3 of the 4 totes. I was so excited to give Michelle her tote I forgot I had to take a picture first.
What a day! I’ve been hearing the buzz online for weeks about free YSL totes and I’ve been eagerly waiting for this day. I didn’t even really think I’d get my hands on some but I scoured the internet last night to find the latest scoop on where the totes would be handed out. There were many theories. Some said to go to the YSL Boutique on 57th & 5th, some said to be in the vicinity of Bryant Park (where fashion week is), Times Square, Union Square, and Soho. But what time? What street? Oh, the pressure!
Fast forward to Saturday morning, hitting snooze repeatedly but making myself get ready to get into the city in time for the Charlotte Ronson show at 11 am (story & pics to follow - stay tuned). After seeing the show I exited the tents and made my way up 6th Avenue to walk up to the Colette x Gap store. The pop-up shop is only 3 blocks from the YSL 57th St. boutique and I figured it would be good to be close by. As I exited the tent I saw a woman walking down the block with a white YSL tote. I sprinted toward her and asked “Where did you get that tote?!” She said they were handing them out down the block. Could it be that easy?? I run down the block and get a bag. I actually get 4 - I can be sneaky when I have to. They weren’t giving out multiple bags but sometimes being a “large handbag” girl comes in handy. I got a bag and then walked away and put it in my bag and did this 3 times. By the fourth time I felt like the girls would recognize me so I approached a woman nearby who looked like she did not care about the bags and told her how desperately I needed a bag for my friend but I could only get one - I was ready to offer her money - one of my crazy moments. She willingly got one for me - and I didn’t have to pay. Sometimes being polite and smiling will get you what you want. And, no, you won’t see my bags on e-bay. I have a black and white one for my own collection and I got Liz and Michelle a bag each.
The girls who were giving out the bags gave it to all passerbys, regardless of whether they knew how desirable the bags are. As they handed you a bag, the girls smiled and politely said in sweet voices, “Yves Saint Laurent.” That was it. They all had long blonde hair in pony tails and were clad in black in the same outfits - black leggings, black sneakers and black manifesto cut-off t-shirt dresses (I wanted one of those too!). I’m not sure how long the girls were there but I exited the tents around noon and from the time I first spotted them to the time they ran out I would say about 2 minutes passed. I’m not sure where else they were handing out bags but I overheard someone say that he got his in Times Square. Check out photos from the craziest 2 minutes ever after the jump!
