Thanks to the wonderful work of the beloved Dr. MLK Jr., today I was able to sleep in, have a relaxing lunch with a friend, and amble on down to a one-day sample sale – Jeffrey Monteiro. Unfortunately, it was only one day, so my post won’t do much good (other than to make you jealous of my terrific purchase! Which makes me feel good…). I was tipped off to this sample sale thanks to Daily Candy – a daily goings-on email update service my mom signed me up for ages ago. Daily Candy readers were also eligible for an extra 20% off the sample sale price, which sure didn’t hurt.
The sale was in the Jeffrey Monteiro atelier in Chinatown, a small studio that was practically empty for the duration I was there – just me, three other shoppers, two women working the checkout, and Mr. Monteiro himself on his laptop in the other room (I peeked in over a rack of dresses). The “dressing room” (heavy quotation marks on that one) was non-existent – a tiny little screen right by the entrance for only one person at a time. There was a very small selection of clothing from his 2009 and 2010 collections, and the 2009 clothes were a lot cheaper ($65 for the skirt I bought from 2009). Probably ten items or so available in each size. Sorry, I forgot to take pics while I was there, or I would post a one of the racks.
I didn’t know Jeffrey Monteiro’s clothing before the sale, and I will admit it was generally very cool, but not quite my style (I prefer things a bit more fitted, and Monteiro is more on the baggier side). But I really, really like the skirt I ended up with. I can wear it to work if I dress down the top and wear flats. With heels, perfect for a more formal event.
A professional pic of the skirt from an online shopping site called Totokaelo.
A self-portrait of the skirt I bought; off-white with an awesome gray pattern.
The skirt was originally $435, so there really wasn’t any way I could possibly pass it up.
The run down is:
- Crowds: nope;
- Coat check: none;
- Dressing room: glad I don’t have problems with showing off my underwear to strangers;
- Prices: great for the 2009 selection (dresses under $100, skirts $65) and not terrible for 2010 (dresses were under $200… too expensive for me, but not bad, given the starting prices);
- Selection: limited. Don’t fall in love with a dress not in your size, because it’s probably the only one there. However, the small selection was kind of a part of the charm of the thing.
I would definitely recommend going to this sale again the next time it comes around. I’d give it an 8!
Now the more serious stuff. I’m adding up how much I spent this weekend on meals out, drinks, cabs and (or course) shopping, and matching that amount as a donation to Partners in Health. My company matches all staff donations, so PIH will be getting a large check from moi. If I can afford to spend it on frivolous things like skirts and rides home from the East Village, I can easily afford to give the same for the people of Haiti. I hope you have, too.
Now one for the ladies of the League of Justice (you know who you are) in honor of the late, great MLK:
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
