Arriving around 10 this morning, I was shocked to find well over 200 ladies lined up in front of Soiffer Haskin, waiting to get into the Max Mara sale. Naturally, I pondered whether this sale would be different from past sales.
After waiting for 2 hours, I entered the showroom and saw endless racks (way more than last time) of basic Fall pieces. Coats, sweaters, knits, pants, and dresses. You name it, they had it. All items were from Max Mara, SportMax, Max Mara Studio, and Weekend by Max Mara. Everything was organized by size, which spanned 0~16. With a limit of only 8 pieces of clothing and 2 coats allowed in the dressing room or on showroom floor, shoppers were furiously looking for warm clothing for the upcoming chilly NY weather.
Moving to shoes and accessories, I found boxes and boxes of shoes (sandals, boots, ballet flats, loafers, and pumps) piled up on a long table; also organized by size. Most of the shoes were from Max&Co and Marina Rinaldi. Prices for "sample" shoes (marked with an "S") were $59 and $79, while "stocks" were $99 for shoes and $129 for boots. Handbags were very reasonably priced. A dark brown Alato handbag was $127 (originally $425) and another one in bourdeaux was $255 (originally $850). A very small selection of sunglasses (priced $119) and jewelries were presented on a table near the shoes. A brooch I picked up was $45, a necklace was $85, and a pair of earrings were $35.
By the way, the line did get a lot shorter when I stepped out. I wasn't too happy with the selection (there was a lot but wasn't diverse) and I'm guessing most weren't as well since a lot left empty-handed. It's worth a peak just because of the reasonable price points.
Price list:
Sample Shoes $59, $79
Stock Shoes $99
Stock Boots $129
Belts $49
Hosiery $19
Sunglasses $119
Dark brown sweater $108
Dark brown coat $600
Gray coat $1,123
Ivory sweater $109
Knitted jacket $238
Purple coat $358
Purple dress $568