THIS WEEK ONLINE: Valentino, Wes Gordon, A.L.C., Marc Jacobs, Miu Miu, Tiger of Sweden, Diane von Furstenberg, Maison Martin Margiela, Balenciaga, Kipling

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. Shop well!

GILT GROUPE

Valentino, Veronique Branquinho, Wes Gordon, Jil Sander, Jason Wu, SeaVees, Missoni, Dirk Bikkembergs, Tavik, Happy Socks, Movado/ESQ1, Martin Greenfoeld, Bailey of Hollywood, Yamakazi, Parvez Taj Art, Belle Epoque —join HERE

RUE LA LA

A.L.C., White & Warren, Columbia Sportswear, Raymond Weil, The Sharper Image, Absorba —join HERE

HAUTE LOOK

Marc Jacobs, Equipment, Parke & Ronen, Nudie Jeans, Nick Graham, Genetic Denim, Tory Burch, Vince Camuto, Badgley Mischka, Tiger of Sweden, Joseph Abboud, Carmen Marc Valvo, Alexis, Soia & Kyo, Diane von Furstenberg, Hartmann Luggage, Shades of Grey, Cosabella —join HERE

MY HABIT

Balenciaga, Alicia Adams, Betsey Johnson, Portolano, Burberry, Miu Miu, Kipling, Maison Martin Margiela, Tom Ford Fragrance, TAG Heuer, Armani Collezioni, 2(X)IST, Umbro, TOD's —join HERE

SPREZZATURA EXPRESS: The Slowear Store Is Open In SoHo

The umbrella brand may be called Slowear, but they didn't drag their feet when it came to opening their first American store. Expected sometime in September, the small but well-appointed Slowear Store opened its doors a little bit earlier than expected last Saturday, in plenty of time to be prepared for fall shopping. For those unfamiliar with the artisanal brands included, the under the Slowear aegis, they include trouser experts Incotex, knitwear specialists Zanone, tailoring and outerwear maker Monteodro and Glanshirt shirtmaker. Together they represent a dedication to preserve the highest quality and workmanship in Italian apparel manufacturing, and this store represents the first time that they have been collected under one roof in the U.S.
Rather than expanding offerings under each label to form "lifestyle" brands, the companies have been collected together so each one can continually refine its methods and focus on what it does best. Of course, such preservation can lead to beautifully made but boring products. While none of the Slower labels aspire to sparking cutting edge fashion trends —you'll find no androgynous Gucci silk blouses with bows for men there— together they represent that elusive, eclectic and nonchalant style known as sprezzatura. It's that uniquely Italian way of dressing based around classic clothing items put together in unexpected ways with the occasional dash of eccentricity—much easier to describe than to achieve.  With that in mind, The Slowear Store is packed with such pieces in sumptuous fabrics. Sure you can find basics there, but perhaps you would rather have a pair of lofty cotton Incotex trousers in a subtle geometric pattern, or perhaps a softly constructed Montedoro jacket in a tweedy tartan.
The shop is designed in the same mode of casual eclecticism by Carlo Donati including a wall of vinyl records and cozy place to sip espresso. Have a look at a few shots of the store from Slowear's Facebook page below, and then plan for some sophisticated Italian updates for your wardrobe.

The Slowear Store 116 Prince Street between Greene & Wooster Streets, SoHo

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SAMPLE CIRCUIT: Billy Reid's Sample Sale Is A Bonanza Of Bargains

It seems like we have an inordinate amount of Sample Sale news for the last weeks of summer, but any seasoned sale shopper knows that you have to take these things when they come. The Shophound breezed through the big BILLY REID sale at Chelsea Market (pictured above) this morning and we are delighted to report that the discounts are even better than we were told to expect, with 80% off retail being the benchmark for most categories —even for Reid's more exclusive Heirloom line. In addition, there's a lot of stuff there, and we are told that there is also plenty of goods in the back for restocking. One caveat is that there is a good amount of fall-season merchandise, so while it's a little warm to be looking at sweaters (only $79 —even for cashmere!), consider it a good opportunity to stock up for whatever insane winter El Niño has in store for us.
Like most of the Privé-Run sales at Chelsea Market, it is all racks with signs, and tables around the side piled with shoeboxes. There is a small selection of women's apparel, but the bulk of the sale consists of men's merchandise, and there is so much that the organizers pushed their pipe-and-drape back to allow for more selling space. After the jump, see a price list we have compiled from the signs so you can calculate for yourself.
See the SALE ROLL sidebar at left for details.

