*Reproduced from The Wall Street Journal, 26th Jan 2008. Style Why 'It' Bags Are Out* Luxury bags fall victim to their own success; exclusive over ostentatious By *CHERYL LU-LIEN TAN* and *RACHEL DODES* January 26, 2008; Page W1 Irene Weisburd used to buy 20 handbags a year, dutifully getting on waiting lists for the season's designated "it" bag and filling her "bag wardrobe" with Fendi Baguettes, a Louis Vuitton Murakami bag and Prada nylon backpacks. Recently, however, she has bypassed popular styles such as last fall's Gucci Indy bag and the ubiquitous Fendi 'B' bag in favor of unadorned pieces from Bottega Veneta and lesser-known labels such as New York's MZ Wallace.  read more »

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&set=72157603922512035"> Lest you think we've abandoned the Barneys Warehouse Sale after just one day, you are very wrong. We swung back to the sale on West 18th Street around 8pm last night to survey the after-work shopping scene, and we can verify that it was still a shitstorm. The shoe aisles were packed, and it was tight quarters in the denim and tops area. Despite the crowds rummaging through boxes and trying on clothes in corners, the lines were moving quickly. A Barneys sale attendant confirmed that the busiest times yesterday were morning and lunchtime (around 1:30-2:30pm); she also told us that Barneys is constantly replenishing.  read more »

Cold, impatient line waiters outside Barneys Co-op this morning A Racked reader has some sage advice for Barneys Warehouse Sale shoppers:Hey. I used to work in an office in the Barney's Co-op building (the building actually takes up a good portion of the block, and Barney's owns the whole thing) and I have a potential tip for mastering the warehouse sale. The head of maintenance for the building once told me that Barney's replenishes inventory throughout the sale, even until the last days, and it's not necessarily the case that the best stuff goes out first. He would recommend waiting a couple of days into the sale, definitely on a weekday, and getting there around 10:30-11am. I never took him up on the advice, since at the time I was on too tight of a budget for even the warehouse sale.  read more »

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It's Valentine's Day, sure, but today's also the opening day at the Barneys Warehouse Sale, kicking off this morning at the Barneys Co-op in Chelsea. Racked is on the scene all morning to cover the madness. Strap in. &set=72157603906964794"> At a leisurely, quasi-metrosexual pace, our men's correspondent strolled into the opening morning of the Barneys Warehouse Sale just before 10am, missing the line. His report: "Pretty much business as usual in the basement, for anyone who's ever done the men's warehouse basement before. Aisles empty in places, mildly crowded in others. Most excitement around the suits, with lots of guys who wear starched blue shirts to work trying on jackets.  read more »

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Image: http://wwd.com/content/articles/26Fgivenchy5.jpg Image: http://wwd.com/content/articles/26Fgivenchy3.jpg Image: http://wwd.com/content/articles/26Fgivenchy1.jpg Image: http://wwd.com/content/articles/26Fgivenchy2.jpg By Miles Socha *PARIS ?* Givenchy unveils the final piece of its rejuvenation puzzle on Wednesday: a gallerylike Paris boutique featuring a series of black-box display suites and a long, gleaming gold ingot for the cash wrap.  read more »

Its finally FINAL sales time!  read more »