Inven.tory, a new store in downtown NYC's Bowery district (19 Kenmare St.), offers ongoing deals on women's wear and men's wear from non-current seasons. On the surface, it's a straightforward and stylish boutique/outlet for young, emerging and independent fashion designers. During a recent visit with photographer Michael O'Shea, Yelena and Agnesa (RED Models, l to r), and hair/makeup stylist Kelly Pearson (K's salon), we found hot deals on Staerk, Corpus, Whistle & Flute and The Imitation (which is now defunct, sadly). We're told fashions from Cheap Monday, Lorick New York, Form and Idol Radec have since arrived. And there's even a decent men's wear selection (it's true).

Shown above, Yelena wears skirt, blouse and sandals by Staerk, Agnesa wears skirt and jacket by The Imitation.

The not-really-a-secret about sample sales is that they're less likely production or sales samples, as opposed to overstock or back stock. Looking behind the design process, at production, it's easy to see that multiple factories making garments from different fabrics in the context of global sourcing, orders and re-orders, eventually add up to extra product. And once the buying seasons change, designers can unload all the extras without undercutting their retail partners. Inven.ory pick up those dated designs for an audience that couldn't care less about F/W or S/S as long as the garment is cool. It's a similar model to a store like Betty Lin in Seattle, done with a focused, NYC-downtown point of view.

Yelena wears a blouse and skirt by Staerk; Agnesa wears a coat from Whistle & Flute with black leggings and a skirt from The Imitation, below.