SAMPLE CIRCUIT: Versace, Gant, Tocca & More Present Holiday Sample Shopping Starting Today

It's the last week before Christmas, and the onslaught of sample sales will be letting up just a bit until after New Years, but that doesn't mean that the schedule will be going completely dark. There are even a couple of heavy hitters on deck for last minute shopping. Here are some highlights:

There are five prominent sales kicking off today, Tuesday the 20th, that might offer some useful opportunities for last minute Holiday gift buyers, the most prominent being VERSACE's four-day blowout at Soffer Haskin near Penn Station. Look for full Men's and Women's offerings from a resilient designer label that looks to be on the rise once more.
Heading east to 260 Fifth Avenue, GANT (pictured above) will be returning for its seasonal sale. Look for hefty discounts in the 75% range making it a good opportunity for last minute gifts and stocking up on basics. Shop through Friday the 23rd.
Down in SoHo, a trio of sales will launch on Tuesday including just-posted, three-day blowout at ZADIG & VOLTAIRE offering 70% off men's and women's collections through the 22nd.
The TOCCA BEAUTY and S’WELL sale at 150 Greene Street is essentially a four day gift shopping stop featuring scented candles and all manner of home fragrances alongside eco-conscious water bottles.
Finally, one block west shoppers will find sprawling sale from WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND running clear through to next Wednesday (not including the Holiday Weekend). This sale promises up to 90% off a slew of vintage wares, and though lesser known labels will definitely outnumber the coveted luxury brands like Chanel and Dior, that means that there will be some great bargains on other carefully curated vintage items including, if past sales are any indication, wide assortments of leather jackets and furs.

Check our SALE ROLL sidebar at left for details, locations and late breaking sales. Next week, the sale schedule mostly takes a much needed hiatus, but listings are already drifting in for January including Scotch & Soda and more. Until then, Happy Holidays.

THIS WEEK ONLINE: Last Minute Flash Shopping with Phillip Lim, Dita Von Teese, Versace, DVF, Badgley Mischka, Michael Bastian, Timberland & More

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

Temperley London, Timo Weiland, Dita Von Teese Intimates, Pour La Victoire, 3.1 Phillip Lim, BLK DNM, Canali, Badgley Mischka, Vince., Canada Goose, OneForty8 by Lafayette 148, Sofia Cashmere, Free People, Emporio Armani, Michael Bastian, Cadet, Fjällräven, M.R.K.T. Bags, UMA Furniture, Volcanica Candles, OXO, BOSS Home by Hugo Boss —join HERE

RUE LA LA

Prada, Samsonite, NATORI & JOSIE by Natori, Australia Luxe Collective, Adrienne Landau, Zadig & Voltaire, KC Designs, BCBGMaxAzria, Donald J Pliner, Portolano, Via Spiga, Lancôme, Saucony, True Religion, Nautica Home, Murray's Cheese —join HERE

HAUTE LOOK

Timberland, Siwy Denim, Versace, Eberjey Intimates, Triple Five Soul, Hudson Denim, Joe's Jeans, Vince Camuto, Porsamo Bleu Watches, Cult of Individuality, Haute Hippie, Laura Geller NY, Diane von Furstenberg, Desigual, Simon Sebbag Jewelry, TR Premium, Invicta Watches —join HERE

FLAGSHIP FLASH: Todd Snyder's Boutique Arrives Just In Time For The Holidays

When designer Todd Snyder's City Gym shop ended its brief run in NoLita about a year and a half ago, we were promised that a more permanent showcase for the designer was on the way. It's been quite a wait, but Snyder is finally making his bid for the MVP role in the bumper crop of American menswear designers who have emerged in New York over the past decade. The Todd Snyder NYC Flagship store finally opened on the northern edge of Madison Square Park last week featuring the full breadth of the designer's offerings plus a host of collaborations that almost make the new store seem like a multi-brand affair. While a few features like the in-store barber shop and café are still awaiting finishing touches, there is still plenty for Snyder fans to appreciate including a full Moscot optical counter and an impressive shoe assortment featuring exclusive styles from beloved brands like Crockett & Jones, Alden, Grenson and Tricker's to name a few.

Of course, this isn't Snyder's first big boutique. Even before opening the City Gym shop, Snyder launched his Townhouse store in Tokyo where his sophisticated take on classic sportswear found an enthusiastic customer base. This, however, is his first major retail statement in his home town. it is, in part, a result of new investment in the Todd Snyder brand by American Eagle. While AE was attracted by the more casual Tailgate brand also created by Snyder, the designer's signature collection now gets a hefty collateral boost that can potentially elevate it to a new level. It's great for a designer to have a rack or two in Bergdorf's, Neiman Marcus or Saks, but nothing beats having an entire store to show the full expression of a brand and raise a designer's profile. Snyder's clothes aren't avant-garde or outlandish. They don't necessarily jump out at you when they are mixed in with the rest of a department store's offerings, but stock an entire store with them, and their appeal increases exponentially. Add some tasty accessories and collaboration items to cover whatever he can't yet produce under the main brand plus a personable and professional staff, and you have the formula for a big brand boost just a stone's throw from one of Manhattan's burgeoning neighborhoods. The store is off to a promising start just in time for the Holiday season, and if it fulfills it's potential, you should be seeing Todd Snyder on a faster track to the big leagues.

