Winter sales

Barney's NY Coop and Designer Sportswear private sale starts tommorow... 30-50% off.

Where one can purchase and set aside to be sent during sale time is usually referred to as a "Pre-Sale". I know Jeffrey in NY does this by word of mouth as I managed to catch the first day of a pre-sale by a generous salesperson I have dealt with in the pass. Barney's had an invite this year, but I don't think one would be excluded if they didn't have a paper copy. Industry wide I have not seen a standard to the def. of private sale and pre-sale, etc. I think one should just ask. If you're buying, I'm sure you would be eligible if you just ask nicely... Pete

i asked a neiman marcus employee recently when they would be having a sale, and her response was "we have one before christmas, and another after christmas." i've never been christmas shopping there, does someone know what kind of discounts one can get, and do they apply to men's tailored clothing?

Neiman's usually has 30% pre-Christmas (first call), and an additional 30-40% post. The best deals seem to be one outerwear and tailored clothing (Saks deals tend to be better though.)

la guy, so you're saying that if i wait until after christmas, i can go to neiman or saks and get brand new isaia suits at 70% off? d'oh. i've been throwing money down the drain all this time. what's the catch? edit: i didn't mean to imply that i've been buying isaias at full retail. i don't even own one as i thought they were out of my price range. but if i can pick up a $2000 suit for $600, i certainly will.

Actually, The total savings after Christmas is closer to 50% (at Neimans.) It's 70% of retail before Christmas, and then 30% off of that, or 21%, after that. At Saks, the total savings can be 65%. Barneys goes to a straight 50% off. Buy it then. The warehouse sale has the same prices (at the outset) with a weaker selection. Emporio Armani, on friends and family day, goes up to 60% off before Christmas. There are great deals to be had before and after Christmas, if you don't mind the crowds (and I personally love the bustle. I can't afford to drop a few grand at a time anyway, so it's not like I need to snatch up that Brioni overcoat before someone else does. Once, I ended up personal shopping for a Beverly Hills dowager, but that is another story.) Friends don't let friends pay retail, much. Besides, getting a deal makes you a fashion fan. Paying retail makes you a whale. It's like at a casino. The people that get the best treatment are the ones the salespeople respect the least. The seasoned shoppers generally don't get bothered - the salespeople know that they know their stuff, will make a purchase when they are good and ready, and aren't particularly susceptible to the pitch.

That should be our forum motto. For those of you in the Bay area that are interested in deals - pay a visit to the San Francisco and Colma Nordstrom Racks. There are some nice Gianluca Isaia pieces (sportcoats $300-$500 and suits $500-$600.) Also a LOT of nice Zegna including some 15 MilMil 15. Prices for the Zegna are similar to the Isaia. There are a few nice Corneliani suits scattered around too ($300-$400) and also a lot of Hickey Freeman suits at 50% off which brings them to about $250 apiece. I just left there about two hours ago. Oh, and I double-checked the Joseph Abboud Black Label suits. They claim an "Italian canvas" construction which is a fancy Abboud term for fused, and not particularly well. If you are REALLY cheap (or just broke) then check out the Cuseri suits at Marshalls. I saw a lot of decent looking Cuseri suits and sportcoats for $100-$150. Fused front but the cuts and fabrics aren't bad. The machine-handpicked lapels don't look half bad either. I'd say they compare well to a lot of Boss an GianLuca Napoli suits I've seen. Retail value is probably about $500 so $150 isn't a bad deal. Don't be distracted by all the Sartoria Menchetti, Naldini, Sartoria InBlazer, and the million other knock-off brands you will see there. They aren't as nice. Also there are a few stray Corneliani sportcoats knocking around for $100-$150.

Here in SF, Neiman's and Sak's started 11/13. Billyblue's is also on now, 20-40%, and I saw some pretty cool stuff there when I did my book signing 11/15. Also got my annual Wilkes coupon in the mail Saturday

Hey Steve, I'll be down in S.F. in a few weeks. Any way you could hook me up with one of those Wilkes coupons? Thanks.

On a related note: What can one expect to find in Last Call and Off 5th this time of year. Summer suits and stuff? I haven't been (plan to when I get back to the U.S.) but was just curious as to what awaits me.

Hey Guys- Saks has a 40% add'l markdown on sale prices Friday only from 8-11am. 25% rest of the weekend...