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Live Blogging The Gilt Sale at the MCA Warehouse

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6:00PM - Today we woke up early, put on some comfortable shoes and went to shop the Gilt Warehouse Sale. Set inside the expansive MCA Warehouse in the west Loop amongst crated Jeff Koons and Lee Bontecou works we find a line of a few hundred people waiting to have first dibs on the Y-3s and the Sergio Rossis. Through four sessions of shoppers we talk with the ladies and gentlemen, sift through the racks and talk to Nicole Banks, a super cute Gilt City Curator.

5:15PM -


We just met Leo, a normal guy living in Lakeview came down to the sale with a few of his friends. Although he was disappointed with how little mens stuff there was left, he found a nice pair of Antonio Maurizi lace-ups. His buddies didn't buy anything but they did spend quite a bit of time at the cocktail table.

5:05PM -

4:45PM - Sitting in the staging area watching the last of the clothes, shoes and housewares come out of the boxes, talking with the Gilt City Curators our ears perk up when we hear the term "Surprise & Delight" (not to be confused with "Slap & Tickle"). This is a surprise at the show that Gilt doesn't tell the customer. For instance the Svedka mixologist at this sale or the free blow-outs from Mizu at the New York sale earlier in the month.

4:15PM - Nicole just told us about how Gilt strives to "elevate the luxury warehouse sale experience". At the Gilt sales they also try to invite food trucks like Forever Yogurt, have industry partners like Range Rover, and keep people happy with cocktails, cocktails and more cocktails (we would know). In the next Warehouse sale which happens in Miami on November 11th and 12th and feature an onsite stylist.

3:50 - We're getting word the line is forming for the last wave of shoppers... Kym says the last wave of the day is a vicious tooth and nail - grab all you can get power hour.

3:10PM -


There are still replenishments of shoes being brought out... loving these Hussein Chalayan heels.

2:38PM -


This is Nicole, she's a Gilt City Curator. We're about to sit down with her and #GirlTalk like the sassy bitches that we are. Here we've photographed her in the stockroom at the sale. Her shoes are Sergio Rossi from Gilt sale that they held at the Ivy Room earlier in the year. Her vest is Adrienne Landau from this sale happening right now. Her blouse is J. Crew and her blue snake-patterned jeans are Current Elliott. Her accessories are House of Harlow, Lana, Michael Kors and a costume-y ring from Nordstrom.

2:10PM - Kym from Gilt HQ in New York was just telling us about the major photo studio they have at the Navy Yards. They do on average 24 shoots per day which makes it one of the busiest photo studios in New York. And then he showed us the most amazing Rick Owens black trench.

1:40PM - Hopefully you've been joining us on Twitter where we followed Mariel around as she shopped the racks, found a Michael Stars black knit dress, a light brown Vera Wang sweater, some denim from The Proportion of Blu and some sassy leggings.

1:00PM - We just found a girl that we're following around the sale. Her Name is Mariel and she's wearing Anthropologie and Shades of Grey and she's going to let us shop with her for the next few moments. She just finished an internship for the MCA and lives nearby. We really like her look.

12:31PM

12:22 PM - The line is a few hundred eager people long and winds through a long darkish hallway, down a ramp, into the vestibule and outside the building. There are still people falling in line behind them.

12:06PM - The re-stock is happening right now and the second wave of people are coming in. Leathers and furs are the first to go.

10:58AM - Getting the lay of the land here at the sale (mimosa in hand), after waiting a bit in line downstairs we trek two mini flights of stairs to the lofty event space where the sale is actually taking place. as soon as you walk in the DJ Kid Color is on the right-hand side, Benefit Cosmetics on the left. Straight ahead is shoes and in the next room there's home, women's, men's and accessories.

10:30AM - So we decided to wake up early this morning and head on over to the West Loop to go to the Gilt Warehouse Sale at the MCA Warehouse. Situated in the middle of no-mans-land warehouse territory on the west side it almost feels like a secret shopping destination... and you know how much we love secrets.
· Gilt City Chicago [Official Site]

Vera Wang

945 N Rush Street, Chicago, IL 60611 312 379 5355 Visit Website