Mindful of the three-hour-plus wait outside last September's Hermès sale, we prepared for this morning's line like it was a six-week hike through Patagonia, dressing in sturdy shoes and removable layers and carefully rationing fresh water in case things got ugly. Turns out we shouldn't have bothered—within forty minutes of our arrival at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea, we were in. But if the crowds were thinner this time around, the Hermes fans were no less obsessed.
The centerpiece of the sale was a big curved bar displaying $225 scarves on one side and $98 ties on the other. By the time we got in, a scrum had developed around the scarf section and there was a halo of women practicing their draping around the nearest mirror. The bags were also popular, though less exciting: The wide selection of canvas was 70% off and seemed mostly to be priced between $450 and $600, while leather, much less abundant at 60% off, seemed to hover around $2000. Signs everywhere announced that shoppers were limited to two bags, ten scarves, and ten ties, presumably to discourage eBay resale (though given how passionate people get about Hermès, we couldn't help but imagine scarf-drunk patrons clutching their eleventh print and slurring "I'll tell you when I've had enough.")
Other prices: Belts were 40% off, which meant non-leather was around $200 and leather was near $400. Shoes ran the gamut from $1770 snakeskin heels (down from $4,425) to $730 boots (down from $1075) to little goddess sandals for $234 (down from $390.) We had a brief romance with a very cute print bikini for $260 (down from $650) but couldn't find anything terribly enticing in the housewares section, where even the tiniest tumbler was $120. (However, if you're in the market for an Hermès paperweight, there was a lovely one for only $615, marked down from $2000.) Since the turn-out was rather low this time around, we wouldn't be surprised if there are further reductions later in the week, but if you're looking for leather, go now—they won't be restocking.
