Cheryl Shops...Billion Dollar Babes
I decided to lift my four-year boycott of the Billion Dollar Babes sale because, well, I was plied with a VIP invite. Apparently you can still shell out for a platinum membership and be the first to hit the racks (yes, that means paying to shop), but VIP got me a 5 p.m. entry on Friday night, and that was good enough for me. The sale was crowded, but not unbearably so; however, there were some pushy-ass women there who appeared not to be fluent in sample-sale etiquette, which led me to conclude that if you're say, a super-professional woman or idly wealthy and don't have time to hit all the sample sales yourself, going to the BDB sale makes sense. After all, they gather a lot of designers (most of whom host their own sales as well) all under one roof, so you can kill a whole flock of birds with one stone. Last weekend's sale has Tibi, Y-3, Tree, Carlos Miele, and a lot of lesser-known designers like Rachel Mara and Vanessa Barrantes, so I can at least give BDB props for an interesting mix. But while prices were significantly below retail, they weren't quite typical sample sale prices, and therein lies the rub: Billion Dollar Babes is not a sample sale; it's a shopping event. They have cocktails, makeovers, sweepstakes, and corporate sponsors; you're not stripping down to your undies in some designer's Garment District showroom. There is very little hunting involved, and I don't know about you, but I, for one, love the thrill of the hunt. But then again, I'm not so sure that I'm BDB's target customer. I feel like if you work at job at which you can't sneak away for an hour to hit a sample sale on your lunch hour, you don't have time to dig through bins and racks of samples, and/or you want the sample sale experience without all the drudgery, then maybe BDB is for you. Also, if you live in any city other than New York--BDB regularly holds events in Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, and other sample-sale-challenged cities--it might actually be worthwhile. But I think I've gone to my first, and last, event. I take my shopping far too seriously.

3 comments

Anonymous said...

I've been shopping with them in New York since they started and the selection has gotten poorer over the years and the prices have gone up. I only go on the first day and it isn't hard to get a VIP invite. The sale over the summer was great because they had Chloe bags for $500-$600. And there were LOTS of them. Now, I go for the free drinks.

Anonymous said...

I go there because they have a couple of L.A.-based labels that are really hard to find around here. But some of their prices are *insane*. (I'm sure Vivienne Westwood is a bargain at $500, but it's still way outta my price range.) And I miss some of their bargains, like Mon Petit Oiseau t-shirts for $10.

And what was with the Amsale "bridal boutique" in the basement this time? How many brides-to-be shop at BDB?

Anonymous said...

Size Matters
Having a little handbag is perfect, if you’re going out to dinner or are heading to a club.

Most of us, however, need larger bags in order to carry all of the things that we need to

have on us. Chanel handbags online offer you a large variety of different sized handbags,

from the smaller Chanel handbags that you can carry around, to the larger imitation Chanel

handbags that are even big enough to carry a change of clothing if you should have need of

it.
When you’re looking at Chanel handbags online, check out the Chanel Coco Large Cabas in

Denim. This denim bag has become one of the hottest things seen on the runways and has also

been featured in a number of fashion magazines. This beautiful Chanel handbag has a double

gold chain with a small zipped pocket that has a Chanel embossed zipper pull. The large,

spacious compartment is lined with Chanel CC logo fabric, and is large enough to fit almost

anything you could ever have need of. There is also a small detachable pouch that has a zip

top closure, in case you need something smaller when you are out and about.
http://www.ereplicasupplier.com/