Cheryl Shops

Cheryl shops...the Prada sample sale
Today I finally went to the Prada sample sale. When the people who had posted comments here said that the sale was really disappointing and that there was nothing left, I was expecting completely bare racks and assorted shoes from, like, five years ago (well, there were shoes from five years ago, but more on that later). People, there's still a ton of stuff left. Here's my summary:

The good
So, the best stuff probably went on the first day, but now all the clothes are 75% off wholesale. Yes, 75% off wholesale. I got a four-ply cashmere sweater for $70--that's something that wholesaled for nearly $300 (and probably retailed for about $700 or $800). They had a lot of knits--mostly cashmere, some wool, some cotton and other blends, in neutral colors like black, gray, and navy, so this is a good opportunity to stock up on the basics. There were also a lot of wool trousers, but those were mostly 38s and 40s (4s and 6s). Trend-wise, they had a lot of those cropped sweaters from spring 2001, the ribbed leggings from fall 2001 (I bought a pair--they were $15, so, hey, why not?), and a lot of the brown/purple dresses from fall 2001 (I almost bought one of the dresses, then convinced myself I really didn't need it). Also, they had more swimsuits and belts than one could possibly dream of.

The bad
Shoes were pretty disappointing, although, strangely enough, my very popular size (39) seemed to have the best selection, including a pair of the spring 2004 Miu Miu moccasins in red, a pair of the spring 2003 Prada silver wedge pumps, and a really cool pair of pointy camel Prada boots with a bow on the toe (I have no idea what season those were from--I'd never seen them before). There were, however, a bunch of shoes that were at least four, possibly five, years old--remember the metallic, athlethic-inspired Miu Miu shoes with witchy heels? I'd put those at 2000, at least. Regardless, there's at least one pair in every size.

The ugly
While there were signs all over the place enforcing a "three-bag limit," the bags were downright nasty: lime green ostrich, the beaded monstrosities from spring 2003, and those weird lizard bags with the metal rods, also from spring 2003. In my opinion, Prada should be grateful for people who want more than three of those awful things.

So, if you haven't gone yet, is it worth checking out? If you admire Miuccia Prada like I do, yes. If you want stuff from spring 2004, no--wait a few weeks, then go to the outlet store at Woodbury Commons, which is where they send most items from the boutiques in one last attempt to make a profit on them (they're not making a profit on the stuff at the sample sale--they're just trying to get rid of it). Or you can wait to see what winds up at the sample sale next year...