Todd Snyder NYC Flagship Store now open at 23 East 26th Street/25 Madison Square North, NoMad.

SAMPLE CIRCUIT: Thomas Pink, LeSportsac, La Perla. Equipment & More Hit The Pre-Holiday Sample Sale Trail

So we missed a big week of sale reporting last week because, well, things happen, but there is still a full roster of sample sales happening this week, and the heavy hitters all seem to be staring today, Tuesday the 13th.

Let's start with the reliable 260 Fifth Avenue where the seasonal triple header of EQUIPMENT, JOIE and CURRENT|ELLIOTT have taken up residence through the weekend for a bonanza of contemporary sportswear and denim. Downtown at the company's sibling SoHo outlets, the guys have luxurious Neopolitan hand-tailored clothing brand ISAIA and its burgeoning little brother EIDOS taking up residence at 151 Wooster Street with discounts on elegant suiting and sophisticated Italian sportswear. For ladies, it's a walk one block east to 150 Greene Street where LA PERLA will be presenting discounts on their fabled intimate apparel and loungewear. Isaia and Equipment will run through Saturday, while La Perla gives shoppers one extra day through Sunday.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, famed British shirtmaker THOMAS PINK kicks off a three-day sale at Clothingline in the Garment District featuring dress shirts and furnishings with a smattering of women's items. At the ever-popular Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea, sporty accessories brand LESPORTSAC will also be holding a sale for three days offering discounts on bags, luggage and small accessories.

Moving on to Wednesday the 14th, exclusive milliner EUGENIA KIM will be opening her showroom for a four-day sale through Saturday featuring hats for all seasons as well as cold-weather accessories and fur pieces. Just a block east, ELIZABETH GILLETT will hold a longer running sale until just before Christmas and Hanukkah promising apparel and lots of luxurious scarves and accessories.

Thursday brings popular jeweler IPPOLITA to Soiffer Haskin's spacious venue near Penn Station through Monday bringing sizable savings on baubles ranging from sporty sterling silver to more precious pieces featuring gold and precious stones. Exclusive accessory label VBH will also be holding a two-day event at the Shelly & Renée space on West 57th Street that promises opulent handbags.

On Friday, LIEBESKIND's affordable handbags and accessories will be even more affordable for three day through the weekend at its Lafayette Street store.

Coming up: A whole week of shopping before the Holidays take over the weekend featuring a major VERSACE event and the return of old favorite GANT.

THIS WEEK ONLINE: Holiday Flash Shopping with Moncler, Ermenegildo Zegna, Theory, DVF, Vera Wang & More

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

Moncler, Rachel Zoe, Portolano, Judith Leiber Couture, Vince Camuto, Peter Werth Accessories, Alpina Watches, Frye, Thomas Wylde, Theory, Ermenegildo Zegna, JACHS, Nudie, Chapter, Wolf Watch Accessories, Safavieh Rugs, Garnier Thiebaut Table Linens, Godinger, BergHOFF, Yamakazi, Sofia Cashmere, Waterworks —join HERE

RUE LA LA

Hickey Freeman, Hervé Chapelier, Theory, PUMA, Missoni Home, Phillip Gavriel, Pandora, Givenchy, SPANX, Jack Rogers, Gloverall Coats, Nambé, Diane von Furstenberg —join HERE

HAUTE LOOK

Lucky Brand, Gucci Eyewear, Cole Haan, Seiko, Elevenparis, ATM Anthony Thomas Melillo, Dooney & Bourke, Vera Wang, Via Spiga, Freida Rothman Jewelry, Brooks Brothers, Joe Fresh, Moschino Homme, Antonio Maurizi, 2(x)ist, Versace, Hobo, Dolce Vita, Black Halo, Chan Luu, Lime Crime, NuFACE, Ben Sherman, Ray-Ban, Minnetonka —join HERE

THIS WEEK ONLINE: Manolo Blahnik, Fendi, Rebecca Taylor,Céline & More In This Week's Flash Sales

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

Tibi, Givenchy, Molton Brown, Stuhrling, Manolo Blahnik, Cole Haan, Fendi Apparel & Timepieces, CZ by Kenneth Jay Lane, John Varvatos Collection, Unsimply Stitched, A.Testoni, Bottega Veneta, Diesel  —join HERE

RUE LA LA

Céline, Roberta Roller Rabbit, Marc New York, Rebecca Taylor, Mariposa, Halston Heritage, Dolce Vita, Alex and Ani, Rivkah Friedman, Nautica, Hobo The Original, Creed, Alice & Trixie, Rachel Zoe, Nualime, Stride Rite, Sferra, Joan Vass —join HERE

