Fred Segal Sale: Day 1

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Day 1 of the Fred Segal sale is, although quiet, still an event worth anticipating. As we arrive a few minutes before the store opens, we join the ten or so others waiting at the doors, checking their nails, their makeup, their cellphones, and yawning. The line grows to about 20 people right before the doors are unlocked, and shoppers usher each other inside.

The first thing we notice is the general dearth of accessories. No handbags of note, and only a little bit of footwear. So we head to The Parliament, in the east store, as they appear to be the only vendor that has the whole store on sale. They've got some extraordinary wardrobe-defining pieces, such as Belstaff leather jackets and some very recognizable Isabel Marant items, which may be worth the splurge (and they are still a splurge at only 50% off), and lots of A.L.C. and Brochu Walker. Perhaps more importantly, they've got a decent selection of T by Alexander Wang-- totally worth getting dibs on early because the price point is so good anyway.

Elsewhere in the store, Madison's shoe stall -- which was by far the most crowded -- had a pretty good range of offerings, from Lady Gaga style platform stilettos to super chic beige oxfords.

The other side of the street is less exciting. Fred Segal Trend has crossover with Parliament -- their few less-than-interesting handbags, for example -- and some of their Elizabeth and James offerings look like they're from last year. The few shoes they have are the only real highlights, though the jeans and tee selection is relatively decent.

Overall, we'd say it's worth a trip over to Santa Monica to check it out -- and we'll definitely be back for the next round of markdowns.
· Fred Segal Official Site