Lucky Shops, the magazine's annual shopping extravaganza that's taken over Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea, is not something you should attempt to hit over lunch. It's far, far too vast. No, you should plan to devote an hour, minimum, to browsing and taking advantage of the freebies, like the gelato stand. And you should come attired in your standard sample sale uniform (a base layer of tank top + leggings), because there are no fitting rooms.
As we previously stated, prices aren't rock bottom, mostly because the selection is rather top-tier. The booths that seemed to be getting the most attention today were Thread Social, See by Chloe, Clu (where prices for tees, tanks, leggings and dresses started at $20), Vena Cava and Charlotte Ronson (whose selection, priced from $40, was almost gone). There was also a huge line at the denim station, where shoppers who purchased pairs from Earnest Sewn, J Brand or Miss Sixty could get their jeans hemmed for free on site; denim ran $85 to $100 per pair.
For first timers, we found the buying process rather strange. You select your items, bring them to whomever is managing the booth you're in, and they put them aside and give you a ticket. You then bring this ticket to one of the many check out stations positioned around the space and pay for your items (credit card only). Then, you return to the booth to pick up your merchandise. You only have an hour from the time you put something "on hold" to pick it up, though—after that, they'll return it to the selling floor.
Today, the event goes until 7pm and tickets are $35. Tomorrow, the hours are 10 to 5pm and entry is $20. To help you plan your trip, here's a scan of the map they are handing out at the door.
· Lucky Shops: The First Reports Are Trickling In [Racked]
· RackedWire: Lucky Shops Comes to Chelsea; Artisan Day Comes to the Upper East Side [Racked]For more stories from Racked, go to racked.com.
