Italy's finest cashmere brand, Loro Piana, hosted their sample sale at Soiffer Haskins earlier today. I stepped into cashmere heaven with great hopes of finding high quality cashmere pieces for bargain basement prices. Unfortunately, the discounts that were offered today didn't quite meet my expectations. Women's & men's apparels were marked down 50% off retail prices, while shoes & accessories were only 40% off. I admit 50% off on a luxury brand like Loro Piana is tempting, but considering this was a sample sale and not a retail sale, I expected somewhat bigger bargains.
So let's get down to the merchandise, shall we? Loro Piana's highly esteemed cashmere tops, sweaters, scarves, belts, shoes, and bags were placed on isles of huge tables. From the softest knitwears to light–as–a–feather scarves, there were tons of Piana's timeless pieces in many gorgeous hues. Prices, even after the discount, were quite high. For example, I found a stunning V-neck sweater in fuchsia for $425 (originally $850) and a cable knit sweater in cream hue for $2,697.50 (originally $5,395). The scarf section was sumptuous, but don't let these good–looking pieces fool you as they were priced very lavishly. Most scarves I spotted were priced around $325~$425, but one particular scarf that I picked up was priced over $1,300 after the discount!! (sheesh~!)
Racks of women's outerwear were placed along the windows. A beautifully fitted burgundy cashmere coat was $1,497.50 (originally $2,995 & 7th photo below), a collarless camel coat was $2,562.50 (originally $5,125), an extremely light weatherproof jacket in navy was $997.50 (originally $1,995), and a classy equestrian tweed blazer was $1,997.50 (originally $3,995). Moving on, I found furs & small leather goods placed on the right side near the exit. Here, I spotted various styles of shawls and fabulous suede winter gloves. They were all marked down 40% off. The shoe section was by far the least popular area, but I did find a few lovely flats & loafers. A pair of ballet flats in bright red were $288 (originally $480 & 10th photo below).
Unless you're looking to invest in high quality knitwear for the upcoming winter chill, this Loro Piana sample sale will not give you the bargains you normally desire and demand. If great bargains are what you're after, don't worry because there will be plenty of fall/winter sample sales coming up in the near future.
