Sample Sale of the Week: Yves Saint Laurent Friends & Family

Friends & Family sales used to be reserved specifically for just that--friends and family of a label or store's workers. In many cases, they remain as such, but with the proliferation of (ahem) shopping blogs and coupon websites, Friends & Family sales have increasingly become marketing tools. Not that I'm complaining. There are generally two types of Friends & Family sales: the first tend to involve coupons or discount codes for 20 or 25% off your purchase; the second are warehouse sales in which a designer clears out old inventory, often at ridiculously low prices. This week's Yves Saint Laurent sale falls into the latter category--but it's open to the public and promises prices up to 75% off retail. Lilah Delilah at Madison Avenue Spy has some helpful tips (note to self: watch out for big men hoarding bags), and having been to this sale before, I can attest that prices definitely fall on the last day, if you can manage to wait that long. 10/28-10/30; 8-8 Th & F, 9-4 S; Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W. 18th St. (6th & 7th Aves.).

If shopping from the comfort of your own computer is more your speed, some stores have already started on fall markdowns, notably Shopbop, where prices are up to 70% off, and Saks Fifth Avenue, where they're 40-60% off.

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