A little after 7am, I found the banquet room on the 2nd floor of Warwick Hotel chock full of shoppers who shared the same love for Manolos as I did. Around 7:30am, the Manolo staff started distributing tickets--pink for VIPs and green for non-VIPs. Soon after, at exactly 9am, the doors opened for VIP shopping. Although the influx of ladies grew as the time inched towards the public opening, the crowd was very civilized. Most were busy on their smartphones, iPads, and notebooks. As Ms. Fawnia Soo Hoo from Racked pointed out, many people were huddling around the few areas of the room where they could get cell reception. After most of the VIPs were done shopping--which was around 10:30am--employees finally started allowing the first batch of green ticket shoppers to get their Manolo fix.
As you may have expected, the inside of the sale room was chaotic. Ladies were running around trying to find as many pairs of stilettos in their size as possible, while also trying not to lose precious
For those lucky enough to find what they were looking for, the good news was that the wait for the cash registers wasn't too bad. In addition, there were plenty of employees constantly trying to tidy things up and keep the mountains of shoes in order. On a final note, prices were slightly cheaper than the last samples sale. Still, I (who was part of first several groups to shop) couldn't find anything nice. This won't deter me from attending the next Manolo Blahnik sample sale--since my love for Manolo stilettos runs so deep--but it would have been nice to pick something up for all my effort. Per usual, the full price list is at the end of this article.
Price list:
Shoes
Plain/Suede/Leather/Satin $96
Shoes with Ornaments $125
Snake Shoes $125
Snake Shoes with Rhinestone Buckle $150
Shoes with Rhinestones $150
Shoes with Large Rhinestones $175
Shoes with Embroidery $125
Lace Shoes $150
Shoes with Gromets $125
Shoes with Chains $150
Shoes with Ostrich Trim $200
Shoes in Sequins $125
Ostrich Shoes $250
Shoes with Alligator Trim $200
Shoes with Lizard Trim $175
Python and Lizard Shoes $250
Python and Lizard Sandals $200
Alligator Thongs $175
Alligator Sandals $250
Alligator Shoes $350
Pony Hair Shoes $125
Eel Shoes $175
Stingray Shoes $150
Heavy Shoes $150
Boots
Sequin Boots-Over the Knee $500
Over the Knee with Astrakhan $500
Fur Boots $500
Over the Knee Snake Boots $500
Over the Knee with Sherling $500
Over the Knee $400
Sherling $400
Mid-Calf Boots and To the Knee $350
Pony Hair Ankle Boots $300
Ankle Boots Snake $300
Lizard Shoe Bootie $300
Gladiator Boot Leather $150
Gladiator Boot Snake/Chains $250
Sandal Bootie $175
Shoe Bootie (Below Ankle) $200
Open Toe Bootie $200
Ankle Boots (At or Above Ankle) $250