THIS WEEK ONLINE: Thakoon, Marni, Brioni, Luca Roda, Chaumet, James Perse, RED Valentino, Bruno Magli, A. Testoni, Tahari, Breitling, J Brand, Dr. Martens

Here is your weekly sampling of some of the brands you can expect to find on the bigger online Flash Sale Sites this week. You should click over to the sites themselves for a full schedule of events, and be sure to check for the correct start time for each sale. Happy clicking!

GILT GROUPE

Thakoon, Moschino Scarves, Stretta, Marni, Karen Walker Sunglasses, Meira T Fine Jewelry, Cosabella, ML Monique Lhuillier, L.K. Bennett, The Letter, Brioni, Gucci Watches, Rated M Underwear, Luca Roda, Spitfire Sunglasses, Slate & Stone, Raymond Weil, G-Star Sneakers —join HERE

RUE LA LA

Salvatore Ferragamo, Breitling, Paolo Bentini, TUMI, Matisse & Coconuts, Majorica, madame Alexander, Citizen Watches, Alternative Apparel, Hanna Andersson, Dee Keller Shoes, BCBGeneration, Miraclesuit & Magicsuit, House of Harlow 1960, James Perse, Andrea Candela, Crystorama, Ippolita, Marchesa Notte —join HERE

BELLE & CLIVE

Made in Mayhem Accessories, Calvin Klein, A.B.S. by Allen Schwartz, RED Valentino, Meli Beach Swimwear, Aaraa Jewelry, Frankie & Ava, Kenneth Jay Lane, Prada, John Varvatos, Croton Watches —join HERE

HAUTE LOOK

Tracy M, Stella + Ruby, J Brand, LORAC, Chan Luu, Michael Stars, Marika Tek, Givenchy, Cynthia Steffe, Jessica Simpson, Yummie by Heather Thompson, Cuisinart, Sodastream, Nespresso, Remy Olivier, Eton Red Ribbon, A. Testoni, C-IN2 Underwear, Rockport, Ben Sherman, Kenneth Cole, Bruno Magli, Royce Leathergoods, Tommy Bahama Watches, Original Penguin Watches, Jared Lang —join HERE

MY HABIT

Montblanc Accessories, Christian Dior, PÜR Cashmere, Umbro, Joanna Laura Constantine Jewelry, RED Valentino, French Connection, Dexton Toys, Godinger, Trafalgar, Calvin Klein Fragrance, Massimo Bizzocchi Ties, Maker & Company, Catherine Catherine Malandrino, Elie Tahari, The Generic Man, Thaddeus —join HERE

VENTE PRIVEE

Samsonite, Ellen Tracy, Chaumet, Charmex Watches, Clarks, LeRoy Neiman Originals, Armand Nicolet Watches, Tibaldi Pens, Dr. Martens, Buccela, Hefel Bedding —join HERE

BEAUTY GIVEAWAY: Get A Free Manicure At Marc Jacobs All Weekend

Bleecker Street will be a little bit more crowded this weekend as the Marc Jacobs Beauty store will be providing free manicures from Noon to 8 PM starting now until Sunday. See a selection of colors above, and pick the one that suits you best. If Esquire's SoHo Mega-Pop-Up is not your cup of tea, then perhaps this sort of giveaway may be more in your wheelhouse —or go to both! It's the 21st Century after all, and seeing as how Marc is the sort of designer who routinely wears kilts and famously attended the Met Ball in a transparent lace dress, we're pretty sure that a manicure will be offered to any and all comers. 

Free Manicures at Marc Jacobs Beauty through Sunday May 18,385 Bleecker Street at Perry Street, West Village (@MarcJacobsIntl via Racked)

YOUR WEEKEND PLANS: Esquire Promises To Sharpen Your Style This Weekend

In case you missed last week's Pop-Up Flea, Esquire Magazine and Esquire Network are giving stylish or aspiring stylish gentlemen a chance to make up for it this weekend with their own set of pop-up shops in SoHo. SHARP - The Man Event will kick off tonight with a V.I.P. party and will open to the public on Saturday and Sunday featuring an exclusive group of "you-oughta-know" brands and designers selling directly to customers. the event promises "a distinct and cohesive retail aesthetic accented by custom fixtures, artistic installations and lounges to hang out and kick back in." While last week's Pop-Up flea had a narrower, connoisseur type of focus, Esquire's event has a a bit broader appeal with over 50 participating brands including Brooklyn Tailors, Ernest Alexander, Iasora, J.Press York Street, Marlon Gobel, Lucio Castro and many more. There will be contests and giveaways including a free Blue Claw tote for the first 500 guests on Saturday and Sunday. RSVP is not required, but it is recommended in case capacity is reached. Have a look at the video which promotes the event by showing a handsome model changing his very stylish clothes

