Barneys Update

I made it to Barneys yesterday afternoon, amidst a smattering of snow. Given the reductions--50% off, with some items far less--it was surprisingly quiet. I made my way straight to the Mayle rack and after picking up a few items, I was immediately helped, had a room, and could wander around. This should reassure you that there will be stock left tomorrow. I've waited longer on a weekday afternoon in the past. It's worth looking in, Susie. I think they have 2s although I didn't see zeroes. You may want to call first, but I had to restrain myself not to spend too much more.

I was surprised by what they had at 50% off: two Yves dresses in rose, one in a 4, one in a 10; many Riri cardigans and Jeannette dresses in black (I'm not impressed as they were already pilling badly); Hilaire and Ebba (black) in what appeared to be all sizes; Sabbia top, again in all sizes; lots of Kaori, seemingly all in 8s for $80 less than I spent at Mayle; Odette in tweed, size 8; Marion in 8; Claudie in M and L (it runs small and is very flimsy--I was not impressed); Cecile in black; Gia camisoles in blue (a lot of them); Emmanuelle jacket in 10 (runs very small and is quite short--I estimate this 10 was a 6 or small size 8); the sequined Miho tank in what appeared to be all sizes; Ninon cropped cardigan; Ludovine in birdseye and one size 6 Eniko in Ivory Paradiso. There were likely been more items in the back stock room (I was asked if I needed things that weren't on the rack). There may have been more items that were being tried on but it didn't look like there was that much interest in Mayle. In fact, many people weren't buying at all, other than upstairs where the jeans area was busy but possibly less crowded than most Saturdays.

I tried on Odette in tweed. It is far more lightweight than the self-colored version. The tweed has a lurex stripe that looks like it is starting to unravel. It doesn't drape quite as well as the plain coat either. In fact, at angles it jutted out making me look a little pregnant. That said, if it gets slashed in price (say, to $200), I might consider it. And I wouldn't be surprised if it does. There just weren't that many people shopping.

As I was there, I also tried on Theodora (in black) and Olympia from holiday. Both run small--Theodora is really small. The underskirt is quite straight and I needed a 10 for sure. The sleeves are also a little tight at the cuff. It's beautiful but not a must-have in black. Olympia is nearly sold out at Mayle with only a 2 and 4 remaining (at $740, it is also the most expensive dress in the holiday collection). Much of the detail is lost in the look boook picture--the bodice is heavily gathered, the top has three functioning buttons at either side (you need to open them to put it on) and there is black lace lined in nude forming a small peplum. It has details reminiscent of vintage high-end clothing, is classical and beautiful, but I don't know how much I need another all black Mayle dress. I suspect neither will sell out at full price at Barneys so I will keep an eye on them. Even without sleeves, I needed a 10 in Olympia. If I am going to invest in anything full price, however, it will be the lavender dress from resort. I think resort is ultimately more wearable than much of the holiday collection.

From Holiday, Barneys have Zora in putty only, the leather jacket, Eunice, the black slightly flared pants and Gaia, the black jersey cropped pants with the ruffled front panel, black Zeta top (which may have been the best seller as they only had one left) and, I think, Justinian. They should get resort in after Thanksgiving although nobody seemed that certain (Christine at Mayle said Barneys would get it for sure).

I got Yves for $343 with tax--more than I wanted to pay but I knew it was the last one. I needed an 8 but can work with a 10. It runs true to size and I am only a 10 when the items are tiny (like Theodora). I also got a pair of J-brand skinny jeans for $39, reduced from $168. There are tons of jeans on markdown upstairs--I tried on some Stella McCartneys for $69 but they were a horrible fit. Most of the stock seems to be on second markdown, making these discounts as big as the final discounts from summer. Other really nice items on sale included some Hanii Y dresses and coats that looked more like Marni, some delicate Lyell tops that may have tempted me in past years but will likely be dressy and fragile enough to warrant further markdowns, and some Sissi Rossi bags in beautiful washed leather that I'm definitely stalking. Before Mayle vanishes forever, though, I want a Jeanne bag in the loden green, and maybe a Billie Doux in black (it is a very large bag, perhaps too large).

The selection, in short, was so good that I skipped the Steven Alan sale. I'll either go to the outlet or check it out online (if they ever put the outpost back up). Right now, however, I've got to put a limit on my spending, especially if I am to afford Zora (a must have), Hera and that lavender dress from resort. I am also interested in more resort and holiday items, but I am very lucky to get all that I wanted from Fall. If there are more markdowns, I'd like the ivory paradiso top, but that's about it.

Other than feeling guilty about spending all this money, my final thought was sadness at the state of the economy. Barneys didn't reduce stock to this level in the summer. Despite advertising (up to) 70% off, Mayle went down to around 50%, as did Lyell, before the warehouse sale in August and only a few brands got the big cuts. By then, a lot of the stock was picked over. I don't think Mayle sells as fast at Barneys so a fair amount was left in the summer, but it was a lot more expensive than Mayle, eluxury, and other retailers and not things I had to have. For Barneys to be the cheapest place for Mayle this early (other than Odessa), things must be bad. If the cuts are this deep in November and the shop was relatively quiet (especially for a Saturday), the economy may be worse than even pessimists like me have thought.