Usually, I'd get up super early and rush over to this by 11 am. But with Mayle closing, IVF costs and the recession, I wasn't sure if I wanted to drop hundreds of dollars earmarked for Zora, Hera and their friends. So, I watched Beverley Hills 90210 on SoapNet (my Saturday morning ritual--watch a few episodes, TiVo the rest for later in the week), worked on the book and finally made it to Lyell around 4.30 p.m.
There was a lot of stock, but mostly items I wasn't interested in. I don't buy silk camisoles--it's too hot and humid to get decent wear out of them in the summer and they just seem too late 1990s-early 2000s to me. There were many of them here. Other items in good supply were the blue evening gown (beautiful but something of no use to me), pencil skirts (which I don't need), thin glittery knit sweaters and the moon-print dress and shirt from resort. Evidently, there were other pieces in shorter supply that I would have possibly purchased, like the red blouse from resort, but they'd all sold out early on. The blouse I got from Barneys is being remade and wasn't reduced, and the skirt wasn't in the sale either so that was good. And the smocked blouse from holiday/resort is also being continued for spring so that wasn't reduced either--and it was the main item I wanted.
Lyell runs small and I am still a bit heavier than usual after eating too much chocolate over Christmas. Most items went up to an 8, which was really a 6. I could tell I wasn't going to leave with a big bag of clothes. I ended up getting the moon print dress from resort for $110. It is a tiny bit small but I'll likely lose the weight or get pregnant, so I went for it. It seems pretty timeless and more versatile than some of the more ornate items.
Maybe I should have gotten up earlier, but I'm relieved I didn't spend a fortune after last week, especially with Mayle's closure coming up ever faster.
22 comments:
Thanks for this update. I was curious since my friend went and bought like 3 dresses. I have actually never been to the Lyell boutique in the city nor have I ever tried on their dresses, so I couldn't just tell my friend to pick up something for me. I looked at their lookbook, and it looks pretty, although I couldn't decide if what's impressive were the artistically arranged photos or the actual clothes. And the model's way too thin that it's hard to tell how they would fit on a more realistic body. The jackets looked lovely, but after having spent so much money on Mayle, I might be resistant to further sight-unseen shopping. Hopefully they will have another sample sale later in the year...and I never learned how to do silk camisoles either unless I would wear them to go to bed.
I keep thinking instead about the Yves dress, but I am not allowing myself to do anything about it until at least my package arrives...
i think it's nice not to get caught up in the frenzy of a sample sale. i'm still sad i never bought the janice cardigan ages ago, but i'm sure i'll manage without it.
silk camisoles are something i stay away from, too. it's true, Lyell can fit a bit oddly on normal bodies. sometimes i'm a 4, other times an 8 is better.
the moon print dress is very pretty, and after you get the holiday excesses out of your system, i've no doubt you'll have ample opportunities to wear it.
i am eager to see mociun's new collection, but in general, feeling a bit uninspired with fashion right now. must be the mayle-effect.
Kim, I think you would really like Yves-the fit is really great. I thought about getting it last year but I'm happy I ended up with Mitchi, however, I plan to rework the sleeves. I agree with you Erica on how uninspired fashion is at the moment. Even with all the amazing sales, nothing is tempting me except Mayle, of course.
How do Mayle sweaters fit, specifically Aiko and Claudie? They look oversized in the lookbook or maybe the model is just too skinny. Also, what is the Otto coat like in person? It looks lovely. I wonder if the Nolita shop has made any further markdowns.
i thought the theodora in persimmon had sold out completely?
looks like sarah of saipua managed to find one, though! http://saipua.blogspot.com/
Mayle sweaters fit is all over the place, Christina. Aiko is true to size, but its sleeves are on the short side. Claudie runs tiny because the black belt doesn't stretch--the rest of it is big. I think that's why it didn't sell. I haven't tried the Otto coat on--I imagine it will be reduced drastically as its a piece that most NY-ers won't have much use for.
Erica, the Theodora in persimmon was part of the stock returned from Opening Ceremony LA. Alas, they only had up to size 6 and it was only 30% off. Theodora runs small too.
Erica and Moya, I know a couple of weeks ago Sebastian's in Dallas had a few persimmon theodora dresses in stock. They're terrible about marking things down though, so it's sure to be full price if they've still got it. I tried it on and felt that the black ribbon-y detail at the waist was unflattering on me. Other than that, it's a great dress.
Moya - I've been enjoying your blog for a couple of weeks now. Thanks for all of your tips about Odessa, and I wish you the best of luck with your IVF.
Sebastians knows they can get away with charging full price because a lot of Dallas socialites who shop there can afford it and are willing to throw away that kind of money. It's a great shop but not for the frugal/only buy on sale shopper like me. I was disappointed with their sales-mayle resort selling from over a year still at 50%. I am planning to stop in there this weekend but I'm sure I will leave with nothing. vod moves their inventory quickly and I can usually find a great deal there but I can't spend anymore. I will be window shopping for now and waiting for holiday/resort to go to 60-70% if that happens and then I'm done for the year and maybe next year.
Abby, do you know of any other Dallas Mayle stockists?
