*SAMPLE SALE* Doing Pilati

The 2013 summer sample sale season is trying to end with a bang! The YSL sample sale has previously been an epic event amongst the NYC shopping crowd. Could today's opening prove to be no different even with the not-so-stellar early reviews? With hundreds of shoppers lining up as early as yesterday evening, the answer seems to be a resounding "Yes!". We'll just have to see inside. Follow me and we'll do some Pilati.

At the break of dawn, I made my way to Soiffer Haskin on 33rd St to see how today's YSL sample sale line stacked up to prior events. (You can read all my line update tweets: here). The turnout wasn't as record breaking as it was in October when getting there at 6am meant that you were stuck somewhere midblock between 8th and 9th Ave. However, by 8:30 the queue had stretched to B&H on 9th Ave. A reasonable attendance but not epic. Nonetheless, there was some drama to be had while standing around. In the first hour of my wait, the queue was asked to move not once but TWICE! Anger erupted amongst the early-risers as the latecomers cut in front during the moving commotion.

At 8:45, the first group of 10 were let inside to check in their belongings. The Soiffer Haskin staff sternly warned shoppers to only grab their wallets and nothing else. Unfortunately, this warning fell on deaf ears as I spotted one Asian girl dressed in white being escorted out when she was caught with her phone. In addition, a handful of other ladies were asked to forfeit empty plastic bags that they carried with them inside. Therefore, if you can't tell, smuggling these photos out was a daunting task and the quality isn't up to Mizhattan standards. I hope you understand.

Inside, I found the early reviews to be on target. This week's YSL sample sale is not worth it. What was suppose to be a bang was more of a fizzle. Most, if not all, of the merchandise was overpriced. Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of Stefano Pilati's designs, but my main impression from today's sale was that the company was trying to quickly clear out their unwanted old inventory (e.g., they were bagging items in nice but old YSL-branded shopping bags) but by charging shoppers a hefty sum for said leftovers. But putting my personal opinion aside, I do need to report on what I found at today's sale, so here's the rundown.

The handbag section was comprised of Muse & Muse Two totes, black patent Downtowns, Roady hobos, Y-Mail totes, and a few Easys. Handbags were capped at 5 items per person and prices ranged from $599~$899. Muse totes in black were the most popular.

The shoe racks were located on the left side of the venue and I spotted many styles of past season sandals, pumps, boots, and flats. Tribute sandals were aplenty and available in silver, fuchsia, leopard print, black with gold trim, navy, purple and creme. Tributes were all priced $550. Insane! Tribtoo pumps were also sufficiently stocked and were priced $399.

Accessories were situated on the far right side of the room. I spotted scarves, sunglasses, wallets, and jewelry. The jewelry section was mostly comprised of bracelets and key rings. There were no rings at today's event, perhaps all taken at yesterday's VIP hours. Sunnies, on the other hand, were well represented. Each were priced $149 and there were tons of different styles to choose from.

I really hate to say it but the YSL sample sale isn't what it used to be. If you're a long time NYC sale veteran, you already know that the company's sample sales have always been worth waking up early and braving the long line for. Unfortunately, after attending this summer's sale, the YSL sample sale has somehow lost its luster. Do yourself a favor and skip this sale. It just isn't worth it. But if you're still curious enough to check it out, I suggest going on Sunday as final markdowns may be a possibility. I will make sure to keep you updated.