by contributor Wendy Gordon
Photos courtesy of DSS
Who doesn’t love a bargain?
But when it includes designer duds…helllllloooooo lover! Add the element of a good cause, and…Ding…ding…ding…ding…ding! We have a winner!
The annual District Sample Sale will be coming back September 11th at Mazza Gallerie, the former Filene’s space (ironic) at 5300 Wisconsin Avenue. Yay. AND, all the proceeds go to charity. Yay again.
Some of the retailers slated to appear at this year’s DSS are Queen Bee Designs (can we TELL you about the necklaces we got from the Queen Bee herself, Alison Priebe Brooks last year?? Gorg.), Lettie Gooch, Ginger, Urban Chic, Proper Topper…to name a few. There are shoes, bags, accessories…you name it. Clothing, of course. Men’s and women’s. And cake. There is cake. We’re practically giddy.
In a world of bait and switch and over marketing, however, not all sample sales are created equal. So we decided to take a little poll of past DSS guests to review their not so ill gotten goods.
So out we went—trolling the boutiques…through hill and dale; through mountain and valley (by which we mean we found DSS aficionados in the DC Metro area). Our quest: to find the best buys of past DSS’s. We were positively intrepid. Apparently they were even moreso.
Owner of The Daily Dish restaurant in Bethesda, Zena Polin told us she got a Tracy Reese dress from Ginger, Burberry sunglasses, a Rochelle Behrans jacket and skirt, and Oscar de La Renta shoes. “I love the sparkly ones,” she tells us. The shoes were $695 and $580 respectively. But at the DSS? $125 and $115.
Kimberly Robinson, the chief Whoopie-ista at Makin’ Whoopie, tells us she got a “really cute” Chloe Bag a couple years ago and a $400 pair of Kate Spade shoes for…we hope you’re sitting…. $35. “They’re all still in my rotation,” she says.
According to their website, “The District Sample Sale is the Washington, DC region’s biggest and best high-end bargain shopping event.” We have to concur.
It features over 20 top designer clothing and shoe boutiques selling their end-of-season wares at liquidation-level prices, with many previewing their upcoming season looks at DSS-exclusive pricing.
The District Sample Sale also features cocktails, hors d’oeuvres from our participating restaurants, a fashion-focused silent auction, raffle, goodie bag (with VIP tickets) and more. The organization is all volunteer. Over $240,000 has been donated to their charities since 2006.
But here’s the thing: you can’t get in without a ticket. Want one? We bet you do. Prices range from $40 for general admission to $100 VIP and $250 benefactor/ress tickets. You can get them by logging onto the District Sample Sale website. http://www.districtsamplesale.com/index.html
