Lyell Sample Sale, February 2010

After my luck with the Jeffrey Monteiro sample sale, I was hoping for good things from Lyell but aware that Emma has greatly reduced her production this year. Last year I was distracted by Mayle (as were so many of us) and made it to the Lyell sample sale at 4 p.m., almost as an afterthought. Most of the good things (and there were good deals to be had) were long gone, but there was still a lot of stock left late in the day. The year before, I was at a conference in Philly, got the announcement by email and was still able to get back late on Sunday afternoon and get the black minidress I wanted and a sample of the green Claire dress that was more ornate than the production number. I've had decent luck at all these sales, getting items I coveted for good prices. Last year could have been the same but obviously, I had different priorities.

This year was different. I had a sense there wouldn't be the same kind of deals in the past when I went to the boutique and got my jacket on Friday--for many people, $260 is too much for a sample sale item. Not all the fall merchandise was going in the sale--the wrap blouse, crocheted dress and crocheted top were staying put in the store, as was the blouse with the little collar. The short sleeved sweater I liked was $140--too much for an item like that, at least given my need for warmth--and the fancy blouse was $180. The shorts and camis were the cheapest items from this season at $100 each. I like the shorts but realistically I can't wear them in very cold weather, nor can I wear them to teach. So I passed.

I got up on Saturday, bright and too early, ready to meet Caroline at 11 and find the deals. One of the things I've always liked about Lyell's sample sales (other than the good prices) has been the availability of lots of next season samples. Sometimes these haven't worked for me (size 4 Lyell can be incredibly small), but even then, I've had a glimpse into future offerings. There have also been smatterings of old stock, which can be nice too. This sale was different--very little new season stock (not surprising really--Emma only sells at her own store here and in Paris and maybe sells a little through Smith and Warren in Brooklyn). So no cancelled orders, returned stock or excess inventory existed. I'd already seen the items from Fall and got my jacket the day before, so I was after a couple of specific pieces--short sleeved cardigans from SS 09, items I'd likely missed out on as I chased down a few remaining pieces of Mayle, and any samples of interest.

I got to the sale at 11.15 and while I was relieved to see that there was no line, I knew within a few minutes that there was nothing in there for me. I wasn't alone here--the girls who got there at 11, or a few minutes earlier than that, had taken what little stock there was and were zealously holding onto it. Other than the coats--and current season pieces which were presumably priced far too high for most customers--there was little left, save a few vintage slips and a pile of cords. The sample boxes were ravaged, but it didn't appear there were many samples at all, let alone any for future collections. The one coveted item seemed to be a knit dress that some girl had already snagged with a scalloped white collar. Otherwise the merchandise seemed to consist largely of size 0, 2, 4 black pants, the box pleat skirt I already own two of from SS 06 that I live in, a few black and ivory tops with the small collar and halter neck from SS 09 and the aforementioned jackets, coats and sleeeveless cardigans from this fall. A few dresses from last summer and the resort 08 moonprint dress were in very small supply (one or two of each) and were much coveted by shoppers. Simply put--very little stock, very little of the dresses, blouses and cardigans many customers wanted to find and a very limited range of sizes--mainly 4s and smaller--meant that most people weren't going to find anything. I should add that some of the older stock was very cheap--Caroline got the linen romper I bought this summer for a mere $40, but it was the only one there (someone else got the black one for just $75).

Caroline was there at 11 and found a few items--when I got there, only the jackets, coats and the tops from SS 09 were left on the rails, along with vintage pieces and the sample boxes were empty. But she said that it wasn't great then. She just missed out on the knit dress we both admired and a red silk blouse from resort 08. She bought a pair of grey tweed shorts that looked amazing on her--she wears shorts a lot and they were a great investment for her--as well as the romper. But neither of us spent the way we had planned.

After that, we headed to Stuart and Wright to look at No. 6 dresses and Isabel Marant, but there wasn't too much in the way of reductions. It was only then I realized that their sample sale starts next week... So we had breakfast, which was yummy, at the Lafayette Cafe, headed back into Manhattan, and I went to the library and she went to Tisch, satisfied that we'd actually been pretty good with our money and still had a really fun day.