To me, girlhood is all about wanting to live the Sex and the City life: Martinis, Manolo Blahniks, and yapping with your best friends. While I have Carrie Bradshaw’s taste, I also have a college student budget. Even then, Carrie was probably closer to this budget than we may think. Sample sales are a great way to learn about new brands and get more affordable prices on some of your favorite dream brands.
These sales are often in-person and in larger cities like New York City, Miami, Los Angeles, or Chicago (sadly, not Tallahassee). While our college town has its charm, it’s no shopping paradise, so online sample sales could be our savior. I check two sites at least once a week to see their sales. Sample sales last a couple of days, and multiple sales go on at the same time, so be sure to keep an eye out!
Both of my favorite sites have Instagram accounts you can follow if interested, and you can turn on their post notifications so you don’t forget about any. The worst pain is remembering about a sale and seeing that it either just ended or the one item you wanted already sold out. Here are some websites to check out for sample sales:
- 260 Sample Sale
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260 Sample Sale has online sample sales alongside their in-person locations in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Dallas. Their sales vary by location, so follow them and stay up to date on the sales they offer. I’m going to be completely honest when I say I thought about driving down to their Miami store after seeing they were having a Cult Gaia sample sale. At the Miami location, I’ve seen brands like LoveShackFancy, Elie Saab, Reformation, Bronx and Banco, Frankies Bikinis, Retrofête, and WeWoreWhat.
They also have beauty sample sales, including Fenty Beauty, NEST Fragrance, and more. The New York location has even more luxury brands, including Kenzo, Palm Angels, Oscar de la Renta, Hervé Léger, and Guizio, to name a few. I follow all of the locations just to see what brands they have and get extreme FOMO. For the rest of October, their sales include Retrofête, Eberjey, Guest In Residence, Adore Me, Hervé Léger, Hanky Panky, Lisa Says Gah, Ana Luisa, and more.
- Miami sample
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Miami Sample is headquartered in — you guessed it — Miami! They started an in-person sale right before COVID-19 that closed down, but their online business continues to thrive. One thing I love about Miami Sample is they have certain brands that return for sample sales quite often. They often have Emi Jay, Oceanus, Freedom Moses, and Kevyn Aucoin. I was Instagram stalking them to research this article and saw some sales that I missed and may have shed a tear.
While it began in Miami, it ships all over the United States. Some of their sales may not have the products you’re looking for or very few, especially with beauty sales. During their Supergoop! sale, I was looking for the Glowscreen, which they didn’t have, but they had so many other options like the Unseen Sunscreen to make up for it.
- brand sites
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Another recommendation I have is to search for sample sales on Google. Sometimes, you can find specific brands doing sample sales from their own warehouses instead of through a company. WeWoreWhat and STAUD are two sales that I’ve seen myself. Another way I find them is through Instagram ads. I guess this is one good thing to come out of accepting those website cookies: It helps to fuel my fashion addiction.
While I love shopping, I honestly hate spending money. More often than not, I look at the sales to get ideas and enjoy beautiful fashion. I dress quite basic, but one day, I hope to be able to use the way I dress to truly express myself. The main reason I love sample sales isn’t because I’m looking for brands I already love, but because I’m finding new ones I’ve never heard of but now consider my favorites.
Finding something that makes you feel beautiful and confident is why I love fashion; It’s a way to express yourself without words!
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