Shoppers flock to Barneys Warehouse Sale
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More than a thousand eager shoppers -- men and women -- flocked today to an airport hangar in Santa Monica with bad mirrors and no dressing rooms in hopes of snagging some fashion treasure at a bargain.
It was opening day of the twice-yearly Barneys Warehouse Sale, which draws Southern California’s fashion cognoscenti to this unlikely place in hopes of getting expensive, fashion-forward dresses, shoes, men’s suits and other sought-after items -- for a fraction of the original three- and four-figure prices.
The items gathered here at the Barker Hangar once adorned the floors of the rarefied retailer, Barneys New York, at its stores across the country. The 12-day sale continues through Feb. 16.
Has a national recession crimped the habits of the most sophisticated and zealous shoppers whose idea of mixing high and low fashion is buying a Balenciaga bag at high retail and Prada at a low discount? It’s hard to say.
Of course, everyone at the sale had heard of the recession. And many freely confessed to being jolted by it in one way or another. But by 11 a.m., about 1,500 shoppers had filed into the warehouse, according to a Barneys official’s count. The hunt was on for gems such as $400 Versace dresses and Manolo Blahnik shoes going for south of $300.
And forget about dressing rooms. Right there in public, some shoppers stripped to their undergarments to try things on for size. They piled wares into cheap utilitarian plastic bags, provided at the sale, that looked more appropriate for laundry than for designer clothes. They wandered the hangar dragging their bulging bags, eyes scanning the horizon for the perfect jewel.
In many cases, shoppers professed to exercising more caution, buying less.
‘I’m just going to carry this around and probably put it back,’ one said.
-- Carla Hall
Photo credits: Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times
For more photos of the Barney’s Warehouse Sale, click here.
