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If this week's sudden yet temporary burst of frigid temperatures already has you longing for warmer seasons, hit up the Elizabeth and James sample sale when it opens to the public at 10am. While browsing the (surprisingly quiet) preview last night, we found plenty of spring wardrobe items among racks filled with denim and blouses for fall at up to 70% off retail prices. And though the production apparel was in great shape, the same can't be said for some of the haphazard samples we found in the back.
Pricing for the offshoot Textile label runs from $25 for tees, $40 for shorts, sweaters and sweatshirts, $50 for dresses and pants (there's seriously so much denim), $70 for shirts and vests, and $100 for jackets. We liked the faded denim pants in black and blue, as well as the straight dark jeans, all running from size 25 to 32.
For the main Elizabeth and James apparel, tops run along racks on the left side of the Fifth Avenue sale space. Tees and tanks are $25, knit tops and sweatshirts are $45, blouses are $70, and sweaters are $90. We liked a denim sleeveless blouse with a sheer back (was $245), a long sleeve plaid shirt (was $295), and a peach crop top (was $245), all priced at $70.
Next up are pants ($70), skirts ($80), and sweaters ($90). We loved a pleated patterned skirt (was $595), floral shorts for $60 (were $295), and a sheer black zip jacket for $150 (was $395). For leather items, jackets are $300, dresses and skirts are $250, and tops are $150. This is where we spotted an awesome fringe leather sweatshirt for $300 (was $995).
Finally, regular dresses are $100, as are blazers. Here, we saw a jacquard blazer (was $495), a suede Stanton dress in black (was $645) and a navy Neri dress (was $385). There are four bins of accessories with only furry hats ($50), convertible shopping bags ($15) and totes ($2) — sorry, no sunglasses this year. Check out all these pieces and more in the gallery above.
For the sample section in the back, things are a little less stocked and a lot more jumbled. Sample pants, skirts, and sweaters are $30. Tops are $20, and dresses and blazers are $50. Outerwear, fur and leather are $100. We saw a few good pairs of pants, plus plenty of tops and skirts in sample sizes, but inspect each item carefully before stuffing it in a shopping back — a $100 jacket here was held together entirely by safety pins.
Size-wise across the sale, everything generally ran from 00 to 12, with less plentiful styles airing on the smaller side.There are only a couple of dressing rooms in the back, so be prepared to wait or buy without trying on. The stock will be replenished, sales associates said, but count on cheaper samples and one-of-a-kind pieces going first. Check out the Dealfeed below for more details on sale hours and location.