The Best Sample Sales, Stores, and More to Explore This Weekend

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Yes, snow is in the forecast for this weekend, but hunkering down in your apartment until temperatures reach something more bearable means that you're sacrificing those precious work-free days where you could be taking advantage of New York City's best shopping. To minimize your time meandering along the sidewalks in your puffer coat, we've laid out the best shopping routes for each day that allow you to hit up the best sample sales, check out new stores and pop-ups, and even stop by a museum.

If you want to know every possible shopping option you have this weekend, head to our sample sales calendar to get the full list.

Saturday

Maiyet: Start your day at the brand's first NYC sample sale — even though it continues through Sunday, checking it out earlier in the weekend is your best bet to make sure that items like the Desert sandals for $100 (from $595) and the Sia Shopper tote for $350 (from $950) are still available. Check out what we found on opening day before you go.

150 Greene St, Soho. Sat 11am—€”7pm, Sun 11am—€”5pm.

Balmain: Just a couple blocks away from Maiyet, the country's first Balmain boutique is finally, finally open. The flagship store carries the entire range of men's and women's offerings, and will soon add kids' apparel (for North and Saint, obviously). Check out what Olivier Rousteing has wrought for yourself:

A photo posted by BALMAIN (@balmain) on Apr 6, 2016 at 11:10am PDT

100 Wooster St, Soho.

The Vintage Twin: Sisters Samantha and Morgan Elias continue to bop around Manhattan with reworked vintage clothing and deep selection of of-the-moment denim, this time landing on Spring Street. The most recent repurposed item they're offering? Denim chokers.

154 Spring St, Soho. Sat—Sun 11am—8pm.

Zanerobe: Head east on Spring Street and make a left when you arrive at Mulberry Street to check out the second day of this men's streetwear label's sample sale inside the Convicts store (makes sense — they're both Australian). Coming by on Saturday is fine if you're just planning to peruse, but you might want to make it a priority to shop on Friday if you want to compete with brand fans for the true samples and limited-edition items.

219C Mulberry St, Nolita. Saturday 11am—7pm.

Gilt City: There are still tickets available to shop the massive Gilt City Warehouse Sale at the Altman building this weekend, where you can easily spend your entire two-hour shopping window just trying to see everything that's available here. Instead of trying to be the hero and blaze through it all, stick to just a couple categories; we'd recommend shoes and dresses. See what we found the last time we shopped this sale to get an idea of what you'll find, and pop by the Manhattan Vintage Show next door while you're here.

135 W 18th St, Chelsea.

Bow & Drape: Through Saturday evening, you can customize your own Bow & Drape sweatshirt or T-shirt with sparkly letters and emoji — like little tacos and hearts, or a big glass of wine — on the main floor of Lord & Taylor. It's part of the department store's contemporary shopping display Birdcage, where you can also find items like Rifle Paper Co. stationary, Herbivore skincare, Jennifer Behr headpieces, and Bing Bang jewelry.

424 Fifth Ave, Midtown. Saturday 9am—10pm.

Sunday

Rent the Runway: Discounts have already been posted going into the weekend — an additional 20% off sale prices on dresses, and 30% for accessories — but smart shoppers know to wait until the last day of this sale, when prices drop to as low as $25 per dress, regardless of the label.

We popped by yesterday afternoon to see how the sale was faring thus far and found plenty of Elizabeth and James dresses for $66, a beaded Badgley Misckha style for $150, and a Mara Hoffman maxi for just $60. Outside of dresses, there was also an orange leather jacket from Rachel Zoe for $259, a Marissa Webb top for $46, and a Kate Spade clutch for $94.

260 Fifth Avenue, Midtown South. Sat 10am—7pm, Sun 10am—3pm.

Rachel Zoe: Past seasons of the multi-hyphenate's clothing line will be available here beginning Sunday morning. It's usually a solid bet for finding feminine pieces that can be worked into an office outfit you'll be eager to wear for happy hour, too, but be sure to check everything for stains or damages before purchasing.

261 W 36th St, 2nd floor, Garment District. Sunday 11am—5pm.

Uniqlo: This weekend marks the start of the chain's "Arigato" customer appreciation sale — the Japanese phrase means "thank you" — where favorite items like cotton cashmere sweaters, ultra stretch jeans, and easy care shirts are up to half off, but only through the weekend can you find supima tees and tanks, leggings, polos, and more for as little as a buck. Weekend purchases also earn you scratch-off cards that bear prizes like store credit and even a trip to Japan.

31 W 34th St, Herald Square. Sat—Sun 10am—9pm.

Cosabella: Once your midtown stops are complete, take any orange line train from Herald Square and get off at Broadway/Lafayette Street to head to Cosabella's first-ever sample sale dedicated solely to bathing suits. Prices start at $25 for separates and $50 for one-pieces, so it's a good spot to stock up if you've got an early summer vacation planned.

220 Lafayette St, Soho. Sunday 11am—6pm.

Chroma: Check out emerging Brazilian fashion labels like Kika Simonsen, Maria Dolores, and Blue Bird Shoes during this concept shop's opening weekend. If you're unable to work it into your schedule today, it's open through May 1st.

120 Thompson St, Soho. Sat—Sun 10am—7pm.

Queens Museum: If you're nostalgic for the days of CGBG, skip all of the above on Sunday to check out the opening day of Hey! Ho! Let's Go: Ramones and the Birth of Punk. Even here, you're not totally without shopping options, since Sunday is also the debut of local boutique Lockwood's Queens Museum store, featuring merchandise that honors the punk band alongside its usual cute finds.

New York City Building, Flushing Meadows Corona Park. 12pm—6pm.