SAMPLE CIRCUIT: Last Minute Sales From BLK DNM & Carhartt Work In Progress

Hey Sample Sale Shoppers,

As always, there are a few last minute sale announcements that make what was otherwise a quiet sale week into an event. In the past couple of days we have discovered two new ones you will want to make note of, and they are only a few blocks from each other in SoHo, so you can make a single excursion.
The heritage workwear trend is still with us, but you won't look like you wandered in from a mechanic's garage if you hit the CARHARTT WORK IN PROGRESS sale on Crosby Street. This European based cult label takes the brand known for outfitting construction workers and morphs it into stylish sportswear for men and women. Savings of 70% are offered as well as stock from previous seasons.
When you are done there, you can head over to Mulberry Street  for the BLK DNM sample sale. The label known for perfectly styled jeans and other luxury basics like moto jackets and well-tailored camel coats is promising up to 80% off its collections for men and women, a great opportunity to update and stock up on your wardrobe's staple items.
Look for the red stars on our SALE ROLL sidebar at left for all the details on both sales, and see the flyers after the jump.

COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: The Complete UNIQLO and LEMAIRE Collection Will Be Exclusive To Only Two New York Stores

Everything you need to know about the upcoming UNIQLO and LEMAIRE collaboration line short of trying on the clothes themselves hit the web yesterday as the Japanese mega chain activated the collection's dedicated web page including price lists and a complete lookbook for everyone to preview. We'll get to the clothes in a minute, but the big news for New Yorkers is that the complete collection for men and women will launch on October 2nd in only two U.S. stores as well as online. Lucky for us, those stores are the two flagships on Fifth Avenue and on 34th Street. Selected items from the collaboration will be distributed to all Uniqlo locations, but from what we can gather they will only comprise about a quarter to a third of the entire offering. One more store, the Chicago unit set to open later in October, will also have the complete collection, but that's it, at least for this round of the project. Sorry, West Coasters.
This all means that the launch in October may recall the +J launches of years past, before we had multiple Uniqlo branches and e-commerce, and eager shoppers would line up outside the single SoHo flagship store to get the best pieces before they sold out —and you can expect some things to sell out quickly from this upcoming collaboration too.
Lemaire is not quite as well known as Jil Sander was when she unexpectedly joined forces with the mass retailer to create the +J line, but now that the collection has been revealed in its entirety —at least in photos— we can see that it was created for the same customer looking for something soigné and sophisticated at mass chain prices. If Lemaire and Uniqlo looks as good in person as it does in the lookbook photos, then they should have another hit on their hands. The prices range from $24.90 for casual knit pieces to $199.90 for a wool and cashmere men's coat. Most items are priced well under $100, with outerwear and cashmere knits comprising the most expensive pieces. The line, like the main Lemaire label, is less about trendy flash than luxury basics with an abundance of merino wool knits to be layered for practicality. Longer, flared skirts, draped tunic sweaters and special pieces like the asymmetrical cape (pictured above, right) show that the chain is not afraid of making a pitch to its more mature female customers, a strategy that files in the face of most millennial-obsessed fast fashion chains. For men (pictured below), there are what appear to be looser fitting shirts and easy, soft trousers that are right in step with the looser, more forgiving silhouettes that have surfaced in the most recent men's designer collections. With the launch just over five weeks away, eager New York shoppers would do well to go online, pick their favorite items and plan to be at either the Fifth Avenue or 34th Stores as early as possible.