I'm not trying to entice anyone here to spend more money but Coplon's in Richmond, VA has fall '08 at 70% off. They posted their stock on facebook and there are some good pieces left. They have the Harumi Kioyoko dress which is a much cuter version than the solid black one in the lookbook.
hope this link works for everyone
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007105&id=1573114557&ref=share
Christina, I'm completely with you on Sebastian's crummy pricing policies. I remember seeing some Lanvin flats there for around $600 that were closer to $200 at Barneys. They're not big on end of season sales.
As far as Mayle in Dallas, the only places I know of are Sebastian's and VOD.
As an aside, I've been in Dallas for about a year and am still not super familiar with great places to shop. If I'm looking for higher end beautiful things, I head to Barneys and VOD. Am I missing anything special?
wow, christina, you are a super mayle sleuth! how on earth did you find coplon's? i sent them a message about the mitsuko top, i hope they haven't sold it yet! did you order eniko (i can't remember if you found it elsewhere or not).
thank goodness for my wallet that the sales are finally winding down. i recently started keeping a budget and tracking all of my expenses, and i have been positively appalled at what i spend on clothing! the budget is definitely helping keep me in check, though. the best part is if/when you find you have excess, you can spend it however you want (like, ahem, on a makino that pops up on ebay that you can't resist because you've coveted it for so long!).
moya, how have you been doing? hope you have been doing well and hiding out from this weather!
I'm not on facebook, Christina--are there any size 8-10 pieces listed? Thanks so much!
I'm doing OK, Susie--thanks for asking. We're back teaching and this week has been chaotic. All my classes are full and many students are looking to add--the signs of the recession (higher enrollment and fewer classes) are really clear. Other than that, I am trying to finish the book, not worry about the baby stuff (easier said than done) and get rid of the headache I've had for the past day!
Once again, Christina, you are amazing at finding Mayle!
Hi, Abby! Thanks for your kind comments.
moya-
sounds like a hectic week for you! hope your headache goes away soon.
coplon's has cecile in 10 ($135!), the mitsuko paradiso top in 8 ($128), ayame in medium ($132), and harumi kiyoko in 8 (not sure of the price-- it says $550 but it is clearly a mistake--probably 70% off 550). can't beat those prices.
Thank you Susie! I am going to join Facebook but wanted to get the book done (and maybe get pregnant) before I did. I will contact them about the mitsuko paradiso top today and possibly the Kiyoko dress (is that Harumi and Kiyoko?)
Thank you again!
you should give them a call right now! i just talked to someone there and they still have the mitsuko top in an 8. sadly the 2 had sold out. i think i'll have to give up hope of owning one of the brightly colored paradiso pieces. i ended up getting the ayame sweater. shipping is $15, but i think for a steal like this, it is definitely worth it.
you can find their number online-- it is the coplons in richmond.
yes, this kiyoko has the eden print on the shoulders. it is $165. i passed since i already have veva in the eden print.
let us know what you end up with! thanks again, christina, for the excellent find!
I just got the Kiyoki Harumi which I never saw anywhere and the Mitsuko Paradiso--total $308 with shipping. Thank you so much Susie and Christina. I asked about Resort/Holiday and they didn't receive them, alas.
Even though I have Harumi in Eden, I didn't see Kiyoki with it. If it ends up being the top rather than the dress, I guess I can sell it on ebay.
congrats! i am so jealous of the mitsuko top. do you recall if they had any paradiso pieces left at the nolita shop? i am sure they have all sold out anyway!
kiyoko is definitely the dress. i have never seen it with the eden print on top either. it looks just like the kiyoko in the lookbook, but the shoulder area is in the eden print. i think kiyoko is very flattering on- i almost bought it at the last sale.
now let's see some pictures of your mayle collection, moya :)
They have the Paradiso jacket at Mayle (which would work as a top) but that's it, Susie.
How did the Harumi fit? It looked like it ran large. I got the 8 and hope it fits.
I am going to post some pictures very soon--I have a new memory card and it may help with some of the problems I had with poor quality photos.
it fits true to size, maybe just a tad large (at least the black version does), so i think an 8 will be perfect for you!
Thank you! I am looking forward to having a chance to wear it. I am so sick of the snow and cold. I also thought Kiyoko was one of the items that looked infinitely better in person than in the lookbook. The detail was lost there and it just looked like a sack.
Abby, have you been to Forty Five Ten on McKinney Ave? I've never been but they are one of the premier boutiques in Dallas. VOD is great because of the hard to find labels and the personal service is amazing. The owners are so sweet, especially Jackie!
What is the black silk on Kiyoko like? Is it a textured silk? It's so hard to see these kind of details online. I got my mitsuko from metier last week and was surprised at how beautifully textured the silk was.
Susie, I'll let you know if I find any paradiso print items. I think Sebastians had them but probably not on sale yet. Surely, there are more independent boutiques who stock mayle out there without an online presence. We will find them! Did you win a Makino on ebay? Was that the leopard print she did last year?
Kiyoko has three textures of silk, Christina (at least the black one I've seen has three fabrics). One is embossed, one is matte and the other more shiny and finer textured. It is one of those dresses that didn't photograph well--there is a lot of work--pin tucking, folding, seaming--that doesn't show up at all in the lookbook. I was far more impressed in person.
I think the fabrics for Fall were beautiful--the textures were amazing and looked so much better in person.
Christina, I have been to Forty Five Ten. So gorgeous, but so expensive!
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