Spotlight on New York: My First Sample Sale

The Sample Sale. Before moving to New York, I had only heard rumors about these Meccas of discounted merchandise. When I heard word of a J.Crew/Madewell event, I figured that would be as good a brand as any to make my sample sale debut.

After work, I headed over to 29th St., where I was greeted by a line two blocks long. It moved quickly, and soon enough, I was fishing my wallet out of my bag and handing over my trench and purse to the coat check.

Inside the one-room warehouse, I found racks and racks of clothes and wall-to-wall people. I was a bit overwhelmed at first, and then noticed the organization. Men's on one side, women's clothes on the other--shoes and accessories in the back. After perusing blazers that we still out of my price range, I found my way to the Madwell selection, and picked up this simple sweater dress for a cool $30. Not bad, right?

The J.Crew sample sale is today until six! Hurray down to 260 Fifth Ave. (between 28th and 29th Sts.)