Splendid & Ella Moss Sample Sale

I went to the Splendid and Ella Moss (same owner) sample sale on Saturday.  The sale was actually Friday and Saturday, so I went on day two.  I thought that maybe a lot of good items would be sold out already by then, but I couldn't make it on Friday since I had to work.  The sale was actually in downtown LA, where I work lol.  But they are in the ghetto part of downtown, and just a bit too far for me to walk over.  It was at the Cooper Design Space where a lot of designers have showrooms.  LA downtown is so weird like that, it's a mix of super high end and super ghetto, sometimes right around the corner from each other.

Anyway, the sample sale was in a huge room, with racks upon racks of clothes.  They were mostly for women and some for kids.  Even though they advertised men's as well, I saw only a handful of men's items.  All the women's items were in size S.  I at least briefly looked through all the racks, and that was the only size I saw.  I normally wear size XS in Splendid and Ella Moss, since they run quite large.  But it all depends on the style of course.  Men's items were all size M.

I took some pictures of the sale floor... there was a lot of stuff!

Despite having soooo many choices, I only came home with 3 items.  I'm actually not very good at shopping in a disorganized space like this.  I'm too impatient to go through everything, I guess.  And when everything is hung up all wrinkly, they just look less appealing!  But I did walk down each aisle multiple times so I think I saw a good 70-80% of it.  Most of the items were in colors or prints I wasn't interested in.  Though I picked up a lot more than 3 items while browsing, and ended up vetoing most of it at the end.  Their prices were definitely a lot better than retail or even sales price.  I believe most items were $20-30, and the most expensive items were jackets which were $50 at the most.  They didn't allow any try-ons, but everybody was doing it anyway.  There were no mirrors though, which was inconvenient lol.

The first item I picked up ended up being my favorite!  I absolutely love it!  It is a Splendid red/white stripe skirt with fold down waist.  They have this exact style for full price ($98) on their website right now, but in different colors.  It's seriously the most flattering and comfortable skirt!  It's pull on style, and the size S fits perfectly.  Now I'm thinking $20 was a steal!  I'm pretty sure they also had the navy/white stripe of this skirt.  I should have got it too!  Only if I had known how awesome it was going to be.  =P

This skirt is stretchy and comfortable.  It's also lined, so it's not see through at all, even the white parts.  I just can't say one bad thing about it.

Oh yeah, maybe there is one not so good thing.  I wore it out on Sunday and had a long shoulder bag on.  The bag rubbed against the skirt as I walked around, and the right hip area has now pilled.  So the material is rather delicate (the composition is 92% rayon and 8% spandex).  I can't see any of the pilling, I can only feel that the material is rougher.  I'm bummed about that, but at least it's not noticeable, and I'll just have to be super careful in the future.

This is how wide the fold over waistband is - I love it:

The second item I picked up is a Splendid tank.  It's a simple white tank with light gray layered hem, and a little triangle cutout in the back.  It's very lightweight, and somewhat sheer.  But the material feels really nice to the touch.  I can definitely get use out of a tank like this.  I can't find it anywhere online though.  But it's not a super special design or anything so I'm sure lots of other brands make it.

I'm pretty happy with this!  The size S is a pretty loose fit, but I think it's ok in this style.

Love the layered hem look in light gray:

And the 3rd and final item I got is an Ella Moss faux wrap tank.  I can't find this exact tank online either, but this one and this one are pretty similar.  Again, this is not a style that is very unique.  But lately I've been drawn to more basic styles and colors for some reason.  The material in this tank feels very nice, and it feels more substantial than it looks.  I wanted this tank to wear under jackets or sweaters to work.  Since it's black, it will go with everything.  The size S is pretty loose fitting in this style as well.

The front has a clasp closure that keeps the neck in place:

So that's it!  I am trying to make it out to more sample sales, since we have so many here in the LA area all the time.  It's a great way to get some awesome deals!  Of course, a lot of the items that I like online are not going to be at the sample sales.  But you never know when you will find a hidden gem like the Splendid skirt I got!  

I spent about $65 for these 3 items together, and that's a pretty good price because normally you can't even get one Splendid or Ella Moss item for that, even if it's on sale.  I'm also glad I didn't go crazy and end up with things that I won't ever touch.  I know the 3 items I got are all versatile enough for me to add to my rotation!