One Possible Alternative to the Barneys Warehouse Sale Madness: The Barneys Outlet

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• Alexander Wang train case bags, $395
• Pretty YSL sandal $289
• Rebecca Taylor dress, $159 less 40%
• Rodarte X Opening Ceremony laceup trouser leggings, $319
• DVF blouse, $159
• Barneys black suede flats, $60
• Alexander Wang boot (also in black) $390
• Black suede Louboutin, $289
• From left: AWang, YSL, Celine, Louboutin, and Robert Clergerie
• Phillip Lim sandals, $249
• Another AWang train case
• Marc by Marc Jacobs party dress, $199 less 40%
• Alexander Wang knit moto jacket $369

For every anecdote we hear about, "Oh yeah, I scored a $150 Prada bag" or "I found a Thakoon dress for $40 in the damaged section and the only thing wrong with it was it's missing a button", we hear, "I can't deal with the crowds", "some biotch tore something out of my hands", or "Just too much stuff for me to deal with." A lot of people love the idea of the Barneys New York Warehouse sale, but can't stomach the actual thing. We were inspired by the BNYWS coverage on sister site Racked NY, so we decided we would investigate the merch mix at the Barneys outlet in Camarillo. We got there first thing on Sunday morning. We didn't have to fight crowds or pay for parking -- both of which have been reputed dealbreakers for some folks.

On the minus side: it is in Camarillo, which is not close. Our not-very-scientific guess is that the Outlet has 1/10th the amount of product of the warehouse sale. And not a $150 Givenchy in site.

But otherwise, it's a lot of the same stuff, at the same prices. Some of it even cheaper.

Upon entering the store, we made a beeline for the bags. We've never NOT seen a big stash of Marc by Marc Jacobs bags there; we saw a good selection of last season's bags starting around $249. We spied six of the Alexander Wang train case bags for $395. We took a cursory glance at the fancy designer case and didn't see anything that got our heart thumping, just a couple of well-handled Nina Ricci bags.

Another unscientific guess: about 66% of the merchandise in the Outlet was stuff we saw at the warehouse sale. Unquestionably, there's way more stuff at the warehouse sale. But we found a lot of the same Stella McCartney, Theysken's Theory, Rag & Bone, and Helmut Lang. The outlet has a bigger selection of both Alexander Wang and T by Alexander Wang than we saw at the warehouse sale, and frankly, even though the Outlet's selection of Phillip Lim was smaller, it offered much more desirable pieces, including a black suit jacket.

Both the outlet and the sale had a lot of shoes in common: same Alexander Wangs, same YSLs, same Loeffler Randalls, same Celines. We only saw one pair of Loubs at the Outlet, but they do have a big selection of Barneys and Barneys Co-op shoes at 40% off. And we also picked up a pair of lovely brown Balenciaga sandals that we didn't see at the sale.

The thing that could clinch it in your mind is the clearance section, which offers an additional 40% off the lowest marked price. In all honesty, most of the clearance section items are either older or less flashy that the warehouse sale inventory, but we came across some lovely dresses. And if you're in the market for basics like nice black pants and tees, you could do a lot worse.
The Barneys New York Outlet is open Monday through Saturday, 10am - 9pm, Sunday 10am to 8pm.
· Barneys New York [Official Site]
· All Barneys New York Warehouse Sale coverage [Racked LA]