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Update: As of Friday morning, prices have been reduced across select merchandise categories; the sale host did not specify what these were or by how much. Original sale prices are reflected below and in the gallery above.
Update #2: As of Sunday afternoon, this sale has been extended through Christmas Eve. See the Dealfeed at the end of this article for the latest hours.
We took a peek at the John Varvatos sample sale an hour before it opened this morning on 151 Wooster Street and found ourselves in a sea of dark jackets, neatly pressed pants, and well-polished shoes, all of which are at least 50% off retail prices. While the stock is pretty monochrome, (you might experience déjà vu when walking between the racks), it's filled with simple, classic pieces that are well-made and even better priced.
Unless you've come on a hunt for shearling ($899), you won't find anything over $400. The closest you'll get are the Collection leather jackets ($399) and maybe some bags ($399). The basics, like tops and pants, linger under $100, only crawling higher for vests ($179), sport coats ($199), soft jackets ($289), suits ($299), and outerwear ($349).
While all of these discounts are impressive compared to the clothing's original upper-hundreds and low-thousand retail prices, numbers drop even lower if you head over to the right side of the room, where the Star USA clothing is going for a little less. Nothing's over $200, and that includes leather jackets ($199) and outerwear ($79).
Accessories are somewhat lacking with just three bins, but the shoe selection is undeniably impressive. There's a mix of dress shoes, desert boots, and more heavy-duty lace-up boots at either $69, $99, or $189, depending on the make and collection. It's worth nothing that though the price lists — they're in the gallery above — advertise sandals, sneakers, shoes, and boots, you'll only find the last two.
An advantage of this sale is a plethora of full-length mirrors that aren't typical of this location, though there's no specific space to try anything on. There also will be some restocking, so despite the line that was building as we headed out the door at 10am, things should still be pretty much as they appear in the gallery above for the first few days of the sale's run. Check out the details in the Dealfeed below.