UNIQLO and LEMAIRE (at Uniqlo.com)

SAMPLE CIRCUIT: Billy Reid, Calypso & Scoop NYC Close Out The Summer With Sales

One doesn't expect much in terms of Sample Sales out of the final days of August, but this week is shaping up nicely for anyone with bottomless shopping resources.
Starting today, SCOOP NYC begins its Warehouse Sale at its SoHo location. Meant to be a consolidation that promises up to 80% off the season's clearance, the sale is set for two weeks. In past seasons, Scoop has taken over 260 Fifth Avenue for its final bow after the in-store sale for an even more deeply discounted sale. Whether or not that sale (which took place in mid-September last year) will happen again remains to be seen, so how long you hold out may depend on what you want and how much of a discount you require. It's a waiting game.
Meanwhile, 260 Fifth Avenue will be busy today with the CALYPSO St. BARTH sale through the weekend. The popular boutique chain is offering up to 80% off its signature, ethereal clothing, shoes and accessories. Shoppers can count on a crowd at this one, so plan ahead.
The event attracting the most attention this week, however, is the BILLY REID sale starting tomorrow at Chelsea Market through Sunday. Reid's sample sales in the past have been smaller, more sporadic affairs, but in recent seasons, he has become a more regular part of the sale schedule, This is his first time at Chelsea Market as a solo act, and he is promising serious discounts up to 70% off. Though the sale will be mostly menswear, a limited women's section is promised. Click the image above for a preview of the sort of bargains shoppers can expect to find this week.
Keep an eye on our SALE ROLL sidebar at left for details and late breaking sales. Next week, athletes can look forward to active wear and shoes from ASICS, and the rest of us can relax and take a much needed shopping break.

RELOCATION RUMOR: FAO Schwarz Headed To The Brill Building Together With Toys "R" Us

The saga of where Toys "R" Us and FAO Schwarz will ultimately plant their flagship stores appears to have been concluded as The Commercial Observer reports that both stores —which are jointly owned— will move into the historic, about-to-change-hands Brill Building (pictured at right) on the corner of Broadway and 49th Street for a combined store. The companies are reportedly in negotiations with the landmark building's future owners for all or part of the 50,000 square feet of retail space that will be available when renovations are finished.
New Yorkers with fond memories of FAO Schwarz's Fifth Avenue toy palace may be disappointed to learn that its new home would be combined with the more pedestrian Toys "R" Us chain, robbing it of its exclusive veneer, and that is reportedly what scuttled the deal for a new store a block up the street at 1633 Broadway. That building's owners were apparently happy to have FAO Schwarz planted in front of its tower, however they balked at having the more Toys "R" Us mass market brand sharing what they were marketing as a prestige space. The Brill Building, for its part, is best known as the center of the pop music industry during the mid-20th Century, housing legendary songwriters like Burt Bacharach, Hal David, Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Phil Spector, Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller to name just a handful of the hitmakers who called it their professional home. It was still home to the beloved Colony Records music store until 2012 when the last vestige of the ornate Art Deco building's legendary past finally succumbed to closure.
Of course, nobody involved is confirming any news of a new combined toy store flagship yet, and the deal wouldn't be finalized until after the Brill Building's new owners close on their acquisition near the end of this year. A new store opening is still fairly far off, but this looks like the deal that may bring FAO Schwarz back in operating form in Manhattan, if not exactly in the form its nostalgic fans might be hoping for.

FAO Schwarz and Toys “R” Us Looking to Open Combo Store at Brill Building (Commercial Observer)

IMPORTS INVADE: Totokaelo from Seattle and Repetto From Paris Set To Enter SoHo

Cue the Trumpian Xenophobia.
Two retailers from far, far away are set to enter the shopping fray in SoHo as the Fall influx of new stores starts taking shape.
First off, Seattle, Washington boutique Totokaelo (keep practicing saying that) will be opening its first satellite location at 54 Crosby Street between Broome and Spring Streets right next to the backside of Bloomingdale's. The store will occupy 8,400 square feet over five floors (rendering pictured above) and two outdoor areas in a narrow building with dramatic, open skylit spaces. Like the mother-ship in Seattle, the new store is expected to carry a curated mix of directional designer clothing for women and men like Haider Ackermann, Dries Van Noten and Ann Demeulemeester to name a few, along with home furnishings and objets d'art. The folks at Totokaelo are so dedicated to the store's expansion that they have moved their creative and merchandising teams to New York permanently. We won't have to wait too long to find out if the risk was worth it. Totokaelo is set to open just after Labor Day on September 10th.

