Alexis Bittar 20% Off Sale

Hi chickadees,

I haven't done one of these sale posts in a while. I just wanted to let you know that Alexis Bittar is having a 20% off Friends and Family Sale. No offer code needed. Just add something to your cart and you should see the discount applied. The sale is going on in store and online and ends April 12.

Alexis Bittar Sample Sale Report November 2014

Hello raindrops,

I'm sorry for not getting this up sooner. I had a late night waiting for Sephora's website to get back online so I could basically cash in all my chips during the VIB 20% off sale and requalify for VIB status next year. If you're interested in shopping the sale, the code is GIFTVIB.

First, all the boring details. The sale is being held at 143 W 19th St between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. Today and tomorrow (Thursday November 6 and Friday November 7) the hours are 8:30 am through 7:30 pm. The last day of the sale will be Saturday November 8 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. With a three day sale like this I wouldn't really expect markdowns. Both cash and credit are accepted.

I arrived at the sale at 9:20 am where to my dismay I found a short line. I do not understand the door situation at all but I didn't want to make trouble. A ton of people were coming out but they weren't letting us in. After a confusing but not endless wait I was able to escape the damp chill and check my jacket and bag. They let me keep one of the ipsy makeup bags I use in lieu of a clutch. I'd recommend bringing something similar instead of just hanging onto your wallet because then you can keep other valuables with you.

The layout of the sale is exactly the same as the last time I covered it in June. I don't have all the photos I could have taken because for some reason after I had gone through most of the room the woman behind the bracelet counter told me not to take pictures and as I was leaving I didn't want to make trouble. I think I missed two shelves of bracelets and the table of bracelets and necklaces you can see in one of the first photos in my June post. It's not a huge loss as the more interesting items were on the other displays anyway.

Overall, I found the sale a little disappointing for my taste. Pricing was exactly the same. You can definitely find a good number of items at the lower end of the price range at $49 and $79 but obviously larger and more embellished pieces will be closer to the $100 to $200 range. There were just a lot of darker metals (possibly Ruthenium) and gold and larger pieces that just aren't practical for me. I also felt like some of the pieces did look a little cheap as though I could find dupes at H&M or Forever 21. I avoid pieces like that because if I'm going to spend the money I don't want it to look like something I spent $10 or $20 on. There were also pieces from previous sales/seasons that hadn't been marked down at all.

This pair of rose gold earrings was $79 in June and it's still marked at $79.

Rings were off to the side by the cashier as usual. Oversized cocktail rings dominated but I was able to find some smaller pieces. Here are the highlights.

$79

$79

$49 I don't know if you can tell from the photo but I think the thing on the right is supposed to be a fish.

$79

$159

$99

Alexis Bittar Sample Sale Report June 2014

Hello ladybugs,

I am big fan of Alexis Bittar so even though I already cleaned up pretty well at Chloe + Isabel a short while ago, I headed off to 143 W. 19th St. this morning to scope out the semi-annual sale. This season's sale is running just three days, from Wednesday June 18 through Friday June 20. The sale will open everyday at 8:30 am. On Wednesday and Thursday they'll close at 7:00 pm but if you're planning to wait until Friday, bear in mind that the sale will close early at 4:00 pm. They will be replenishing the stock they have out but they have more of some items than others so I can't guarantee that everything pictured will still be there if you decide to check out the sale later in the run. I wouldn't count on any markdowns for a three day sale like this one. There is a mandatory bag check so try and bring a small clutch.

Closest to the door is where you'll find the post earrings and the majority of the smaller earrings.

I spotted a ton of these $49 post earrings.

$99

$79

There were a lot of duplicates in the trays in this section.

Alexis Bittar Sample Sale Report December 2013

Hi chickadees!

Since I don't have any pictures from the sale, I just thought I'd throw in a photo I took with Alexis Bittar at the reopening of his Soho store. 

Sorry for another short report today. I breezed in and out of Alexis Bittar because I wanted to make it to Nest before they A) ran out of merchandise and B) closed. If you can still make time to go to Nest, they're closing at 1pm today and almost everything is discounted. The Aerin candles are down to $20 and most of them are still in stock. The Link candles are down to $5. The tall pillar candles are 3 for $12 and the small pillar candles are 3 for $10. Enough of that, back to Alexis Bittar.

The sale is continuing today until 7pm at 9 W 20th St. between 5th and 6th Avenues. I would recommend taking the N or R to 23rd St but since they never came this morning, you could also take a bunch of trains to 14th St/Union Square and just walk a little farther. The last day of the sale is tomorrow also from 8:30am to 7pm. There is a coat check and I think they were also checking bags but they let me keep my little baguette. They were also checking umbrellas because it's apparently going to be raining for the rest of the week. 

