*SAMPLE SALE* Hermès Brings Horrible News

In Greek mythology, Hermes is the messenger of the gods. Well today, Hermes brings some unwelcome news to us mortals. This year's Hermès sample sale was undoubtedly the worst Hermès sale I have been to...EVER. Basically, there is absolutely nothing good to say about this 4-day event. This is saying a lot, as I rarely say anything bad about Hermès. So, how horrible was it? Well, for starters, there were no handbags, no scarves, no neckties, and no enamels. Oy~ this is going to be painful.

After being absent for a year and hosting a disappointing sale in September 2011, I really hoped and expected this year's Hermès sample sale to be much better--the return of the king, you could say. Well, after waiting a couple of hours in line with 100+ shoppers, I quickly realized the king hadn't returned. In fact, he didn't even care to send an emissary worth greeting. As we all know, handbags, scarves, neckties & enamel bangles are the essence of a Hermès sale. That is what shoppers show up for! They don't wait 2-3 hours to spend money on $5,000 winter coats or $1,900 hoodies. They come to find deals on the smaller goodies. I mean, what is the point of eating a cupcake that doesn't have any sweet frosting?! It's just wrong.

Since I do need to report on what I found, let's start in the shoe section. Unsurprisingly, this was where most shoppers congregated. Sizes were available from 35 to 42. The 5-6 racks held mostly sandals, flats, boots, pumps, and men's shoes. Green Amazone Nappa sandals were $280 (1st photo below), Cavale lace-up peep-toes were $625 (2nd photo below), Cosmopolitan strappy sandals were $700 (3rd photo below), Antinea navy/black sandals were $662.50 (photo above), and exotic skin Tonight Lady sandals were $3,275 (4th photo below).

Per usual, RTW was abundant. Most shoppers didn't even bother giving a glance. Past season items filled the racks and were all discounted 50% off. I spotted a black wool trench coat for $4,000, a black equestrian coat for $5,000, a charcoal blazer for $855, a Jungle Love silk dress for $1,275, and a Hermès orange suede skirt for $1,575.

If you're looking for houseware, you might find this sale some what interesting. There were tons of crystals & fine china. I saw plates, tea pots, teacups, and saucers from the Jardin de Pythagore & Rythme collections. In addition, I spotted elegant crystals as well as vases and stemware. Houseware items were discounted 50% off.

Fragrances, which was another favorite of mine at previous sales, were not available. As far as accessories are concerned, I found a small selection of hats and leather gloves which were discounted 50% off. Prices ranged from $365 to $887.50 for hats and there were various styles (straws, equestrian, buckets, and lambskin leather) to choose from.

I hate to sound like an old lady but I really do miss the good old days. The days when the showroom was filled with plenty of silk scarves and piles of handbags. The Hermès sample sale has truly fallen from its throne, and as a die hard sample sale fan, it really does make me sad. But to end this report on a high note, I will remind my fellow Mizhattanites that the fall sample sale season hasn't even begun. So, do yourselves a favor and skip this event. Save up your money and spend it at a better sample sale. And if you must get something nice from Hermès, go to one of their boutiques and get something decent that you'll actually treasure forever.