what is the difference between a trunk show and a sample sale?

A Trunk Show presents the bride with the opportunity of seeing and trying on the wedding collections of the designer in advance. I believe the trunk shows are of the new collections, and the designer usually provides a discount (5-10%) ie: Preview

For a sample sale - those are the dresses that people have tried on and are sold at a huge discount. Usually restrictive in size (8-12) and might have minor or major flaws - dirty on the bottom, stretched out, etc. They also might include end of the season and discontinued dresses.

I found this on the Knot:

'At a trunk show, a specific designer (or representative of a bridal manufacturer) brings his or her latest dress line for brides-to-be to try on during a special in-store gathering. The advantage? You get to see every dress in the line, not just the styles selected by the store. And you may even get the small thrill of chatting with the designer in person -- or better yet, having he or she advise you on your look.

At a sample sale, the dresses used in the salon for brides to try on are put up for sale. Some stores have sample dresses in an array of sizes, though the typical sample sizes are 6, 8, and 10. Keep in mind that wedding dresses run small, samples are likely to fit you if your regular dress size is a 2, 4 or 6. The dresses may not be super clean, but since they're sharply discounted, you can put some of your savings toward the cleaning bill.'

I think at a trunk sale, there is usually a 10 to 15% discount too... but I'm not sure since I haven't been dress shopping yet.

gracias girls!

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