May 3, 2012

*SAMPLE SALE* Head Over Heels

Any fashionista worth her salt knows that to attain the enduring Jackie O style, Manolo is the answer. For this reason, shoe-manias all over NYC converged today at the Warwick Hotel to attend the Manolo Blahnik sample sale in search of incredible discounts on heels. André Leon Talley once again co-hosted the event and dished out his wise words on "heelology". If you read my tweets from this morning, you've already had an early glimpse into how today's sale went. If you haven't, follow the break to read the full rundown.

I've been attending Manolo Blahnik sample sales for quite some time now, but it still amazes me to see how determined women can get over shoes. Though it has always been widely known that the doors open later for non-VIPs, you can always find fierce fans arriving at the break of dawn. This morning, sale organizers were at it again, giving out alphabet tickets as early as 7am. The ticketing system was broken down into 3 sets. First, there were the green Press/VIP alphabets. Next, the pink public alphabets followed by pink public numbers.

At 10am, my group was called and I quickly stepped into the banquet room of the Warwick Hotel--which typically is used for elegantly composed social events--now transformed into a shoe circus with stilettos jumbled about and André Leon Talley acting as ringmaster. Oh! By the way, I noticed that there was less of a crowd in the waiting room compared to previous years. But once you step into the sale space, you quickly notice a sizable mob of women trying on the sea of sandals, d'Orsays, pumps, flats, boots, ankle straps, and peep-toes.

So, let's start with sizes and quantity. Sizes were available from 35.5 to 42 and there were TONS of merchandise. The volume of shoes on each table was bigger than ever. The only problem was, because most pairs were tangled up badly, shoppers seemed to have a hard time picking out & trying them on. Moving to prices. Thankfully, prices were reasonable. They began at $100 for basic plain shoes and went all the way up to $500 for boots with sequins, furs, & exotic skins. For more detailed pricing, refer to the full price list at the end of this article.

For the first time ever, Manolo Blahnik shoppers get an extra day of sole searching. Though I doubt it will be as chaotic as today, you'll still have to wait tomorrow. So get there early and remember that it is CASH ONLY. Happy hunting!

Price list:
Shoes
Plain/Suede/Leather/Satin $100
Shoes with Ornaments $125
Snake Shoes $125
Snake Shoes with Rhinestone Buckle $150
Shoes with snake trim $125
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

11 comments:

  1. I really appreciate your reviews! TY

    ReplyDelete
  2. that pink peeptoe is beautiful. thank you for putting up your review so quickly. i'm at work so i couldn't go today. will have to go tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What time did it close? There were mixed posts, some saying 3, some 4pm.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Michelle,

    I got out of the sale before noon, so I can't exactly say when it closed today.

    ReplyDelete
  5. They stopped giving tickets around 1.30pm. At 3pm they announced they were closing. I left at 3.30pm.

    It was crazy, be prepared. Sizing was all messed up and ladies were hoarding. I would advise getting there early. The guy I asked said they would not have much more to put out but rather organize what was out. Could still be great though since shoes were so disorganized - due to crazy ladies, not staff. Good deals to be found if you have hours to spend. Much more to be found for large and really small sizes, and better styles! I was not VIP and am usually an 8 US.

    Happy hunting!

    Ps-miz, I love you! Thx!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Is there still stones decorated smaller sizes ?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I really appreciate it!!

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  8. There were still lots of size 41-42 and 35 when I left at 4pm. Surprisingly there were also many size 37 shoes with good selection. The left over 8-9 were either scuffed, missing crystals/jewels or just ugly styles.

    If anyone goes today please post an update.

    ReplyDelete
  9. HI Mizhattan,

    Do you know how one can get on the VIP list? Is it offered to customers that buy a lot at full price?

    Thank you. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. If you have a specific SA that you have a strong relationship with, you can ask him/her to add you to the list. He/She will be more than happy to.

    ReplyDelete
  11. PLEASE EMAIL ME WITH INFO !! I WOULD LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE TO FUFILL MY FANTASY OF ATTENDING A NYC SAMPLE SALE SATC AND CONFESSIONS HAS ME DROOOOOLING .... I WILL BE IN NYC LATE SEPT OF THIS YR 2012 EMAIL ME PLEASE THANK YOU SOOO MUCH

    MS.ESPN14@YAHOO.COM

    ReplyDelete

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