Cheryl Shops

The report on Barneys
I have a two-track mind this week: Fashion Week and Barneys. So this morning I hit the Barneys Warehouse Sale. I got there at about 7:50 (it opened at 8), and the line was on the long side but moved quickly. As usual, it was pretty crowded, but not unbearable. Now, I have a very stragetic way of shopping this sale. First I check out the super-designer stuff (the special section used to be in the back, over by the knits, but this time it's closer to the shoes). They have a lot of Dolce & Gabbana and Narcisco Rodriguez, and some of last year's Balenciaga, but unfortunately no Marni or Prada. Then I hit "ready-to-wear" (mostly stuff from Co-op and private label). They have a ton of Marc by Marc Jacobs--clearly the mod look didn't sell too well. There was also a lot of Diane von Furstenberg, Joie, Seven (no jeans, though--but they did have some cute velvet cropped pants, which I almost bought then decided I didn't really need), Habitual, Ya-Ya, Rogan, Vince, Vanessa Bruno, etc. Then I hit the knits--again, a lot of Marc by Marc Jacobs. They also had quite a few really thick cashmere sweaters (at least four-ply, probably closer to six) that were originally in the $700s, marked down to like $120. Then I checked out lingerie: They have a lot of La Perla (miraculously, I found a matching set) and the supercute Marni lingerie, which, unfortunately, is still kind of pricey (like $49 for a thong). They also had some VPL, Passion Bait, Eres, and various other fancy stuff. Finally, I went to the shoe department. Now, I know a lot of girls go for the shoes first, but I prefer to go last because 1) shoes are my weakness, so if I go there first, that's where I'll blow my budget, and 2) if you get shoes first, you have to haul them around the whole store while you look at everything else. So, what do they have in the shoe department? Miu Miu, Christian Louboutin, Marc by Marc Jacobs, private label, some Prada, some Costume National, and quite a few of the Manolo Blahnik boots that kind of look like converse sneakers (they're $295--not bad for Manolos, however I think they're kind of ugly). Sorry, I didn't go to the men's department due to time constraints.

All in all, it's definitely worth checking out, although I'd suggest going at an off-time (like on a weekday afternoon, if you can). Usually after a week or so, things get marked down--plus they restock--so I'll definitely be making at least one more trip. I'll keep you posted...