arely have so many shoppers given so many bosses so many excuses. And all because of a television show that is no longer on.

If that paragraph did not explain the line outside a store on Prince Street yesterday and the rifling of racks inside, this one will. Hey there, bosses, pay close attention now: If you had gone to the "Sex and the City'' clothing sale, you too would be as stylishly outfitted and as carefully accessorized as all those employees who showed up late yesterday. And you too would have missed your morning meeting.

The sale was at Ina, a consignment store at 21 Prince Street that acquired designer items from the costume department at "Sex and the City,'' the HBO series whose final episode was shown last month. (All right, bosses, here is one more tidbit to put you out of your cluelessness: Carrie got back together with Mr. Big.)

Ina, who owns Ina - yes, the store is eponymous, and no, she never uses a last name - sized up the line of several hundred people, which stretched down the block and around the corner, onto Elizabeth Street, in the neighborhood known as NoLIta, for north of Little Italy. These were not closet fans, but fans with closets. They dreamed of filling them with the stars' spangled castoffs. They did not leave empty-handed. And that surprised Chris Robillard and Melissa Weinberg. (Their excuse: "We have a doctor's appointment.'')

"We didn't anticipate that the clothing from the show would fit the average New York City-size woman,'' said Ms. Weinberg, a lawyer. "But some do, and others were obviously Sarah Jessica Parker's.'' Ms. Weinberg bought a chocolate brown Givenchy top for $140 and blue earrings and a bracelet for $90.

Stephany Espenshade ("I called in to work and said I have an errand to run'') bought what she described as "the greatest jacket ever,'' a patchwork quilt of a coat that she recognized from an episode a couple of seasons ago. Ms. Parker was wearing it when she met the furniture-maker boyfriend played by John Corbett, Ms. Espenshade said.

Ms. Espenshade had wanted the jacket ever since. Like the show, she said, it was "original and funky and feminine.'' It was also an S-size garment that did not close around what Ms. Espenshade said was her M-size body. She did not care.

Nor did she care that the price tag said $700. "When you live here,'' she said, "your whole rationalization changes about what you pay for clothes.''

Ms. Robillard, who was with Ms. Weinberg, bought a pair of red Badgley Mischka shoes for $275. "I think they're Samantha's,'' said Ms. Robillard, an information technology specialist. "I read she's an 8½.''

Yes, Ms. Robillard had checked on the sizes of the four main characters. And no, she does not identify with Samantha. "Now that I'm married, I don't,'' she said. "Those days are long gone.'' Six months of marriage, and she was not talking about the effect the Badgley Mischkas would have on a man: "I'm over the budget just on the shoes alone.''

There was also the pleated Catherine Malandrino top for $140 that she bought without trying on. But her husband was probably an easy sell. He enjoyed "Sex and the City,'' she said. "He had watched the show prior to us meeting.''

Andrea Ferrara, a law student who had stood in the line for 2 hours and 15 minutes, said "Sex and the City'' was "inspirational'' as she walked away with pink exercise sandals she remembered seeing Ms. Parker wear. For $175, she also got an off-the-shoulder Ella Moss dress.

Never mind that the price tag was dangling off the back or, she said as television cameras zoomed in on her, that she was wearing no makeup. When she stepped out of the dressing room, her first four words explained everything: "I feel like Carrie.''

Hundreds Line Up for Piece of 'Sex'

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: March 12, 2004

 

Filed at 5:48 p.m. ET

NEW YORK (AP) -- Several hundred people lined up on Prince Street Thursday morning for a piece of ``Sex and the City.''

Ina, a consignment store in NoLIta, acquired designer items from the HBO show's costume department, giving customers a chance to don the styles of Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) and her pals.

The items didn't come cheaply. A brown Givenchy top went for $140 and a pair of red Badgley Mischka shoes sold for $275.

``We didn't anticipate that the clothing from the show would fit the average New York City-size woman,'' shopper Melissa Weinberg told The New York Times in Friday's editions. ``But some do, and others were obviously Sarah Jessica Parker's.''

The series finale of ``Sex and the City'' aired last month.

"Sex and the City" clothing on sale 3/12/2004 3:01 PM By: Jeanne Moos, CNN   If you said goodbye to "Sex and the City," now say hello to shoes, tops, you name it. Clothes and accessories discarded by the cast of "Sex and the City" are being sold at Ina, a secondhand consignment shop in New York City.   The line outside the store wound around the block. "Armed with our heels and our credit cards we're ready to go," said one shopper. The first one rushing the store was a law student. She ended up with a a striped dress, pink sandals, and a bra. "Don't know who wore it, but pink and pretty, and it was cheap." Every once in a while, someone let out a scream when they recognized a piece of clothing. Prices ranged from $10 to $5,000. One woman spend $700 on a jacket that didn't quite fit. "It's very small but I don't care," she said. "Carrie wore this hat in the episode where she and Charlotte were in sitting, rating guys in New York City to sleep with or not," said one woman. "I'm leaving New York and I've dated plenty of men here, and they were definitely not so good." That probably went right over the head of Ricardo, the youngest shopper in the store. He can cuddle up and watch reruns, using the bathrobe Carrie wore as a blankie.

The 'Sex and the City,' cast: (L-R) Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon and Kim Cattrall. Photo by Hbo - Reuters

'Sex and the City' Castoff Sale

13/03/2004 06:00 AM
Michele Gershberg

When sex is over, there's always shopping.

