Check it Out: Luxury Shopping Online (Shhh! Keep It a Secret)

When I first started working in Manhattan in the — ahem — late '80s, I received a certain thrill when friends "in the know" would call me about a private sample sale taking place in a warehouse downtown. Who knew what bargains awaited? Who would be there? What kind of cool, one-of-a-kind items would we find? (Who needed Loemann's?)