficult to see the merchandise, so have some patience, and hone your sixth shopping sense. The arrangement is somewhat random as well, with some jackets over here and some over there, etc. Thoroughness counts here, especially since all three labels are mixed in together.

All things considered, this is the Gant sale you have come to know and love, just in a more convenient location with more space. Will prices get slashed to Walmart levels on the last day? Are they ever not? Just remember, this season the last day is on Saturday instead of Friday, but if you had your heart set on grabbing a pair of the Michael Bastian Watermelon Camo cut-off cargo shorts, don't get your hopes up. We got what we're pretty sure was the only pair.
Sorry.

The GANT Sample Sale through May 19th at 260 Fifth Avenue between 28th & 29th Streets, Midtown.
Tuesday through Friday: 10 AM - 8PM
Saturday: 10 AM - 5 PM

SHOP 'TILL YOU DROP: Sample Sales Heat Up Again With Paul Smith, Staff USA & Gant

We are now in a sort of 12 month/52 week Sample Sale cycle. As soon as one season ends, it seems like the next starts right back up again. Last week saw AEFFE's and Jil Sander's seasonal stock clearances, and Simon Spurr's is happening right now. Three more of the most popular events are about to hit our calendars. Normally, it would be a full-time job for The Shophound to keep track of all the sample sales happening in the city, so we leave that to specialists like Racked and TopButton, but the ones coming up are among our favorites, so...

PAUL SMITH's seasonal Sample Sale always bring out the designer's many fans. It starts Thursday with prices up to 75% off retail on the Men's and Women's collections as well as on the many books and gift items that can be found in the designer's boutiques. The sale runs from May 3rd to Saturday the 5th at the designer's showroom at 468 West Broadway, between Prince and West Houston Streets. (Thursday - Friday: 12:00 PM - 7:00 PM, Saturday: 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM)

STAFF USA: Dsquared2, Maison Martin Margiela, Viktor&Rolf, MM6, & Just Cavalli
This is another one that has been known to inspire lines, probably because of the combination of several different labels with fervent followings. Shoppers will be converging on the Staff showroom in Chelsea at 220 West 19th Street (10th floor) between Sixth and Seventh Avenues also starting on Thursday May 3rd through Saturday the 5th, and early arrival is recommended. (Thursday: 2:00 PM - 7 PM, Friday: 10 AM - 7 PM, Saturday: 12 PM - 5 PM)

GANT, GANT RUGGER & GANT by MICHAEL BASTIAN
This sleeper of a sale has finally made the move out of Gant's midtown showrooms because, well, they probably want to spend the week doing business there instead of endlessly picking up after voracious shoppers. You have a little bit of time to plan ahead for this one. It starts on Tuesday May 15th and runs through Saturday the 19th at 260 Fifth Avenue between 28th and 29th Streets. The good thing is that the sale will be more accessible and with better hours than the brand's showroom, but now that a third party is involved, we have to wonder if the sale's traditionally rock-bottom prices will stay that way. Knowing the venue, however, we are hoping that there's a chance that there may be stock available in addition to the usual extensive selection of samples. We still have a few weeks to wait to see if we will still be able to load up on $29 shirts and $20 pants. (Tuesday-Friday: 10 AM - 8 PM, Saturday: 10 AM - 5 PM)

WAREHOUSE WRAP-UP: How To Fix Barney's Warehouse Sale —Because It's Totally Busted

The Barneys New York Warehouse Sale ended yesterday, one extended week after it had originally been scheduled to, and the overall response, as surveyed not only by The Shophound, but other blogs that follow such things like Racked and Sample Sally to name a few, was pretty tepid. In fact, this was the first season in a while when The Shophound could not find a single thing we felt compelled to buy, even when the final, final markdowns were posted. Though there was reportedly an early morning line to get in on opening day, we breezed in around noon that day to find a light crowd at best, and minimal if any checkout lines. Even on the last weekend of the sale, when merchandise was at its most reduced prices, we were surprised not to see the long lines of shoppers with armloads of goods at the checkout that we used to count on. What had only a few years ago been a bonanza finale to the clearance season that eager shoppers would call in sick from work and line up at the crack of dawn for was now greeted with a collective shrug from a city full of the savviest bargain hunters in America. At times we had heard reports that Barneys' more recently installed management was looking to phase out the downmarket Warehouse Sale entirely, and was deliberately toning it down, but such news was refuted, and the sale continues to be held, though it is now a wan, thinly stocked version of its former self.

This year the sale was just plain sloppy and halfhearted. In past seasons, management has toyed with a failed reconfiguration of the familiar set-up in Chelsea's Co-op store, and more recently tried to downsize the schedule by a week, which was thwarted by a hurricane the first time, and just plain extended this season. Even in it's somewhat diminished state, the Sale resists attempts to be changed, but here are a few ways that it could be improved and returned to being the kind of un-missable shopping event and big moneymaker it once was.

