The Important Things to Know About the Comme des Garçons Sale

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The shopping bonanza that is the Comme des Garçons/Dover Street Market joint sample sale officially opens tomorrow, but Racked reporter Bonnie Datt visited Skylight Clarkson Square with the VIP shoppers for a first look at the merchandise (which will be constantly restocked!) this afternoon. Here's the essential things to know:

Prices are a flat 50% off Comme des Garcons Black, 70% off Comme des Garcons, and 80% off labels carried at Dover Street Market (including Erdem and Raf Simons) — not up to 50% off, and so forth. So these are really awesome discounts, but since it's on very expensive items, most things are still a few hundred bucks.

The men's and women's collections are in separate rooms, and merchandise is organized by category (pants, shirts, dresses, and so forth) and then by color. It's not separated by size. In terms of the collections available, some of what was here was also seen at the 2011 and 2013 events, but pieces that have been shown on the runway since then are also in the mix. Overall, the selection is pretty eccentric.

There's not much available in the way of women's accessories — just a few boxes each of purses and hats — but the shoe selection is "fun," according to Datt. Unfortunately, there's no place to sit down to try them on. But at least the shoes have a place to sit:

Regarding the fitting rooms, men have a small area to change by the checkout in their area, but women just have a wall of mirrors to change in front of, and it was packed today — so imagine what it'll be like when the sale is open to the public. In short, you're pretty exposed here.

Playing along to the event's "Super Market Market" theme, you'll find an installation of stacked shopping carts sitting in one corner of the men's room filled with perfumes (seen above), and a bakery station with treats and refreshments for sale. Instagram as you please.

Stay tuned for a full report with photos and detailed pricing info.