Above the Fray

Photos, Prices, Set-up of Lilly Pulitzer's Spring '13 Warehouse Sale

By Julie Davis Jun 6, 2013, 10:14am EDT

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We set our alarm for 3:45am this morning so we could experience the madness known as Lilly Pulitzer's Warehouse Sale. As expected, it was pure insanity, yet surprisingly well-organized (as of 6am this morning, anyway). True, the shoppers at this thing are diehard Lilly fans (they have been lined up since last Sunday, after all), but the massive size of the event space made the sale easy to navigate; the vibe, a little less intense.

Here's the set-up once through the curtain: Dresses, shorts, and children's items are to your right; knits, sweaters, tees, jewelry, and scarves are to your left; factory seconds and shoes are in the far back-left; totes, wallets, and belts are in the back-center; bikini separates and pants are in the back-right; skirts, dressy tanks, tops, and blazers are in the middle.

This was the line at 5am Thursday morning.
Note that the line wrapped all the way around the building.
Once indoors, you're funneled through a second line before you're allowed to enter.
The sale is on the other side of the black curtains.
Once through the curtain, you're handed a huge pink bag.
There's no shortage of dresses.
Dresses are grouped by size, and the majority are priced at $99, marked down from $178—$348.
We spotted a few dresses for $89.
Maxi dresses are to the right of the entrance; we spotted a few for $79 and $119.
Casual dresses were mostly $79.
Sweaters and knits are grouped by size, priced at $69 and up.
Expect to pay $59—$69 for dressy tanks and tops.
Blazers and dressy jackets are mostly $99.
We spotted a bunch of tees and tanks marked at $29.
It didn't take long for shoppers to break the rules and start trying things on out in the open.
Men quickly adopted the role of pack mule.
Most people adopted the "grab now, sort through later" approach.
Many people resorted to dragging their heavy, overstuffed pink bags behind them on the ground.
Skirts are near the men's trunks and are $49—$59.
Sneaking a peek while still in line.
Accessories (belts, handbags, wallets, wristlets, etc.) were separated in cardboard boxes.
Jeans and pants are $59—$69, marked down from $148+.
The line to checkout was still empty at 6am.
We saw mostly wedges marked down to $99 from $198. There were a few casual sandals for sale, too.
Jelly flip flops, $10.
Murfee scarves were priced at $39—$59.
Jewelry is $19.
People were going nuts in the section for seconds, where merch was as low as $10.
Bikini separates are $34, marked down from $68.
Shorts are $39 and $39, down from $64.
The line was still wrapped around the building when we left at 6am.