The Club Monaco Sample Sale Is Surprisingly Colorful - Racked NY

Club Monaco's semi-annual sample sale ^[1] is back for another round, and its 1pm launch today drew a significant lunchtime crowd. This is no surprise, since this sale has garnered a reputation for steep bargains and a good mix of true samples and stock pieces.

We stopped by moments before opening and there was a flurry of activity to stock the floors for the anticipated hordes of shoppers. One thing's for sure: there is no shortage of merchandise and there's something for everyone. This time around, merchandise starts as low as $5 for accessories and tops out at $109 for leather, suede and fur pieces.

As a general trend, we noticed that most of the available stock is bright and bold, and maybe not so in tune with most shoppers' efforts to refine and update their fall and winter wardrobe. That said, the offerings are solid and if you've got an upcoming warm weather trip, this is a great sale for refueling your closet. The sample pieces are more interesting and seasonal—think chunky knits, embellishments, and mixed media.

For the ladies: About 70% of the floor is dedicated to women's merchandise and, within that, it's about evenly divided between stock and sample pieces. This means there's a good spread of styles and loads of options for something unique and noteworthy. Stock pieces are available in all sizes, ranging from sizes 00 to 12, and sample pieces are generally sizes small or medium.

Among the stock, we spotted a burnt orange dress with waist cut-outs for $40, a mixed media navy pencil skirt with zipper detailing for $25, and pastel spring trenches for $95. Leather and suede were not too present among the racks.

As for the samples for women, we loved an embellished silk button-front shirt and patterned velvet and corduroy pants, each for $30. There were also some great mixed media dresses on offer for $40, which clearly did not make it into stock production.

For the gents: Stock is available in all sizes (size small through x-large) and samples are generally size medium or 32. Again, the stock offerings are generally spring and summer merchandise. There's a very solid offering of colorful pants, button-front shirts, and shorts across all sizes. We loved a pair of salmon colored patterned pants and gingham short sleeve shirts, both for $30.

Among the samples, guys are more likely find current season items. We spotted several pieces of heavy outwear for $95 and nubby sweaters for $30 or $60, depending on fabrication.

There's also a great selection of accessories, handbags, and jewelry, priced from $5 for tights to $50 for leather bags. Without a doubt, these sections of the sale will be pillaged by the end of the day.

As always with samples, inspect your purchases and watch for damage, markings, and safety pins. Also, since this sale has varying prices depending on fabrication, you'll probably want to pay attention. There's a steep price difference between cashmere and cotton and leather and faux pieces, so your wallet will thank you.

Scope out our gallery for a full price list and a sampling of what's on offer. Club Monaco's sample sale continues today through 7pm, is open tomorrow from 8am through 7pm, and then continues daily from 11am through 7pm until Friday, November 1st. There are no fitting rooms and this one is credit card only. Check out the dealfeed below for more information.—Kiran

· Dealfeed: Club Monaco ^[2] [Racked NY]

· What to Do, Where to Shop, and What to Buy This Week ^[3] [Racked NY]

· Your Guide to This Month's 39 Remaining Sample Sales!^[4] [Racked NY]