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Update: As of Wednesday morning, all prices have been reduced an additional 50% off. Original sale prices are reflected below and in the gallery captions above.
When we arrived at today's DKNY sample sale slightly before the doors opened, our expectations were low, to put it mildly. The brand's last sale was full of outdated styles and, frankly, kind of depressing. So imagine our surprise when we were greeted by a small but solid selection of wearable knits, dresses, and outerwear at honest-to-god great prices. Based on what we saw this morning, we can confidently say DKNY has assuaged any doubt that they're incapable of putting on a good sample sale.
Upon walking in, you'll be greeted by a very limited selection of the Donna Karan collection. Organizers let us know that basically all of this merchandise was out on the floor (no restocking), and the prices in some instances were kind of dumbfounding. The selection of leather jackets was very small and somewhat dated, but you can snap one up for only $150. We also spotted a chunky, cropped black sweater for only $50 (from almost $2,000) and a chic gray belted wrap-ish dress for $100 (down from $2,495!).
There were also a number of simple but high-quality suiting options, with pants and skirts for $60 and jackets for $100. The biggest thing to note here is that this is the one section of the sale that seemed to have some damages — we noticed a few items with deodorant stains, and others with damage tags from the brand. Still, upon careful inspection, some items seem to be well worth a trip to the dry cleaner in light of the 95% discount.
Once you're past Donna Karan, the DKNY section begins. It's organized neatly by sizes 0-14, with the larger sizes in the front and the smaller sizes in the back. From what we could tell, sizes 12 and 14 were the most limited, but truth be told, none of the sizes seemed to have a ton of styles. What we found was a somewhat small but wearable selection — all with original price tags, and some still in protective cellophane — available in sizes all across the board.
The sale's most popular items were definitely in the outerwear section. The meager quantity of gray shearling vests ($250) were snapped up almost immediately, and it seemed like every shopper tried on either a white wool coat, a black puffer, or an oversized light gray jacket (because all are only $70). Also popular was a kind of generic but perma-cool cropped leather moto jacket, a great buy at only $125. We were partial to a very on-trend black blazer cape (also $70), but only spotted three of them in the entire sale.
The table set up toward the front of the sale holds the entire selection of tee-shirts (mostly $20) and your more basic knits (mostly $30). Some standouts included novelty sweatshirts (one featuring a much-remarked-upon monkey print) and a gray striped turtleneck poncho ($30, down from $495).
This section is marked primarily by its inconvenience: Uou're allowed to try on the items, but they all come folded in plastic, and you have to request them from a Clothingline staffer. Nevertheless, this is a great option for stocking up on good, quality basics, some of which come out to 94% off retail prices.
The remaining selection is best described as solid. If you're a fan of sheer button-downs with bedazzled collars, you'll find a great selection for $40 a iece, and there were a bunch of cute, seasonal cocktail dresses for between $60 and $70 (including a very comfortable ruffled knit option). Finally, don't sleep on the small assortment of scarves by the register! A fringed black infinity scarf is an easy take-home at only $15.
Since this is DKNY's first sale with Clothingline, organizers were unsure about the prospect of further markdowns. Based on Clothingline's general pattern, we think they're likely, but can't count on it for sure.
As for backstock, staff told us they estimated that about 80% of the DKNY merchandise was already out, so expect minimal restocking — and then probably only on the pieces that are already well-represented, and not the one-offs. Check the Dealfeed below for more details.