Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.
The J.Crew sample sale started on Tuesday with women's merchandise at 260 Fifth Avenue, but the sale is still going strong late into the week. We checked back in on the sale just after 6pm yesterday to see what's left after opening day, and good news: There is still so much of everything in stock, including newer styles that weren't available before. Plus, the sale host just announced that all merchandise will be an additional 30% off as of 10am today.
Be advised that you'll probably have to wait in line, since shoppers are still really serious about making it into the sale — while waiting to get in with the after-work crowd last night, one woman cut another in line and a screaming match ensued. Once inside, things weren't much different. The racks are still packed full with preppy and neon-spiked garments, but this time around, they were hanging haphazardly.
Scarves and handbags are plentiful, as are the bins of women's and kids swimwear, ($7 to $17.50). Just across from the bags and racks of Crewcuts are women's tops and sweaters ($24.50 to $30). A lot of the items we pulled off the racks were missing size and price tags, maybe due to all the handling over the past few days.
Skirts are left of the tops, we noticed a lot of bright and textured options in sizes 4 and 6. Prices ranged from $28 for a tweed mini skirt to $56 for fuzzy pencil skirt. Outerwear and jackets are just to the right of the skirts. There are a lot of pea coats ($105) in a variety of colors. There is still a vast selection of dresses, too, including a nice multicolor sequined one for $42.
Finally, to the right of the dresses, you'll find J. Crew Collection, the most expensive items in the sale — we spotted a bejeweled navy coat for $308. Jewelry is just before you reach the registers and is fully stocked with statement-making necklaces priced between $40 and $50 and earrings priced for $17.50. In the back of the store, there is an impressive amount of shoes, including ones from J. Crew collection.
There aren't any fitting rooms so be prepared to join shoppers in trying items over your clothing. The sale runs through Sunday, and we have a feeling that another round of markdowns will arrive by then; check out the Dealfeed below for more details on when and where to shop.