Note: for those of you not familiar with the state of New Jersey, the state is actually broken down into three parts. South Jersey is like... Oklahoma. Farms, pickup trucks and wide open spaces. That's right. Oh, and Atlantic City. Central Jersey (where I'm from) is home to the Boss and Bon Jovi and is cool, laid back and awesome (of course). North Jersey is the Sopranos. It's women with bleached blonde hair and fake nails, guys that actually say Fuggetaboutit and is home to those accents that everyone associated with the state (oh. my. gawd.).
A disclaimer before I continue. Mom, I know you're from North Jersey. No offense.
This Saturday, my boyfriend and I attempted to attend the Dallas Sample Sale. I think I heard sample sales discussed in Sex and the City once. They're supposed to be trendy sort of yard sales for designers and other high-end labels. How wrong I was.
Our first stop was a warehouse sale. We had parked on the wrong side of the building and walked into a big scary room where the most popular items appeared to be housecoats and dog beds. Second, we found ourselves in a giant antique sale, where everything smelled like a bowling alley or a church (or a terrible combination of both). If you missed it, I'm sorry, because you totally missed out on your chance to buy an ear horn.
The third try was the charm and we finally arrived at the Dallas Sample Sale! Let the shopping begin!
Yeah, right.
This is where the eerie similarities begin. Bedazzled bags, bleached blonde hair as far as the eye could see, jewelry that would have been tacky in the 80s. I started having flashbacks to family trips to Bayonne in the 90s. Household furnishings ranged from what looked like end tables carved out of stumps to collectors sets of colorful crosses. My vision blurred from over stimulation. The tackiness was palpable.
Still... it made this Jersey Girl a little homesick. Pink tipped nails, teased out hair, blue eyeshadow. There's no place like home. There's no place like home.
2 comments:
No one knows how to do a sample sale like NYC, am I right? Or shoudl I say fuggetaboutit since I'm from North Jersey? Seriously though, I grew up in the exception to the rule - a little bubble-dom of preppy-ness and WASPs.
But when my husband and I were married and had the reception in North/Central Jersey - we uncovered the Sopranos mother-load when we decided to celebrate the NY's Eve in the same hotel. I totally lost all credibility in my arguments that NJ was "nice" and not at all like HBO. It was pretty funny!
True, a mass Dallas sample sale has nothing on NYC. However, you can find sample sales in boutiques all across town, as well as trunk shows, and they are definitely worth the time and effort.
(shameless plug: keep an eye on my blog and I'll keep you updated on when and where!)
The only thing worth your time at Dallas Market Hall/Dallas World Trade Center is the sample furniture. There are a couple of great designers who only showcase there, and are willing to work with you on prices.
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