Trunk Show

Yesterday, my friend Zakiya took me to my first trunk show at the Diane Von Furstenburg shop in the meatpacking district. A trunk show, for those of you that don't know, is basically a designer's showing of the garments that have already been worn on the runway, but have not been made available to the public for sale in stores around the country. Zakiya has pracitically purchased every DVF garment that has ever been made, so she was on the VIP list to be invited to the showing. I was, obviously, her clueless sidekick.

"Ooh, sample sale", I thought! Cheap clothes all in my size! We walked into the shop and were greeted by at least five salespeople who pointed us to the racks of fresh-off-the-runway clothes. They were colorful, unique, fabulous, and I thankfully noticed that wrap dresses were in the minority. (Although Diane is well known for her designer wrap dresses, I've never been a fan of the wrap - why I don't shop at her store that often). I started sifting through the racks and within three seconds, made a beeline for a beige fringed bolero-type jacket. Zakiya looked over at my find, "Yes! That is SOOO you!". I caressed the silk and rope creation, fondly thought of my days as a seagull in The Little Mermaid, and decided I was bringing this jacket home with me. I looked at the price tag. $485!?!? What? I thought this was a sale! I decided to step away from the wearable mortgage payment and inquire a bit more into the situation. 

Apparently, I confused a sample sale with a trunk show. HUGE difference. The trunk show happens before the clothes go on the rack, the sample sale happens after. Now, I'm the Betsy Johnson sample sale queen. All of her sample sizes fit me like a glove and I walk away from the sales with, literally, trash bags full of clothes. This trunk show was a different story. The sweet sales lady told me that I could order the clothes in my size and they would be shipped to me when the designs became available. Oh, I got it. You get to have the cool clothes before everybody else gets them. I decided to pick out a few fabulous things to try on despite my initial sticker shock. Big mistake. I fell in love. 

I first met my perfect dress when I rounded the third rack (February, the salespeople called it). She was burnt orange, grecian, and flowing. I took her and a few other pieces into the dressing room and had a blast with Zakiya trying on different fun styles and fabrics. I saved my love for last. You know that feeling you got when you were a little girl (or boy-no judgement) and you put on your new pretty flowy Easter dress and twirled around the house? Yeah . . . bingo. That happened to me all over again. I walked out to a mirror and everyone in the store ooh-ed and aah-ed (like they're paid to do) over the dress. It was a little big, but I could tell it would be even more fabulous in my size. I was hooked. 

I walked to the register, ordered the dress in a smaller size, and made plans to come into the store to try it on when it arrived. Now, my husband and I could take a cruise to Mexico and back for the price of this dress. I thought for a second. Yep. I'd rather have the dress. And I'd have it before anyone else. So, there. Verdict: my first trunk show . . . success.