On the third floor of a SoHo building, Jenna Lyons sat frantically scrubbing a pair of Lanvin shoes.
“This has been a long time coming,” said the 55-year-old former president of J. Crew and star of “Real Housewives of New York City.” “Every time I bought something, I realized there was no room for it.”
So she did what many New Yorkers would do in this situation: organize a sidewalk sale.
“When I moved to Brooklyn, that was the first time I ever saw a sidewalk sale. I thought it was so cute. People just sat outside and watched people passing by and haggled. I hope people don’t haggle with me today,” said Ms. Lyons, who is originally from California.
The event ended up being a much larger and more stressful production than a typical New York sidewalk sale — and it didn’t take place on a sidewalk. Ms. Lyons had to institute a cover charge to help manage the crowds, and a film crew from “Real Housewives” was present and asked attendees to sign waivers. At first, Ms. Lyons said she resisted the shooting: “I was like, ‘please no, I just want to have a sale.'”
Until a few minutes before it started, Ms. Lyons was touting the latest items while her team walked around putting up printed images of her wearing some of the items.
“It’s LOU, I should know,” she said, writing in red Sharpie a label for a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes.
Meanwhile, the line outside continued to grow and wrap around the block — eventually reaching more than 300 people, a representative for Ms. Lyons wrote via email. (Ms. Lyons’s neighbor, the artist Joan Jonas, got early access and looked through the racks before the crowd entered.)
“I love that she’s masculine-feminine but makes it sexy,” said Zanni Baas, a 32-year-old jewelry designer who was waiting in line with her newly adopted black chihuahua named Gomez.
It’s the golden age of celebrity clothing sales, and Ms. Lyons’s event is just the latest in a recent string of high-profile clothing clearances. In May, Ivy Getty, the oil heiress, sold some of her worn (and some unworn) garments in a Brooklyn showroom. Actress Chloë Sevigny opened her closet to shoppers last spring, which also resulted in hordes of hopeful buyers lining up. And last summer, Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon held a closet sale in Los Angeles.
Last week, Ms Lyons – who has more than 800,000 followers on Instagram – announced her sale on the platform with a post that received more than 1,000 comments and almost 30,000 likes. She then posted again this week to announce extended hours, a $15 cover charge that would be applied to purchases and that 50 percent of proceeds would be donated to Planned Parenthood. Some commenters were angry: “A cover charge? For a street sale?? one user posted. But others expressed their excitement and asked about her dress size.
Ms Lyons later responded with a video of herself on her Instagram Story. “First of all, 50 percent of the proceeds will go to charity and the other 50 percent will pay for all the people working on this and will fund my teeth, which I had to pay for out of pocket,” she said. In the past, Ms. Lyons has spoken out about her genetic condition, incontinentia pigmentiand that she had to get false teeth as a result.
Inside, hundreds of clothing items were displayed, with prices ranging from completely free to hundreds of dollars. Among the items were a Celine tunic for $400, a pink Miu Miu jacket for $250, Jimmy Choo shoes for $20, a Simone Rocha dress for $650 and a Gucci sweater for $45. There was a rack dedicated to blazers, of which there were over twenty, and of course there were plenty of J. Crew pieces, including a one-of-a-kind jacket made of real gold and crystals, priced at $100. “Honestly, the pricing here doesn’t make any sense,” Ms. Lyons joked.
Dressed in Carhartt pants and white Prada shoes, she pointed out the items on sale that tied to big moments in her life. A sequin top she wore when she met Kate Middleton, a J. Crew Collection piece she wore to Michelle Obama’s 50th birthday party, a Marc Jacobs skirt she donned on her wedding night and the first Marc Jacobs handbag that she owned. “It was the first thing I bought with the very first bonus I got.”
Ms. Lyons seemed relatively calm as she let go of so many sentimental items, but there was one she removed from the sale racks at the last minute: a bright pink Schiaparelli skirt she wore to her first Met Gala.
Many people in line were fans of Ms. Lyon’s pre-“Real Housewives” fame, including Karen Revis, a 62-year-old artist, and Monifa Hunt, a 50-year-old baker. They had seen Ms. Lyons’ other reality show, “Stylish With Jenna Lyons.” When asked what she hoped to find at the sale, Ms. Revis said, “Hair.” She jokingly continued, “If you hear kicking and screaming inside, that’s us!”
Sara Ruble and Janna Hagey, both 30, met while among the first in line. Ms. Hagey, who works in marketing, arrived hours before the sale opened at 2 p.m., even though it was a work day. (“I work remotely,” she explained.) She had just gotten engaged, so she was looking for something to wear on her wedding day.
Once inside, Ms. Ruble, a nurse, said she received a hug from Ms. Lyons, in addition to a Tory Burch sweat, a J. Crew skirt, Nike tennis shoes, a clutch and more. Ms Hagey’s loot included a Balenciaga bag, a Saint Laurent button-up and Manolo Blahniks.
“It was also so cool because I made a new friend,” Ms. Ruble said, referring to Ms. Hagey. “Best day.”
For Ms. Lyons, in addition to clearing the space (mentally and physically), there was also a more existential reason for going through with the sale.
“My mom passed away last year and she cleaned out her house, and it was actually really fun for me and my brother,” she said. “I thought: no one wants to have to deal with this. Who knows, maybe I’ll die tomorrow!”
