Let’s revisit. The invite said 7. The surprise was set for 7:20. You arrived at 7:19.

Still wondering why the room felt a little chilly?

The District Sample Sale, on the other hand, has late arrivals everyone will be glad to see.  The inaugural warehouse sale is stocked with clothes and accessories that were a little tardy to the party — dresses from an off-schedule shipment, handbags that got held up in customs, pants loaned out for magazine shoots. In other words, by the time they made it to the sales floor, their season had passed them by.

But now, for one night only, you can score 3.1 Phillip Lim, Rozae Nichols, Trovata, Tracy Reese, and others from your fave local boutiques like Alex Boutique, Betsy Fisher, and Denim Bar. Things are up to 80 percent off, and the evening will benefit the women’s nonprofit Suited for Change. (Thanks, Labels for Love.) 

There will also be music, eats, and drinks to keep you going all night.

Just get there on time. Because in this case, there’s nothing fashionable about being late.

District Sample Sale, September 12, 6-10 p.m., 3307 M Street NW, between 33rd and 34th Streets (districtsamplesale.com).