New Yorkers will be somewhat more familiar with Repetto, the French footwear label best known for ballet flats in myriad designs and colors. The brand is set to open its first New York store on November on West Broadway in a 2,350 square foot space near Anthropoligie, Ralph Lauren's RRL and fellow Parisian Ladurée. The store is set to open just in time for the company's launch of the Opera line, its first collection of high heeled shoes. The label will also have space for its new ready-to-wear collection as well as fragrances, a special dance section and an atelier which can offer customization with a choice of 250 colors. Uptown Repetto fans can look forward to another another location near them, probably on Madison Avenue, to be announced soon as the brand embarks on a plan to dramatically increase its presence in the U.S. market and makes the transition form exclusive ballet-shoe resource to fully-fledged fashion brand.

Totokaelo Readies Crosby Street Location, Repetto to Open First Store in Manhattan (WWD)

THIS WEEK ONLINE: Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Bottega Veneta, Oliver Peoples, J Brand, TUMI, Proenza Schouler, Gareth Pugh, Robert Geller, Neil Barrett, Gucci

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. Shop well!

GILT GROUPE

Dolce & Gabbana, Steve Madden, A.L.C., Saint Laurent, Dolce Vita, Prada, Marine Layer, Miansai, Lanvin, Neil Barrett, Luciano Barbera, Mr. Turk, Tani, Belstaff, Versace, Bottega Veneta  —join HERE

RUE LA LA

Alice + Olivia, Cinzia Rocca, Dan Post, Givenchy, Sophie Catalou Girls, Miriam Merenfeld Jewelry, Vince Camuto, Pandora, Ebel Watches, Breville, Waterford, Aquaswiss, 1 by O'2nd —join HERE

IDEEL

Gucci, Charles by Charles David, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Nicole Miller, Swarovski, Hugo Boss, McQ by Alexander McQueen —join HERE

HAUTE LOOK

J Brand, Gucci Watches, New Balance, Arika, TUMI, Dawn Levy, Inhabit, Stila, Burberry, BearPaw, Vince, Kiki de Montparnasse, Oliver Peoples, Papi, James Tattersall, Antonio Maurizi, Kenneth Cole, Cynthia Rowley —join HERE

MY HABIT

Prada, Gareth Pugh, Proenza Schouler, Yummie by Heather Thompson, Marc Jacobs, Nomad, Puma, Nat Nast, Bill's Khakis, John Varvatos, Vivenne Westwood, Quicksilver, Issey Miyake, Velvet by Graham & Spencer, Carla Mancini, Robert Geller, Lanvin, Rick Owens, Onia, LeSportsac —join HERE

COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: Here's A New Look From Balmain X H&M

EXCLUSIVITE MONDE Découvrez un nouveau look @Balmain x @hm #HMBalmaination dans #ELLEenkiosque http://t.co/70x8KT37BH pic.twitter.com/xxjw5aVmum

— ELLE Fashion (@ELLEfashion) August 20, 2015

There's no going back to the old fashioned press release for H&M which has taken a social media heavy strategy to promote its upcoming collaboration with Balmain. Today it's a tweet from French ELLE (pictured above) of a strong shouldered minidress with long sleeves, a skimpy hemline and lavish embroidery that indicate the unmistakable signature of Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing. Since the collaboration was announced on the red carpet of the Billboard Music Awards and via Instagram, we should start to expect more images of the collection to casually drop until the official launch on November 5. It's looking like a good season for collaborations with Adam Lippes' Target line coming next month, the upcoming Uniqlo x Lemaire introduction and the always reliable GAP X GQ's Best New Menswear Designers quartet of capsules. Stay tuned for more updates.

Previously:
Collaboration Anticipation: H&M x Balmain Collaboration Announced On Twitter, Instagram & The Red Carpet