After the jump, The Shophound suggests six ways to make the sale a better, more successful experience for all involved

WAREHOUSE WATCH: Another Markdown Hit Barneys Warehouse Sale Today

We stopped by Barneys Warehouse Sale at about noon today just as the staff was posting new price reductions. We tweeted this earlier, but click the better image above to embiggen the photo, and you'll see 50% off marked prices for most women's things and 60% off most men's sportswear. We are predicting one more round of markdowns on Saturday or possibly Sunday, but if there's something you know you want, now's the time to go. Make of this information what you will.

Barneys Warehouse Sale ends Sunday at 225 West 17th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues, Chelsea

WAREHOUSE REPORT: The Latest Markdowns From Barneys Warehouse Sale

The Shophound was about to run down to Chelsea to see if the the Barneys Warehouse Sale had added any additional reductions, but the folks at Racked have relieved us of that tedious duty by publishing today's new markdowns. Now is when it's really worth it to start shopping.

The list notes additional 40% markdowns on Women's Shoes, Sportswear, Designer and Chelsea Passage among other things as well as Men's Sportswear, Outerwear, Denim and Ties along with at least 25% off most other categories. This is when the markdowns go really deep, so have at it, Bargain Hunters! Additional markdowns will probably happen before the weekend with final reductions on Saturday or Sunday, the last day.

UPDATE: Here's a new photo that will be easier to read. One unusual change we noticed is that men's "Designer" collections have been separated out for a lesser discount. When we stopped by this mostly consisted of a ton of Thom Browne shirts with blue star stamped price tags that are currently only 25% off the marked price... for now.

The Barneys Warehouse Sale Takes More Markdowns (RACKED)
Previously:
Barneys Adds A Week To The Warehouse Sale

WAREHOUSE UPDATE: Barneys Adds A Week To The Warehouse Sale

In case you were planning on hitting the Barneys Warehouse Sale early this Sunday to grab those last-day-price-slash bargains, you may want to cool your heels a bit since our friends at RACKED have announced that the sale has been extended for another week until March 4th.

We have to chuckle a bit at this, because when Barneys decided last Fall to shorten the sale by a week, they wound up extending it for several days anyway since they lost the precious last weekend to Hurricane Irene. Now, they have basically returned the sale to its original two week schedule, as if the sale itself has taken on its own persona and resisted any attempts to be downsized by more recent arrivals to Barney's management.

Anyway... the extension is probably why, when we stopped by the sale yesterday for our periodic price check, expecting an additional round of markdowns, we saw that the discount list (pictured above —click for a larger view) had remained unchanged since Monday. right now, there is about 25% off women's shoes and sportswear, and men's sportswear, trousers and outerwear. Also, the men's same has been reconfigured to make better use of space and get some (but not all) of those sweaters off the hangers. As always, beware of people using the racks as an impromptu changing room.

We agree with Racked that the racks seemed surprisingly robust for a sale supposedly extending into its final days, so we wouldn't be surprised if some of the leftovers from the West Coast sale are being added to the stock for one more week of blowout.

As always, we will keep you apprised of further reductions, so stay tuned...

Barneys Warehouse Sale Extended To Sunday, March 4th (Racked)

WAREHOUSE REPORT: It's Time To Adjust Our Expectations Regarding The Barneys Warehouse Sale

What you are looking at above is a big rack of cargo pants currently in the Men's section of the Barneys New York Warehouse Sale. Normally, one would find a huge table full of sweaters that customers would be tossing all over the place sitting in front of this rack, but instead, there is an empty expanse of floor. The sweaters are on the other side of the room —on hangers (!!!)— which any decent shopkeeper knows is an excellent way to ruin knitwear. On the plus side, there is much more room for the throngs of shoppers to move around, but we easily slipped in and out of the sale on its opening day, yesterday, so there actually were no afternoon crowds. What we had come to expect would be a bonanza overflowing with discounted designer clothes has become a much sparser, shorter clearance event for the season, and, it seems clear, a few preceding seasons as well, along with more than a little bit of off-price goods added in to fill the racks. This sale seems sparser and less well organized than ever before.
Folks, the sale's glory days are long gone. Get used to it.

