High-end fashion catches the eye by design. Especially in Los Angeles. It’s baked into the landscape — far beyond Rodeo Drive. In recent years, more and more people are sporting high fashion labels – without hurting their wallets.
And they aren’t knockoffs, either. They’re the real deal.
Authenticity and affordability — all at the sample sale.
“A sample sale is when a designer or a brand sells all of their samples from their manufacturer or factory. They get an influx of samples all the time because they have to make sure the item is perfect,” said Taylor Monet, a frequenter of sample sales who works in the fashion industry.
Since samples are produced to work out the kinks in the manufacturing process, they can’t be sold for full price. However, the imperfections with each item tend to be minor most of the time. Sample sales allow companies to clear their stock and still turn a profit on these draft products.
“I think that it's smart from a fashion standpoint to always reuse and resell your clothing because if you just throw it away, it's going into the landfill, no one's going to use it, it's going overseas,” Monet, who goes by Taylorthefirst1 on social media, said.
One of the best parts of sample sales is that these items aren’t from last season. You’re about to get items right before they hit the shelves, so you’re actually ahead of the curve.
Of course, this means they can get a little hectic.
Nicole Gurzeler, a.k.a. FakeRichGir1, said that although it does depend on the brand, some sample sales require a little more effort.
“It is very competitive and I think you have to have a competitive nature and you have to be okay with people pushing you and you can't get upset about that because everyone does it because everyone wants the best stuff,” she said.
Gurzeler has many years of experience under her belt. She’s been hitting sample sales since she was 15.
“I used to go to all the Brandy Melville sample sales and I just found out about those who just followed them on Instagram,” she said. “And so as I got older, I think also people realized that sample sales were not as popular as they could be.”
This is when Gurzeler realized she could focus her social media presence on sample sales.
“I wanted to make an account like that because I knew all these little tips and tricks that I didn't realize everyone else didn't know. I was like, ‘Oh I thought this was like common knowledge but let me just share what I know with everyone,’” she said.
Gurzeler and Monet have posted about sample sales in Beverly Hills held at 260LA, which looks like a typical clothing store. But looks can be deceiving. Sometimes they can be found in typical retail settings – among a stretch of stores in regular shopping districts – but other times they may require a hike to someplace less traditional – a cluster of warehouses in Tustin.
That’s where we find Anna Dadhania. Dadhania, social handle AnnasChicSteals, decided to focus on where to find sample sales and how to get the most out of them.
After all, budgeting is never one-size-fits-all.
“Every sale has different price points. You also get to discover so many brands that you may have never heard before, because they're having a sale,” she said. “You get to meet so many people while you're there, everyone's helping each other out.”
Collectively, Dadhania, Monet, and Gurzeler could write a pretty compelling sample sale encyclopedia with all their shared expertise. But until that hits the shelves, they’re always glad to share their advice with newbies for free.
“I'll go for the nice items first because I know everyone else is going to go for that first and all the other stuff is going to be there,” Gurzeler said.
She also said she focuses on grabbing items as soon as she gets into the sale. Before heading to check out, Gurzeler will go through her bags and decide what she really wants to purchase. Sample sales are rapid-fire affairs – you can lose out on an item you loved because you didn’t grab it off the rack at the jump.
“It depends on the day of sample sales. On the weekend, you're going to have to go like four hours early minimum if you want a good spot line to be in the first group, because usually, they let people in by groups,” Gurzeler said.
If it’s on a Tuesday, you probably won’t have to line up as early as a sale on a Saturday. It also depends on the brand, some are just more popular than others. A sample sale for Girlfriend Collective, a sportswear brand, or Tilly’s, a casual apparel brand with broad appeal, may require an earlier lineup time.
“Bring water, probably bring someone else because if you do need to use the bathroom in line, which is very probable, you're gonna want someone there holding your spot in line,” Gurzeler said.
This tip is especially for sales that will require a long wait in line. There are some sales where people wait up to eight hours before getting into the stores. But once you get in, you want to make sure you’re hydrated and have a plan.
“Wear clothes that you can easily try. You know, clothes on and off because there's not always a fitting room,” Dadhania said.
Sometimes, you won’t even be able to try the clothes on at all. It’s important to know that you may be taking a risk with the size you’re purchasing.
“Bring multiple forms of payment, because some places take only cash, some people only want credit cards, or maybe they want Venmo. So you want those multiple options. Bring a phone charger, because you're gonna be using your phone, whether you're waiting in line, or you want to look up the original price of whatever you're buying,” Dadhania said.
To prepare as much as possible, she will research the brand and get an idea of the original prices before entering the sale. This is especially important because you want to be sure you’re getting a good deal and sometimes the service inside the sale isn’t the most reliable. Monet does the same.
“Have fun, get things that you don't normally wear if it's cheap and at a very good affordable price. I got a couple of things that I wouldn't normally wear, but it's designer and if I don't like it then you can always sell it,” she said.
When it comes to finding the sales themselves, your options are wide open; you’re first in line with no one behind you, unlimited budget, so to speak. You can find them advertised by brands, by the warehouses or stores themselves (Alternative Retail in Tustin and 260LA), or, support the pros on social media – the people within this very story who, as a reminder, are – Dadhania (AnnasChicSteals), Monet (Taylorthefirst1), and Gurzeler (FakeRichGir1). And there’s an app for it, too – Chicmi.
Now, back to the streets. What’s the difference between a sample sale fashionista and a full-price fashionista on the streets of Los Angeles? The receipts.
Not the looks.
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