This sale feels smaller than the last sale I covered which was part of the reason why I didn't try and take photos. The lighting was also terrible. I would definitely advise you to go to a brightly lit corner and examine anything you're thinking about buying. Especially anything pave as I saw a few pieces missing some stones. I saw some earrings in the front for $30 but I didn't really think they were worth $30 as they just seemed like they were made of wood and/or seed beads. They also had a handful of the pink butterfly rings that were included in the last major sale on the website for I think $49 which is about what they cost during that sale. I can't be entirely sure but I think that there were a handful of pieces from this year and a lot of pieces from last year's collections so I'm assuming that this is all the leftover merchandise that they didn't manage to sell in the end of the year sale in the spring/summer. I found these teardrop earrings that I've been wanting for the longest time for $99 and these rose gold earrings for $49 that I couldn't help but splurge on. It kind of kills me that they tacked on tax after that but what can you do?

I think the $49 earrings were the Miss Havisham Crystal Encrusted Teardrop Earrings which are still selling for $100 at Nordstrom. I found the $99 earrings on another website (sold out) where they were selling for $240 so in both cases you're getting a substantial discount. 

I think they still have a pretty healthy selection of items though I can't guarantee that you'll find something you like. Even in the rain, the sale was fairly busy at 9am with about 20 people or so shopping (it was difficult to figure it if everyone was a shopper as the salespeople kept walking around the floor). Most of the items that appealed to me were either $79 or $99 so if that's in your price range for personal or Christmas shopping, it can't hurt to take a trip to this sale. 

Alexis Bittar Sample Sale Report November 2012

Hi chickadees!

I ran to the Alexis Bittar sample sale during my break. It took me 2 trains. It’s at 344 W. 14^th St. so the easiest thing to do is take the A, C, or E to 14^th St. The hours are 9am-6:30pm today and tomorrow. It’s unassuming from the outside, a rented storefront plastered with Alexis Bittar signage and blaring pop music. But inside… a wondrous cavern of glittering gems.

You will have to check your coat but checking larger bags is optional and they let you keep your purses.

Merchandise: There was so much variety that it’s impossible to describe it all. Gold, silver, pewter, rose gold (though gold was dominant). Lucite, gems, stones, rhinestones, beads. Chunky bangles, delicate filigree, huge embedded geodes, parrot-shaped bangles, flower brooches and just stunning art pieces that defy paltry descriptions. I tried to take a lot of pictures but there was no way I could cover it all because….

Layout: …the merchandise is not really organized. You’ll find the cheapest pieces closest to the coat check. This is where the bags reside. Along one wall is a huge array of bangles and at the end of the shelves is the selection of pewter and rose gold jewelry. But everything else is random. There are bins to dig through and seemingly every other available surface is covered with something sparkly and alluring.

Pricing: Pricing was all over the place. At the low end were the cheaper items, wood bangles for $5-$10, plastic bangles for $15, and little zip bags for $15. The next price point was around $70-$100. If you find this affordable, you should be pretty pleased with this sale. There were plenty of earrings and rings in this range. The highest price range was around $200-$300. These were mainly the items with tiny red dots drawn onto the price tags. Red dots mean the merchandise is 50% the written price. I’m not so sure about the Lucite flower brooches, but you can certainly tell why some of those bracelets cost what they do. I mean, I would go by the sale just to ogle them, they’re that gorgeous.

Shoppers: Shoppers broke into two main categories: the older Ab/Fab set collecting mountains of bangles on their trays, and 20-somethings picking through for a few special pieces. And both groups were well represented. If you really want to take advantage of this sale you need to clear out some time and be prepared to dig with the crowds through bins. There wasn’t any pushing or rudeness thank goodness, but there was a lot of waiting.

I think this sale would be good for those people who want to do some expensive Christmas shopping. It’s a nice chance to get one or two special pieces for those people on your list that you want to splurge on at a discounted price. Personally, I didn’t find anything I’d be willing to splurge on without considering it. That and I have nowhere to wear museum-quality bangles.

PICTURES FROM INSIDE THE SALE

Alexis Bittar Look For Less

Hi chickadees!

I'm going to admit straight away that this is a kind of pathetic Look For Less because unfortunately I don't have a way for you to purchase the look. As you may or may not know, I periodically haunt the Alexis Bittar website looking for DIY ideas or just fantasizing about all the shiny baubles. Don't judge me. So when I saw this necklace on sale for $10 at Town House Shops, I could not resist picking it up because it reminded me so much of the Alexis Bittar necklace design I'd seen a while back and loved. Even better, this Town House Shops necklace is a better size and the imitation mother of pearl color is a better fit for me.

Alexs Bittar necklace: http://www.saksfifthavenue.com/main/ProductDetail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524446403094

Town House Shops Necklace

Hoped you enjoyed this even if I don't have a way for you to purchase one of your own. Let me know if you like these look for less posts. I will try and keep you updated on similar purchases I think you might be interested in.

Alexis Bittar Earrings

Hi chickadees!

I thought I'd just do a quick post to show the earrings I chose to get with my $50 giftcard to Alexis Bittar (from Fashion's Night Out).

Here is my Fashion's Night Out post in cast you missed it:
http://smartandsarcasticwithdashesofinsanity.blogspot.com/2012/09/fashions-night-out-2012-alexis-bittar.html

Here is a link to the earrings if you're interested in purchasing them for yourself:
http://www.alexisbittar.com/product.php?productid=25117&cat=336&page=1&defvarid=23413