SHARP - The Man Event May 17 - 18 at 82 Mercer Street between Spring & Broome Streets, SoHo RSVP HERE

REVOLVING DOOR: Out With Yogurt, In With Juice

Remember a couple of years ago when people would line up in front of Pinkberry stores and it was all people could talk about?
Well, things have changed.
This morning, New York Magazine's Grub Street blog informs us that the bottom has fallen out of the Frozen Yogurt business in New York, marking the end of one more factor that has been inflating retail rents in neighborhoods all over the city. Pinkberries and Red Mangoes all over the city have quietly vanished, and other chains have canceled previously announced plans to expand in the city. A host of factors are listed including the sameness of the product (most use identical yogurt mixes form the same Dannon-owned supplier), high overhead since the shops look for the most expensive spaces in high-traffic shopping areas, and plain old product saturation. Once faithful customers, weary of the product's ubiquity, have just gotten tired of it and dropped it altogether, especially when they discovered that the product wasn't exactly as healthful and guilt-free as advertising implied.

So, does this mean relief for streets like Amsterdam Avenue on Manhattan's Upper West Side where residents and community boards have recently been complaining that an alarming influx of frogurt has displaced other, needed business and services? Not necessarily. Another trendy food business with similar real estate requirements is taking hold and shows little sign of losing steam —for now. You might not be too sad to see your neighborhood Pinkberry vanish, but don't be surprised when Liquiteria swiftly moves in. Many remaining yogurt shops are experimenting with adding juice to boost business. Green juices, it seems, are the new Fro-Yo, so this may be a good time to plan that cleanse.

Fro-No: How New York City Soured on Frozen Yogurt (Grub Street)

BREAKING CHAIN: A 7-Eleven Slinks Away From The Upper West Side

Manhattan has always been a juicy target for national chains with its dense population and huge tourist contingent, but the borough's residents have been known to be fickle when interloping storefronts set up shop. The latest object of scorn for city residents is the iconic 7-Eleven chain which has aggressively peppered the city with new openings over the past couple of years.
The locals hate it.
Call it perverse, but it turns out that New Yorkers seem to prefer the grottiest bodega to 7-Eleven's super-brightly lit white walled stores featuring endless racks of packaged foods and famous Slurpee machines. As the chain continues to push franchise openings in the city, some prominent early arrivals are failing. Notably, a St. Marks Place location closed last December after continuous neighborhood scorn that found the suburban green and orange façade disrupting the street's fabled bohemian ambiance. Never mind that the East Village's true bohemian days are long gone. Residents refused to give up the illusion, and that particular 7-Eleven is now gone. We discovered another recent departure on the corner of Amsterdam Avenue and 93rd Street (pictured above & below),  where the striped panel above the storefront had been removed and all traces of the former convenience store had been removed sometime over the last month. Though it's certainly a lower profile location than St. Mark's place, full of local restaurants and small independent businesses, it's more likely that this particular outpost was simply, quietly rejected by its neighborhood. Though New Yorkers have bristled under the city's attempts to regulate sugary drinks (which, for through some loophole, 7-Eleven will be exempt) and processed foods, it seems that they still don't care to embrace the chain that has made a reputation out of offering a bounty of hot dogs, chips, donuts, Slurpees and all manner of packaged cake and cookie snacks —not to mention the full selection of cigarettes and other tobacco products 24-hour a day. Slim Jim anyone? We already know where to get those, and anything else we might need.
So goodbye, Amsterdam Avenue 7-Eleven. Nobody misses you, until you become yet another bank, and then we will all be complaining about that.

AUCTION ALERT! J&R Is Auctioning Off Its Excess Inventory Today & TomorrowUPDATED

Exactly what will become of the J&R megastore which closed for redevelopment earlier this year is yet to be seen. It is promising to reopen next year, but, in the meantime, the store closed so abruptly that it did not give itself a chance to clear out of its vast inventory of computers, electronics, cameras, TVs, housewares and everything else. To alleviate that problem, the store is auctioning off its remaining inventory today and tomorrow. This is not usually the way a retailer who plans to stay in business would operate, which makes us wonder if J&R really will ever reopen when the redevelopment is completed. 

Details and photos can be found HERE.
The auction will be held at the Park Row store, and is CASH or Certified Check ONLY, so come prepared. Brands available include Samsung, Sony, Toshiba, Canon, Nikon etc., so basically all of the top brands that J&R sold except for Apple, which is not listed and probably not included.

This kind of thing doesn't happen every day, so if you have any electronics needs, get down there ASAP!.
That is all.

UPDATE: Here's a caveat before you head downtown. It turns out that the auction is geared more toward buyers who plan to resell. Very few items are available in single lots, so you may not be able to buy one laptop, but you will be able to buy a lot of three or four laptops.