In going through the men's section, the lack of merchandise was glaring, and though there are one or two Pairs of pants from Mason's, Woolrich and Gant by Michael Bastian in the rack pictured, most of the rest appear to be off-price or outlet goods that Barneys is trying to move. Here's a fun hint: If there is a strange abundance of a particular item, you can bet that it has been brought in just for the sale as opposed to coming from Barneys full line stores. Sometimes that's good. We saw a ton of Thom Browne shirts among the racks that we never saw hanging in Barneys regular in-store sale, which is great, and maybe some of them will be left when prices really get slashed on the final days. Unfortunately, they were also shoved into the racks with no regard to size, so buying one at 70% off will be your reward for finding the right size somewhere in the packed racks of shirts. There was also an abundance of previous season Gant Rugger shirts, including many form the last Warehouse Sale, so, again theses will be totally worth it when the get reduced again.

Of course, we also saw a ridiculous amount of merchandise with ripped tags showing no price, or intact ones that had never been properly marked down with red pen to begin with. This is just sloppy, and, frankly, in this day and age, Barney's hand-marked sale ticket system is generally, embarrassingly archaic.

The Men's accessory and scarf bins were similarly diminished along with shoes which are inexplicably crammed in a corner leaving another huge expanse of space that could be better used to make shopping easier. We don't even know what to tell you about the sad collection of neckties hanging on their usual holders by the abundant-as-usual of off-price private label dress shirts. Most of them should just be packed up and sold by the pound to jobbers to get them out of circulation.

As for the women's sections, our friends at Racked have a detailed report, and basically found the offerings similarly disappointing. So overall, this Warehouse Sale is nothing to get excited about. Of course, if you need some suits or dress shirts for work, it can still be a great resource, and if you posses an inveterate hunter-gatherer instinct when it comes to shopping (and The Shophound might know a little something about that) there are bound to be prizes to be found. We will try to keep up with next week's inevitable, reductions, and maybe more merchandise might be brought from whatever is left after the Los Angeles Warehouse sale ends on Monday (which doesn't even sound like a promising prospect), but we warn you to keep your expectations in check

Barneys New York Warehouse Sale runs through Sunday, February 26th at 255 West 17th Street between Seventh & Eighth Avenues, Chelsea
The Barneys Womenswear Sale Is a Bit Of A Let-Down (Racked)

SALE SLOG: About That Scoop Sale...

There's usually a bit of a lull just before Fashion Week takes hold of the city, so earlier this week, several blogs were abuzz about Scoop's "Cleaning Out Our Closet" Sale which began this morning at the chain's corner store at Washington and West 14th Streets. Familiar shoppers will be aware that the lower level of that particular Scoop Street location is usually a clearance department anyway where everything is sold at 50% off the most recent price, but the addition of last season's Fall goods should spruce up the selection, right?

So we stopped by this morning, and saw a few new bits and pieces that were obviously recently transferred over from Scoop's regular locations including lots of women's and men's shoes, but by and large, everything looked awfully familiar. In going over the men's clothes, we noticed an unusual amount of linen shirts and lightweight trousers. There was a whole rack of swimwear, and a stack of Gant by Michael Bastian shirts that were from Fall 2010 (always easy to tell since he makes seasonal labels). So where was the rest of the good stuff? We walked a few steps down the block to the Scoop Men's store and found several sale racks full of Fall merchandise at 40% off the ticket price —still a pretty good deal, right, but not as good as 50%. Then we noticed some Mason's pants that we had just seen in the corner store, and a Hartford shirt, Paul Smith boots and DSquared sneakers, and a Rag & Bone plaid flannel shirt that were all, apparently, sitting in both stores, at two different prices. Confusing? Maybe just sloppy? Definitely annoying, though, that most of the best stuff is still hanging in the regular store. We are assuming that the 40% off signs were an oversight, since even the website is offering 50% off sale goods, but who can tell, and why should we have to ask? Get it together, Scoop. Who wants to shop in two places for the same sale?

WAREHOUSE ALERT: Barneys Warehouse Sale Dates Set For New York

Our friends at Racked have ascertained that the next Barneys Warehouse Sale will take begin on February 16th and run through the 26th. As usual, the Chelsea Co-op will close on the preceding weekend to prepare for the event. Much like last February's installment, the sale begins as Fashion Week winds down, and like last September's, it is only scheduled for about 11 days. Of course, the last time, it was extended for a few extra days due to the Hurricane, so perhaps we can hope for a blizzard to give us a little more time at the new, short version of the Warehouse sale. The difference this time is that the New York sale will now overlap with the L.A. sale which reportedly runs from February 10-21. How this will affect the selection and quality of merchandise available for us New Yorkers, who are obviously the most important shoppers in the world and entitled to the optimum selection of goods to choose from, remains to be seen, but we will consider it another upcoming chapter in the story of a rapidly changing Barneys.

The Next Barneys Warehouse Sale Will Begin February 16 (Racked)
Previously:
Barneys Sets Dates For 11-Day LA Warehouse Sale In February. New York Still Waiting