HAUTE LOOK

Frye, White Eyelash, Fossil Watches, Anthony for Men, Pendleton, PRPS Goods & Co., 7 For All Mankind, Parker, Rachel Zoe, Dolce Cabo, Le Sportsac, Earthwood Watches, Kinetix, A.Testoni, SPANX, Stuart Weitzman, Furla, Quiksilver, Shwood, Keds Florsheim—join HERE

SNEAKER WARS II: Nike Finally Finds its Fifth Avenue Home

A look inside the recently opened Nike SoHo store expected to inform the concept of the upcoming Nike Fifth Avenue flagship

It's hard to know it Nike deliberately chose the day Adidas opened its shiny new brand palace to make the announcement, but yesterday the sneaker giant announced that its long search for a follow up to its 57th Street Niketown store is over. The new Nike store will eventually open in a whopping 70,000 square feet at 650 Fifth Avenue in a space that includes not only the building's entire previous retail component, but some extra office floors that will be converted as well to make a seven-floor superstore. Essentially it will be a Nike department store on Fifth Avenue.
It has not been announced that Niketown will be closing at the end of its lease which has been extended to 2022 while the company continued to search for its successor space, but it is hard to imagine even Nike sustaining two large flagships in such close proximity. Nike execs have also been candid that the once innovative design of that store has aged, and needs to be updated in favor of the more open format of the recently unveiled Nike SoHo store (pictured above). Look for the brand to expand on the concepts in that store including areas for customers to try out athletic gear on the selling floor in basketball and soccer cages, a concept also appearing at Adidas' new flagship. In any event, there may be little overlap between the unveiling of Nike's new store and the old Niketown. It will take some time to gut and rebuild the retail space at 650 Fifth which for the past couple of decades has been the home to several brands formerly owned by Liz Claiborne including the namesake labels, Mexx and, most recently, Juicy Couture. It has been one of Fifth Avenue's biggest white elephants, having stood empty for the past couple of years except for housing a few brief pop-up stores. It is likely that Nike will institute a major redesign of the late 1970s-era facade on the lower levels to create a more imposing brand signature. That could take a while, so while Nike's new store is definitely something to look forward to, it will probably be a something of a wait to see it come to fruition.

(WWD)

SNEAKER WARS: Adidas Answers The Flagship Challenge With A Fifth Avenue Brand Palace

The new Adidas NYC Flagship at 46th Street and Fifth Avenue. Photo courtesy of Adidas

Forget about politics. They are too nauseating to follow right now anyway. Lets talk about something really important: sneakers.
There has been a bit of retail activity regarding the perennial rivalry between Adidas and Nike. A couple of months ago, Adidas debuted its newly updated Adidas Originals store on Spring Street in SoHo featuring its burgeoning fashion line including heritage models and collaboration collections. Then, a couple of weeks ago, Nike opened its follow up to the Niketown retail concept when the new Nike SoHo store at Broadway and Spring Street finally opened after a weeklong halt and neighborhood and city government protests. Not to be outdone, Adidas is opening its largest New York store ever today on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 46th street (pictured above) . At over 45,000 square feet, the  four level superstore featuring every single product category the brand offers in a high-school stadium-inspired store —if, that is, your high school stadium consisted of concrete and chain link fencing.

The miadidas Studio custom shop at the Adidas NYC Flagship. Photo courtesy of Adidas

The industrial look, however makes an excellent backdrop for the brand's sprawling product lines. At the press preview on Tuesday night, most of the action migrated to the top floor which was devoted to an even larger presentation of the Originals division featuring, at the center, the city's first miadidas Studio (above)  allowing customers to create their own versions of Originals styles. Other exclusives include the print shop on the men's athletic level in the basement, treadmills and turf cages for customers to test out products right in the store, along with refreshment kiosks, concierge services and same-day hotel delivery. The gleaming new store is poised to make the most of New York's teeming hordes of tourists who should be devouring new product as you read this, but it is also a chance for Adidas to even the scales a bit with its main rival. In midtown, where Niketown made an innovative statement in the mid '90s, Adidas is now challenging with a huge flagship of its own, and a newer one as even Nike execs have recently admitted that the high-school gymnasium concept at the 57th street store has gotten tired, and the atrium centered store layout is difficult to navigate. Look for a new Niketown announcement soon, however as the store known to be looking for a new location. In other parts of the city, however, Nike still has an edge with Nike Running shops in Flatiron and on the Upper East Side, but in SoHo, the brands are in a head to head battle. Adidas' Houston and Broadway flagship (currently undergoing a revamp) and Originals stores are now being challenged by the correspondingly edgy NikeLab store on Mercer Street and the New Nike SoHo flagship, now giving both companies a strong foothold to fight for those precious sneaker loving customers. Must we speak of these two brands as if they are in an endless pitched battle for market dominance? Well, probably not. After all some of us mix Adidas and Nike in our sneaker wardrobes, even with the occasional dash of Puma. The upshot is we now have a suddenly dramatic increase in the offerings from both of these sneaker giants, so go get yourselves some new sneakers.

More looks inside the new Adidas NYC Flagship. Photos courtesy of Adidas