J&R Music Consumer Electronics Superstore Auction Tuesday, May 13 & Wednesday, May 14, at 11:30 AM 1 Park Row New York, NY 10038

SAMPLE CIRCUIT: A Fully Booked Sale Week With Gant, Oscar de la Renta, Christian Louboutin, Walter Steiger & Much More

It's the middle of May, folks, and the Sample Sale Season is firing on all cylinders.
This week brings a fully packed schedule that should keep any eager shopper busy all day, every day. Yesterday, The Shophound previewed the GANT sample sale at 225 Fifth Avenue (pictured above). This sale has always been one of our favorites, but it has gone through a few different incarnations in recent seasons. The latest version, if it follows last season's pattern, should be a two part affair, This week it is almost exclusively a sale of showroom samples in limited sizes —really limited, as in only size Medium tops and 32 pants. The company has even reduced the number of sizes in its sample line, which is why it has moved to the slightly smaller venue it currently occupies. If you can fit the samples, it offers all the things Gant fans love, including all three labels like the main line, Rugger and Gant by Michael Bastian. Other sizes should sit tight, because in a few months —probably closer to the end of the Summer— Gant can be expected to close out their inventory for the season at 70% off. It's not quite the same as the old dirt-cheap showroom sample sales Gant used to hold, but things change and life goes on. See the price list below, and details at left on the SALE ROLL.
Anyway, here are just a few more choice sales this week that will get shoppers excited.

It's CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN Sale Week which should get all the shoe shoppers out with their wiliest schemes to get into this strictly-invitation-only-except-sometimes-when-we-feel-like-letting-others-in sale. Therre's no guarantee of entry without being on the list, but people do slip in and this seasons reports seem to be positive. Attempt entry at your own risk. You may have better luck closer to Friday when the sale ends.

Anyone uninterested in the hassle of slipping into the Louboutin sale, but still interested in glamorous designer shoes at great prices should hit the WALTER STEIGER sale starting on Wednesday the 14th. All are invited this season, but RSVP by Email is required for a particular entry time. We have heard that prices start at $50 for this sale which is a steal.

OSCAR DE LA RENTA is in the middle of a sale at Soiffer Haskin right now which we hear is a bonanza featuring lots of day clothes, dresses, shoes, accessories and, of course, the extravagant gowns that light up red carpets. These sales don't happen every season, so who knows when the legendary designer may be holding another one? The discount is a whopping 80% off, but with Oscars prices, that means that items often still top $1000, so choose your purchases carefully. Runs through tomorrow the 14th

If you still want a glamorous gown, Brazilian designer CARLOS MIELE is closing his Meatpacking district boutique in favor of a move elsewhere which means that everything in the store is 80% off including those sinuous gowns that always grace his window. This one runs through the end of May when the store will shutter for good, leaving yet another empty storefront on the western end of 14th Street.

If you really want a bargain, THE LIMITED is holding their famous showroom sale in NoHo starting today and running through Wednesday the 14th featuring bins of goods starting at $8 each and topping out not much higher. It's a great source for cheap t-shirts and sportswear and whatever else you can grab

Designer ADAM LIPPES is back in business. His expansive sample sales once featured racks of his signature, luxurious pima cotton tees, but this time around he seems to be simply focused on his women's ready-to-wear collection in the West Village. Rediscover his label starting today through Thursday the 15th.

Starting today the 13th, Stylish men who love classic British and Italian sportswear should head over to the M5 SHOWROOM in SoHo for great savings on favorite labels like JOHN SMEDLEY, STONE ISLAND, ASPESI, DRUMOHR and more. Runs through Friday the 16th.

CFDA favorites PUBLIC SCHOOL will be featured as always at the popular showroom THE NEWS, whose dale starting on Thursday the 15th will also include hot brands like COMMON PROJECTS, TIM COPPENS, CHEAP MONDAY, SACAI and a host of others. Runs through Saturday the 17th.

And that's just a sampling. Check out our SALE ROLL at left for more information about sales this week from VERONICA BEARD, TRACY REESE, BONPOINT, LOEFFLER RANDALL, TER et BANTINE, ARAKS, JONATHAN ADLER and so much more.
Next week, JAMES PERSE, PIAZZA SEMPIONE and TIBI lead the charge with more to follow. Stay tuned.

