My mother introduced me to Lord & Taylor when I was in high school. I grew up in New Jersey and the one near us always had great sales - if you remembered to bring the 20% off coupon with you. Now I frequent the L&T on 5th Avenue in New York more than any department store in the city. It's rarely crowded, except for holidays, and even then only the main floor and shoe departments attract the crowds.
New York location: Good for shoes and mid-range designers on sale.
The shoe department strikes a happy medium between being too large to navigate and being too small to offer a decent assortment. They usually have a large variety of boots and dress shoes to choose from, but I would recommend going early or midday, as it tends to get crowded.
On the same floor, you will find contemporary women's designers, and they always have sale racks with names like Chaiken, Jill Stuart, and Laundry discounted for sometimes up to 60% off. And this section is rarely crowded. I go here for night-out tops, and almost always find something that will work.
