ALT Doesn't Do Sample Sales, But Will Still Give Pointers

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ALT chilling with a fan

Amidst the flying stilettos and frenzied shoe grabbing at the Manolo Blahnik sale this morning, we managed to catch a few moments with the esteemed Andre Leon Talley while he was dispensing styling advice to the anxious shoppers. As the host and guest of honor at this sale, he enthusiastically offered his expert advice how to best approach a sample sale.

"Absolutely be up before the roosters, before the sun," ALT tells us. "There were people here this morning at 4:45am. I think I must have gotten here at 5 o'clock and there were already people here sitting calmly. You gotta beat the crowds. You gotta beat the clock, so when you go to a sample sale, you gotta get up, you gotta stay up."

Although the answer may have been obvious, we just had to ask: Has ALT ever braved a sample sale? "I have never done a sample sale in my life. I would never do one and this is the only place I would ever come to, deign to, be here because Manolo Blahnik is king," ALT declares. "I don't do sample sales and I don't need to do sample sales."

A shopper walked by wearing some killer black patent non-Manolo platforms. "Love those! Who made those?" exclaimed Talley.

Shopper: "My friend is a designer, she's up-and-coming in Chicago."

ALT: "What's her name?"

Shopper: "Heather Deuce." (This Heather Deuce?)

ALT: "Heather Deuce...keep that, that's lovely."

ALT's attention turned back to us as he finished his thought. "It's not that I wouldn't do a sample sale. I do buy things on sale. If I see it, I will go a sheet sale sample sale. At Frette. I love Frette sheets and Pratesi. That's the only place I do sales. But you don't have to stand in line, you just go to the store after Christmas." There you have it: Advice dispensed and an up-and-coming ingenue anointed.
· Inside the Manolo Sale: Flying Stiletto, Andre Leon Tally, Insanity [Racked NY]
·All the Usual Suspects Come Out For the Manolo Blahnik Sale [Racked NY]
·Dealfeed: Manolo Blahnik [Racked NY]