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If you're going to this week's two-day Tory Burch "friends, family, and fans" sample sale, where 100% of proceeds benefit the Tory Burch Foundation and its mission to empower female entrepreneurs, expect a long line. But once you've made it up to the fifth floor of the Metropolitan Pavilion and checked your bag, expect to find the sale that brand fans have been waiting for but rarely see in New York: A calm, organized shopping environment, a great selection of wearable pieces from recent collections, access to handbags, and prices that are even better than the sale from two months ago.
The first thing you should do when you walk in is turn immediately to your right, where you'll find a woman with a laptop sitting next to a gorgeous red bag that they are giving away to one lucky contestant—check it out in the gallery above. Just give your name and email before moving on to the small but pretty selection of handbags across the room, where clutches and smaller styles are $115 and large leather bags are $175. And with a large gray bag originally marked at $575, that means you're finding savings even greater than the 60% off that was advertised.
Moving back along this side of the room, you'll find three styles of sunglasses laid out on a table nearby, going for $60 each. There's a small selection of wallets in colors like black, purple, navy and tan going for $65, cosmetic and jewelry cases for $20—$25, and accessories like leather iPad cases and plastic iPhone covers, adorned in the brand's signature crest. If you're looking for jewelry, find necklaces like bibs and long chains ($65), chunky cuffs and thin leather bracelets ($45), rings ($40) and earrings ($35) right next to that giveaway table.
Next: shoes! Footwear in sizes 6 through 11 take up a significant portion of the room, but be warned: It's mostly $25 rubber flip flops in various patterns. If you're looking for something that's acceptable post-beach season, go to the metal racks stacked against the wall to find sandals for $65, flats (sorry, not Revas) for $85, and heels and wedges for $115. There isn't a huge selection for these, and the space for viewing these racks can easily get crowded—if you're gunning for shoes, go here first.
Last but not least, clothing takes up most of the righthand side of the room, with racks first organized by size and then by style. You'll find lots of long-sleeved tops, tunics, and caftans for $75; short dresses for $100; long dresses for $200; short-sleeved and sleeveless tops for $60; shorts for $50; skirts for $60; jackets for $125; and pants for $40. You can find pants both on the racks and on laid out on tables by color and size, and swim separates ($25) and one-pieces ($50) in bins in front of the racks—good luck finding matching pieces.
While you won't need to worry about anything like damages here, there is a limited selection of styles to choose from, and smaller sizes generally had more to choose from, both in the number of styles available and in the quantity available of a particular style. Take a look through the gallery to see some of our favorite styles, including a black feathered skirt, a navy and white tweed dress, and little white shorts with a beach-friendly pattern.
Sprinkled throughout the room are large signs with facts from the foundation, like "There are nearly 9.1 million women-owned businesses in the US" and "Women-owned businesses generate $1.4 trillion in revenues annually in the US," as are more sale-oriented accoutrements like mirrors and price lists. The only thing this sale is really missing? A dressing room: We noticed women huddled in the back trying on clothes.
Since this sale is charitable—you have the option to make an extra donation at checkout—don't expect prices to drop any further. And while we did see sales associates adding some shoes while we shopped this morning, we're not sure if they will be restocking this sale later today or tomorrow. It's running at 123 West 18th Street through 7pm this evening and from 9am to 7pm tomorrow.
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