In praise of the sass & bide Sydney warehouse sale

My haul: 1. The Sting dress, 2. Mirror Image shorts, 3. A Thing or Two trousers, 4. The Story of Us jacket

One of the great joys of big city living is the sales.  

I mean the kind tucked away in the designer’s headquarters, the kind where you can either nab samples that might have made it into editorials or onto runways (or, maybe, never made it into production at all), or the kind where it’s crazy bargains time because there’s a need to clear excess stock.

I was sent an invite to the sass & bide warehouse sale, and – how sweet of them – got onto the VIP family and friends list that won me shopping time a full hour before the sale was open to the public.

 

Inside it was so orderly. This was lovely and in marked contrast to my last sample: the space was tiny, the clothes beautiful and the women frenzied and so it was shopping at the end of the world. It was shopping in a zombie apocalypse – mindless hands grabbing at things.

Sadly, there weren’t many accessories or any handbags to speak of, however, I was delighted to scoop up a few things: silk trousers and a matching blazer in a floral print reminiscent of a classic oil painting and two rebellious tartan pieces that appeal to the part of me that never stopped being a wannabe punk.

What I paid as compared with the RRPs of the items was a tiny fraction. I saved about 75 per cent. The pants, in particular, are a delight. As comfortable as pajamas with none of the naffness of so-called pajama dressing and amazingly soft and beautiful.

Tips for warehouse and sample sales:

Get on the VIP list.

Arrive amazingly early.

Lurk around the table near the changerooms where stuff goes before it’s returned to the racks.

Do not wear jewellery. While being a quick change artist, you’ll lose an earring.

Slip-on shoes are a must-have.

Consider wearing your better bras and undies – communal changerooms are what they are.

The sass & bide warehouse sale concludes tomorrow (Sunday 21 April) at 3pm at Byron Kennedy Hall, The Entertainment Quarter, Fox Studios, 122 Lang Road, Moore Park.

Flatlay imagery by sass & bide; dodgy image editing my own.