And I only mean “unbearable” in the sense that we proudly and willingly rooted through thousands of articles of clothing for over four hours at the downtown Seattle Nordstrom Rack on Wednesday because, honestly… the prices were that insanely good. Now, our feet are purple and swollen, and my joints feel like they’ve got lit matches inside them.

…But it was so worth it.

From August 30 to September 5, Nordstrom Rack is clearing out their summer stock and replacing with delicious fall items during their Clear the Racks event.

We were contacted by Nordstrom Rack to venture into their downtown Seattle store (on 2nd & Pine) for the event, where we were generously given $100 virtual gift cards and set loose in their four-floor establishment. After meeting with the store manager, Peter, and Assistant Manager, Diego, we learned about the big changes that have been going on at “The Rack” and how much easier and more fun it is to shop there!

As you can see in the photo above, all of the clearance is marked by red and white balloons, along with their new “Clear the Racks (aka Clearance)” signs. We were pleased to look out upon a sea of balloons in the women’s apparel section. Prices were scarily low – like, “Are you sure this is the actual price?”-low.

Those would be brand new Seven For All Mankind jeans for over $73.50 down from about $210.

We found everything. Gorgeous dresses, perfect denim, amazing cashmere, and high-quality brands of all shapes and sizes – from Dior to James Perse were present. Sizes from XS to XL – 0 to 16+. It was like walking into a wonderland of really inexpensive designer garb.

This extended to the shoe section (*swoon*):

 Hello, Prada S/S 2011 Wedges on sale for just over $200…

Jen found these gorgeous Elizabeth & James wedges…

$72 down from $360? That’s a discount I can deal with.

Do you see the new red tags? No more circle stickers that force you to do the math! Each clearance tag is bright red, and displays the final sale price, as well as the total percentage off. This makes it ten times easier to determine that final clearance price which, as regular Rack shoppers know, used to mean finding the original price, then the sale price, then checking a color-coded board for a further-discounted clearance price…and after trying on your fifth pair of shoes, the math gets a little dicey.

It seriously felt like there was no way we could get through all of the insane deals that were surrounding us! Fortunately, we always dress for the occasion – the more trips to the fitting rooms you can eliminate, the more time you have to dig through the good stuff. Being able to whip off your jacket and throw on a top or coat is invaluable! Check out some of the stuff we were able to try on:

Gorgeous Bird by Juicy Couture Studded Tuxedo Jacket (I believe it was about $72!)

This cardigan was unbelievable – it fit so well, and was so well made! $52!

…Aaaaand all of these, thanks.

There was more than just clothes and shoes, too… Tons of handbags by Marc by Marc Jacobs (many less than $100!), L.A.M.B., and Betsey Johnson were deeply, deeply discounted. We also spent a lot of time petting and touching buttery bags by Badgley Mischka, Rebecca Minkoff and Linea Pelle – though, most of them were not on Clearance (still had huge discounts, though).

The entire center of the main floor was covered in glorious skincare, haircare, jewelry, and hair accessories. I sat and stared at a wall full of Bumble & Bumble for a good 15 minutes, deciding which one I needed the absolute most. The answer: all.

I also found my very favorite socks by Kushyfoot with a price tag that made us giddy: $2.97 per pair... and they weren’t even on clearance! Swoon. There were, of course, a gorgeous array of socks including cool, sustainable SmartWool socks that I’ve been dying to try.

Okay, while jewelry was honestly a bit intimidating, daunting, and all other -ing words that signify how packed and populated it was, there was some really beautiful stuff. And a lot of it.

This whole rack was on clearance. We saw lots of earrings by Kenneth Cole and tons of bangles. TONS. It was good.

We were so exhausted by the time it was all over… We even had to take a coffee break FROM the sale event. There was no way we were abandoning those prices, but man – that was a lot of work! …We even went back yesterday, and Jen’s going back again today. I’m serious! It’s that good!

The Clear The Racks Clearance Sale is going on at Nordstrom Rack (@nordstrom_rack) through Monday, September 5, 2011! Get to your local Rack and shop, shop, shop!