This week, hundreds of women lined up outside a New York consignment shop, clamoring for castoff clothes from the trendsetting TV show Sex and the City, which ended last month after a successful, haute couture-drenched, six-season run.

 

The Sex And The City sale. Photo by Peter Morgan - Reuters

Well-heeled professionals and working girls skipped out on their jobs to buy some of the garments of the show's foursome - Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda - whose romantic escapades made it seem sexy to be over 30 and single.

"We had people offering us US$1,000 to come and shop the night before," said Ina, owner of the downtown shop that bears her name.

Many of the show's signature outfits, from top designers few women could afford, have already been claimed by cast members. Other chic pieces were auctioned by cable network HBO for the actresses' favorite charities.

That did not deter self-confessed addicts from pawing through racks and bins of leftovers, hoping the aura of sexual adventure and outlandish couture would rub off on them.

"I'm in heaven. I'm just beside myself," gushed Chris Robillard, 31, as she triumphantly held up a pair of red-beaded strappy heels stuck with a US$275 price tag.

"These really signify the show for me," she said. "I know they're Samantha's because I checked her size before I came."

A black sequined Chanel minidress was the priciest item at US$5,000, while a pair of red silk hot pants was billed at US$70. Many items were purchased by the show's costumers but never used, and Carrie's beloved Manolo Blahnik stilettos were nowhere to be seen.

Ladies who could not fit into the size "2" worn by actress Sarah Jessica Parker, who played Carrie, said they would be happy with a memento, or might resell an item online at online auctioneer eBay.

"It makes me laugh a little," said Karen Kim, 28, juggling seven garments, including a gray silk skirt with a trailing hem. "Women try to pick up cues from the show on how to dress and it doesn't always work. You end up being a lemming."

For die-hard collectors, several pieces carried a snapshot of the scene in which they were worn, or tags with written instructions by costumers, like a pink slip nightie Carrie donned during a late rendezvous with her Russian lover, Aleksandr Petrovsky, played by Mikhail Baryshnikov.

"I got Carrie's hot pants!" crowed Rene Ortega, brandishing the shiny pink trousers she insisted Parker wore in a favorite episode. "I've got no spending limit. This is a once-in-a-lifetime deal."

BBC News Rush for Sex and the City clothes

Sex and the City was synonymous with glamorous outfits Hundreds of women in New York have queued up to buy clothes from TV show Sex and the City. Items from the serial's wardrobe, which came to a close in the US last month, were snapped up by eager shoppers. The sitcom's four main characters became famous for their outfits and shoes during its six-year run. The dearest item on sale was a black sequined Chanel dress with a price tag of $5,000 (£2,785). It is expected that some of the items will end up on auction websites. "I'm in heaven. I'm just beside myself," gushed Chris Robillard, 31. "I got Carrie's hot pants!" said Rene Ortega, as she clutched a pair of pink trousers she knew to have been worn by the character. "I've got no spending limit. This is a once-in-a-lifetime deal," she added.

'Sex' fashion up for grabs New York Newsday   Photos to/HBO, Craig Slide Show   Photos   Top   By Sharon Bridbord March 11, 2004   The show may be over, but the clothes are still around. A shop called INA Designer Resale store, in SoHo, at 21 Prince Street, is selling off clothes used during the show's run by Carrie, Samantha, et. al. Thursday March 11, from 10:00 a.m. to 10 p.m. the girls' clothes will be available at prices ranging from $20 to $3,000. Since the store was where most of the pieces were originally purchased by the show's fashion stylist, Patricia Fields, HBO accountants turned to them to re-sell the entire remaining wardrobe. Among the merch, there are at least a few great finds, among them a black sequinned Chanel mini-dress with a black lace bow, a tweedy brown jacket with snakeskin trim, and a cream-colored cocktail dress by Alexander McQueen. Don't expect to pick up $20 bargains, though. Not only are the clothes designer items, they also come with the show's pedigree and are priced accordingly. For example, that glamorous McQueen number is going for $1,400. If you can't make it to the store, don't fret. Several exclusive pieces will be sold on the INA web site: www.inanyc.com starting at 10:00 a.m. Shoes range in size from 6 ½ - 7 ½, with the clothing being in the smaller size ranges. In addition to shoes and clothes, there are handbags, earrings, necklaces, and other accessories. Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc.    Gawker.com To Do: Sex and The City, Slightly Used · It's the much-hyped Sex and the City Wardrobe Sale! Ina, a designer resale boutique, bought all the leftovers from the show and is selling them for cheap. Bring a change of clothes – you can’t go back to the office with blood on your pants. (A reader reports: "I walked past a huge line of people on my way to work at 9:30 am. -- and lots of press people.")       NY 1 SoHo Boutique Sells Off Clothing Worn On "Sex And The City" MARCH 11TH, 2004 The show that made Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda fashion icons is getting rid of its threads. Nearly 1,000 pieces of clothing worn on “Sex and the City” went on sale Thursday morning at the Ina Boutique in SoHo. Hundreds of women stood in line for hours to purchase the duds. Prices ranged from $20 to thousands of dollars for dresses, shoes, hats, scarves, and more by designers like Chanel, Monolo Blahnik and Christian Dior. Shoppers say they were excited to grab a piece of a television show they loved. “This hat was in one of the Paris episodes, so I saw it and I just had to have it," said fan Courtney Mcleod. "Everyone knows the show was a hit, so everyone wants a piece of history, of ‘Sex and the City’ history," said Ina, the owner of Ina Boutique. Owners of Ina say the cast and costume designers shopped there often.