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We stopped by the Jonathan Simkhai sample sale when the doors opened this morning at 209 West 38th Street. There was no line to get in, but the space was totally frantic and mobbed. Sales staff did a good job of keeping the sale organized, but it was still a struggle to browse through the merchandise that's discounted up to 70% off retail price.
Samples are on the left-hand side of the room, while fall 2015 overstock is to the right. For the samples, dresses are $125, knit dresses are $100, knit separates, pants, tops, and skirts are $75, oxfords (meaning the shirts, not the shoes) are $50, and brocade is $175. We didn't see any items with brocade, though.
We saw a ton of knit separates and dresses, with a good amount of non-knit dresses and tops as well. For knits, we liked a pink flared skirt ($75) that was available in multiple colorways, and a matching color-blocked crop top ($75). A black knit pencil skirt with a white lightning-inspired pattern ($75) stood out as well. We saw a white perforated leather pencil skirt, but it looked a little worse for the wear ($75).
There didn't appear to be many pants, but a blue printed silky pair ($75) caught our eye. In tops, we liked a black knit crop top ($75) and a silver metallic blouse ($75). A favorite style was a pink long sleeved silk dress with a layered bodice and contrasting stripes at the sleeves ($100).
Dresses are the stars of the sale. There were lots of unique styles with interesting, artistic details. A pink sleeveless shift dress with tonal metallic details ($125) was simply beautiful, and a longer pink dress with lace and mesh cutout details ($125) was very popular with shoppers. We also liked a black and white fit-and-flare style with a geometric pattern ($125). One thing to note is that, when we could find the size of the garments in the sample section, it was all smalls and 4s.
The fall stock on the right side of the room is pricier than the samples, with color-coded stickers indicating the prices. For dresses, a red sticker means $450, yellow means $300, and green means $200. In skirts, yellow means $300, green is $200, and blue is $100. Knits are $100, and tops are $100 as well unless they have a green sticker, in which case they're $200. Oxford shirts listed at $75, jackets at $125, and tee-shirts at $35, but we didn't see any of these on the racks.
In dresses, we liked a green fit-and-flare with a veiny print ($300) and a textured black style with sheer panels ($450). In skirts, we liked a pink beaded style ($300) and a white mini ($200). There are lots of knits ($100) in the form of crop tops with various necklines and cutouts, as well as bodycon pencil skirts; both are available in multiple colorways.
Whatever you're looking for here, you're going to come out a winner, especially if you choose a sample dress — just hope that it fits, since there are no fitting rooms. The sale runs through Friday at 7pm, and you can check out the Dealfeed below for more details.