MOVIN' ON UP: Karen Millen Heading Uptown For A Fifth Avenue Flagship

A couple of weeks ago, The Shophound wondered if Karen Millen's imminent relinquishing of its SoHo store (pictured at left) to David Yurman meant that she was retreating from Manhattan's hyper competitive retail scene, but it turn out that the contemporary British brand is simply shifting locales. Though there are 13 Karen Millen shops in the U.S. plus 15-and-counting leased shops in Bloomingdale's, her big splash will be in June when she opens up a 5,000-square-foot flagship store at the corner of 48th Street and Fifth Avenue. Strategically located right by H&M's upcoming megastore —or one of them, anyway— the store will be able to take advantage of Fifth Avenue's immense visibility factor. To celebrate the new store along with a corresponding store in London, the retailer has commissioned a 2 and a half minute film from British filmmaker Mary Nighy (daughter of actors Bill Nighy and Diana Quick) featuring dynamic young women from both the U.S. and the U.K. emphasizing Karen Millen's more fashion driven direction. Presumably you will be able to find the film on the label's website sometime after this week's launch, but shoppers should really be looking forward to the new flagship store sometime between Memorial and Independence Days.

Karen Millen Opening London and New York Flagships (WWD)
Previously:
Luxury Sprawl: David Yurman Headed To SoHo

THIS WEEK ONLINE: Prada, Sonia Rykiel, James Perse, Cacharel, Tom Ford, Bottega Veneta, Dolce & Gabbana, Hublot, Carmen Marc Valvo, Alice + Olivia, Creed

Here is your weekly sampling of some of the brands you can expect to find on the bigger online Flash Sale Sites this week. You should click over to the sites themselves for a full schedule of events, and be sure to check for the correct start time for each sale. Happy clicking!

GILT GROUPE

Prada, Stylein, Lfayette 148, Goldhawk, Manolo Blahnik, 10 Crosby by Derek Lam, ICB, Vianna Brasil Fine Jewelry, Kelsi Dagger, L.A.M.B., Dolce & Gabbana, Ben Sherman Plectrum, Wall + Water, British Belt Co., Black Apple, Oliver Sweeney, Hublot, Vintage Shoe Co. —join HERE

RUE LA LA

Prada, Page & Tuttle Golf, Chan Luu, All Clad, Karastan Rugs, Hartmann, Inhabit, Akribos XXIV, Børn, Alara, EPIC Shortmakers, Charlene K Jewelry, Simone Perele, Alice + Olivia, Carmen Marc Valvo, Versace Watches, Lanvin Shoes, Honora, Charles Tyrwhitt, Lynn Chase, Ipanema, Nanis Jewelry, Creed, Bulova —join HERE

BELLE & CLIVE

Tom Ford Eyewear, Saint Laurent Accessories, Chan Luu, Marc New York, La Fiorentina, Julieri, Nami Flip Flops, 7 For All Mankind, Bottega Veneta, Hugo Boss, Giuseppe Zanotti, Ermenegildo Zegna, Foley + Corinna, Hagit Gorali, Gucci Burberry —join HERE

HAUTE LOOK

True Religion, Candela, ASICS, Stella & Jamie, Ella Moss, Sanuk, Parke & Ronen, Cacharel, Dolce Vita, Ted Baker, Charriol, Nine West, BB Dakota, Crocs, Kinetix, 14th & Union Shoes, Colibri, Ossington —join HERE

MY HABIT

Cole Haan Sunglasses, Salvatore Ferragamo, Frette by Harrys of London, Brioni, Versace Ties, Ritmo Mundo, Tailor Vintage, Kinetix, CERRUTI 1881, Bogosse, James Perse, Trinity Sandals, LP by Linea Pelle Handbags, Chio & Biviel, Shades of Grey, Sonia Rykiel Maison, Les Copains, 7 for All Mankind, Autumn Cashmere, Antonio Maurizi, WeSC, Sanyo, Stuhrling Watches, Jacob Holston, Missoni Rugs, Prada, Original Penguin —join HERE

VENTE PRIVEE

MIssoni, Nordic Ware, Rina Limor Jewelry, Steiner Sports, Whynter, Caruso, Wring Pro, ARA —join HERE

YOUR WEEKEND PLANS: The Pop-Up Flea Is Back Today

A seasonal shopping favorite is back today for one weekend only. The Pop-Up Flea, an event featuring a carefully curated collection of apparel, accessory and shoe brands along with other makers of generally cool stuff, is now up and running at The Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea. This season's participants includes regular repeat participants like Isaora, Alexander Olch, Billykirk, Lotuff and Rancourt along with exciting newcomers. Put money on seeing lots of vintage watches, and artisanally made things —and we wouldn't have it any other way. Despite its history of promoting Major Heritage brands, the Pop-Up flea has moved on a bit from its lumberjack-ish origins with some more modernist participants, so it's always worth a visit to see the latest products that have been fully approved by the menswear powers that be.

Pop-Up Flea through Sunday May 11 at the Metropolitan Pavilion 123 West 18th Street between Sixth & Seventh Avenues, Chelsea