26 Photos from the Manolo Blahnik Sample Sale

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Grid View

Expand

The Manolo Blahnik sample sale is always one of the most civilized sales out there. Upon arrival, you're given a ticket. Then, you've got a choice: Wait in a conference room with chairs, complementary water, and coat racks, or leave and come back when your ticket is likely to be called. The staff calls people into the sale based on the number of people in the waiting room.

Once you enter the sale room, it's easy to find your size as the tables are neatly labeled. Basic shoes start at $100 and boots range from $150 to $500. Tables for sizes 35.5 to 36.5 and 40+ are stacked high with an assortment of shoes, sandals (both flat and heeled) and boots (short and tall), but the average sized tables had pretty much been decimated by the time we got there. Underneath the tables is where the extra stock is kept, but for sizes 38 to 39.5, all the plastic containers are empty. That said, if you're one of those sizes, it can't check the other tables for strays.

Hoarding is rampant, and the room is crowded, though the tables are easy enough to reach. When we entered around noon, we noticed one woman who'd been there since 9am. She had amassed a most impressive collection of shoes, filling a huge plastic bin and the window sill.

Holding center court in the middle of this frenzy is André Leon Talley, who's offering style advice as he does every year. Mirrors are placed throughout the room in the event you have to decide for yourself.

Not everything here is new: Some pairs show heavy wear on the sole, and you'll find stock from last year's sample sale. But the pricing is good, so if you're up for a hunt and can think of a place to wear that leopard knee-high boot with stiletto heel, then tomorrow might be your lucky day.

The sale is cash-only. It's over for the day, but it runs 9am to 2pm tomorrow, May 4, at the Warwick Hotel. Consult the Dealfeed for further details.—Pam Krywy
· Small and Large Sizes Will Have the Best Luck at the Manolo Sale [Racked NY]
· Scenes from Inside the Manolo Blahnik Sale in Midtown [Racked NY]
· Dealfeed: Manolo Blahnik [Racked NY]