Cross-Channel Sample Saling

This weekend, I discovered that sample sales in Paris are an entirely different kettle of fish across the English Channel.  It may seem madness to some to take a short day trip to Paris for a single sample sale but with great thanks to some friends (you know who you are….!), I was able to attend the Lanvin sample sale which is held bi-annually and I really just could not resist…

I think I’ve talked about sample sales in London enough for you to know that it’s usually a grab-all-you-want affair.  Akin to people going mad at a seafood all-you-can-eat.  A bargain is a bargain and people see the discounts and suddenly go into a grabbing/snatching frenzy, stalking what others have taken into the changing rooms and grabbing that item as soon as it’s put back onto the rails.  Nope… across the channel in Paris, in a vast showroom space with five heffer bodyguard types at the door wielding a list (‘Your name is not on the list, you ain’t coming in!’), sample sales are a far more civilised affair.  I gather all sample (natch…they call them ‘press sales’) in Paris are a list-only affair.   

The result is that inside, there were a lot of well-to-do ladies milling around browsing serenely and making their choices in a calm and choosy manner, with boutique-type SA’s on hand to help out ensuring all clothes are on their correct rails.  A far cry from clothes jumbled up in a heap on the floor at a Designer Warehouse Sale where by the end of day, hangers are a distant memory and all you’re left with is a battle scene of a sale.  Without having any idea of price or availability of stock, I went in there with an open-minded strategy.  First heading towards the shoes where from AW06 and back, there was a lot to gorge on…

I could have gone for crystal covered covered, satin pleated, gem encrusted confections.  Something in my head told me to go for something more sensible and something get more wear out of.  So I opted for these round toe wooden platforms that I’ll want to pull out and make me feel a whole lot cuter on any given day… also the price of EUR120 compared to its original EUR645 price tag is pleasing indeed…

Then there were the clothes which again ranged from AW06 backwards with the most recent season having higher prices.  Bargains ranged from EUR40 for a t-shirt to EUR350 for a coat.  Not CHEAP as chips but in comparison to the original price…. no wonder people were trolleying clothes in IKEA-style plastic bags (you can’t simply hold onto the clothes with your arms…one must put them into the plastic bags given to you, to indicate that you’re taking them! ). 

After trying on a gazillion dresses/skirts and tops, I opted for something that had a bit of longevity with a perfectly fitting black tuxedo jacket that I will throw on over everything…

Perhaps it was the first-time cross-channel sample sale experience that caught me out of my usual shopping pattern of buying on a hysterical whimsy but I think I’ve come out with goods to back up the hilarity of a one-day trip (colleagues did chortle with laughter as I told them that I was embarking on a one-day trip for one singular sale…).                   

44 comments

  2. susie please i need an advice from you…
    its veeeeeery importanttt how can i contact you?
    im going to paris, where is the best place to studie, u know, uhm, fashion?

  11. Score! How I love those shoes. Ya done good, kiddo.
    You realize that we in America are seething with envy over the close quarters you share with what used to be called “the Continent.” Should I embark on an adventure with equal travel time, I would end up in Eureka, CA or Elko, NV. There are fabulous sample sales at neither.

  12. oh those shoes are so beautiful! and those outersoles! what a pretty AND dependable shoe.

  17. Eeek… don’t seethe with jealousy… it’s rather mad hopping across a sea to go to one sample sale…but then I do have these madcap moments…
    Thank you for not laughing at my lunacy…and complimenting the purchases…
    Maia: I sent you an email ; )
    Alyson: The black sheer tunic is from Topshop, underneath, I was wearing a vintage gold slip dress and an Issey Miyake Pleats Please gold skirt.
    Suzanna: Eureka, CA or Elko, NV – Is it completely stupid of me that I have never heard of those places….
    There may be no sample sales to be found there but it would be interesting in another sense, no?

  18. i’m telling you Susie – you’re living the life every girl dreams of! amazing.
    cute shoes, perfect in the combination with those grey overknees. gonna buy myself some of those too (the overknees), since it’s the only way to wear skirts and short trousers in winter. ah, longing for spring already!

  19. I love the shoes and the jacket you chose.
    It’s funny how “press sales” atmosphere varies from one brand to the other. I’ve never been to English sales, but in Paris I can assure you sometimes customers are not as polite as they were in Lanvin 🙂

  23. Susie,
    I don’t know about everyone else, but I am seething with jealousy. No sample sales here. I would have completly lost my mind in that shoe section if the pictures are any indication.
    Le Sigh!
    Luv
    Poochie
    shoedaydreams.blogspot.com

  27. Traveling for Lanvin seems perfectly normal to me. Very lucky! They had some Lanvin on sale at Barneys here in NY and unfortunately, they were still out of my price range…

  29. Hello!
    I was wondering if you by any chance took much notice of the finishings on the Lanvin clothes…like hems, closures, linings, zips etc? Cos I’m doing a uni project on Lanvin (I’m studying fashion, on exchange in Amsterdam) but theres one stockist here with only about 5 or 6 pieces, and thats it…so I was hoping you may perhaps have some extra info!
    Also do you happen to know which season the acid-y green shoes, middle row, second from the left are from?
    Thanks so much
    Juliet

  30. OMG for a Lanvin sample sale, I, too, would hop on over to another country for it. Lovely finds!

  31. These are great choices Susie, you’ll get alot of mileage out of them. If I lived in the UK and had the bread, I’d def go over over to France and just like you did. I don’t think it’s the least bit nuts. Lucky girl….LOL, I need to get my name on some lists too…how does one do it?

  32. Oh, I would have gone to the Lanvin sample sale too. Not question about that!! 🙂 Imagine having a private jet and just randomly choosing a country to go shopping too and visit art galleries and museums while your at it:) that means the good life for me:)

  36. The tuxedo jacket is exactly what I’ve been searching for of late. I’m jealous! x

  37. Those shoes are so amazing. I love the girly details with the thick chunky wooden heels! A nice spin on the wooden sole platform shoes.

  39. They are both stunning! Well worth the day trip!
    But – seeing gorgeous heels like that – how do you get any wear out of them in London? I just moved here two months ago, and since that most of my heels have sadly been retired. On and off the tube and miles of walking every day, just not compatible with such beauties…

  40. The shoes are lush and 140€ is a great deal as well! I also love how you put together the second outfit.

  41. Jealous, much?
    The three different tux combos are perfect, Susie.
    And Dahhhling, guest list only! Oh how ridiculous, I am very envious of those Parisians who manage to bash the English by doing everything in a way that oozes chic.
    I wonder what the French would have made of the 2007 Primark riot?
    Well, I think they might have put their fags out on us.
    Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong country. Just sometimes.

  42. Those Lanvin shoes! Gorgeous. You always manage to get all the good stuff. Lucky you.

  43. Fantastic. I would readily take the day and venture to a Lanvin sample sale. How could you not? And it sounds so amazingly civilized.
    I’m in New York, and I wish our sample sales had the tone of the Lanvin sale. Here, too many people subscribe to the following policy:
    Rush, rush, rush. Push. Grab. Be rude to the person next to you. Forget all manners. Even the friends and family sales, which usually start a day before the advertised sale, are getting crowded.
    Awful. Although, I’ve heard that isn’t the case for the Chanel invite-only sale.

  44. Good choices! The tux jacket is fantastic. Wish you many many stylish years with both those purchases!

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