Grace + Kate

Who: Lee Angel
Why: $5 Jewelry – brands like Ann Taylor, J. Crew & Banana Republic
Where: 524 Broadway, 6th Floor (between Broom & Spring Street)
When: December 16 (11am – 8pm)
December 17, 2009 (11am – 7pm)
December 18, 2009 (11am – 7pm)

Just like the last sale, everything in the main section is $5!!!! That’s cheaper than street vendor prices!!! Lee Angel branded pieces range from $10 – $100. You will find some amazing treasures at the Lee Angel Sample Sale. They are open late so it’s best to go straight after work. There are literally hundreds of different styles to look through. You need at least an hour and a half to look through everything. In addition to having it’s own line, Lee Angel also designs for retailers like J. Crew. Some other familiar names I saw were Banana Republic, BCBG MAXAZRIA, Ann Taylor and Kohls. Everything is organized into plastic bins. There was plenty of inventory when I left at 7pm on Wednesday. There were also dozens of boxes of inventory waiting to be opened. Everyone was buying 5-15 items. I overheard two women deciding what to give to their mother and other sister. $5 sounds like a perfect amount to spend on stocking stuffers. If you’re a bride-to-be, take this opportunity to pick up some gifts for your bridesmaids and jewelry pieces for the big day. There were signs everywhere saying “NO PHOTOGRAPHY” and a girl was also going around reminding people not to take photos. I respected their request and waited till I got home to take a photo of my winnings instead. Everything in the photo except the double stranded pearl necklace was $5. The ribbon bead necklace was from Lee Angel and set me back $20. Both rings are from Banana Republic – org. $38. The charm bracelet is from J. Crew – they usually go for about $90 retail. The chandelier earrings are from BCBG – org. $68.

Friends & family company sales are really opened to the everyone and their mothers now a days. No invitation required.

Location:
Altman Building
135 W. 18^th Street (bt. 6^th & 7^th Avenue)
New York, NY

When:
Fri. (8/28) 8am – 8pm, Sat. (8/29) 9am – 6pm, Sun. (8/30) – 9am – 5pm

When I dropped by yesterday, there was no line to get in. It wasn’t crowded but there were 20+ people browsing around. You can definitely drop by during your lunch hour and make it back to work on time without getting fired.

The venue space is spacious and has good lighting for the baubles. All the jewelry are showcased as they would at a retail store. The sales people are friendly. However, most discounts were set at 30% for more current styles, signature links and bangles with semi-precious stones. Some of the higher end stuff was marked down to 40% off retail prices. I saw a few watches for both men and women. There’s a few small cases towards the back marked down to 70% off. These were mostly thin bangles with floating semi-precious stones, not their signature thick cable bangles.

I’ve seen David Yurman marked down to 25% off at Bloomingdales. For the past few years just before the holiday season, DY has also set up a pop-up store at Woodbury Commons Premium Outlets with much better discounts. Most jewelry and watches were marked down to around 50% off there. This F&F sale is not revolutionary but if you’re lusting over some new David Yurman bling, head over, you’ll be sure to find something. There’s litterally thousands of pieces there to look over. Good luck!

Here are a few photos from the sale: