clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

At Manolo Blahnik's Surprise Sample Sale, Shoppers Are Scooping Up Heels by the Boxful

New, 1 comment
By Kathryn Lindsay
1 comment / new
  • Suede heel with metal hardware, size 37, $150
  • Suede heel, size 37, $125
  • Snakeskin heel, size 37, $150
  • Suede heel, size 37.5, $125
  • Exotic trim heel, size 37.5, $150
  • Ankle boots, size 37, $250
  • Mid-calf boot, size 37, $300
  • Knee-high snakeskin boot, size 37, $450
  • Mid-calf boot, size 37, $300
  • Mid-calf fur boot, size 37, $400
  • Knee-high leather boot, size 37, $350
  • Snake fur boot, size 37, $350
  • Plain printed fabric heel, size 37, $125
  • Suede knee boot, size 37, $350
  • Leather ankle boot, size 37, $250
  • Suede heel with hardware, size 41, $150
  • Plain heel, size 41, $125
  • Suede heel with hardware, size 41, $150
  • Heel with exotic trim, size 37, $150
  • Ankle boot, size 37, $250
  • Below the ankle boot, size 37, $200
  • Ankle boot, size 37, $250
  • Plain shoes with ornaments, size 37, $150
  • Knee boot, size 37, $350
  • Printed fabric heel with hardware, size 37, $150
  • Suede flat, size 37, $125
  • Plain heel, size 37, $125
  • Plain heel with hardware, size 37, $150
  • Plain flat, size 37, $125
  • Suede heel, Italian size 37.5, $125
  • Below the ankle embellished boot, size 37, $300
  • Suede flat, size 37.5, $125
  • Plain heel, size 37, $125
  • Plain heel with hardware, size 37, $150
  • Plain heel with ornaments, size 37, $150
  • Suede heel, size 37, $125

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.

By 10:45am, no line had formed yet at the Warwick Hotel, the venue for the just-announced Manolo Blahnik sample sale, but hotel lobby attendants directed us without asking to the second floor as soon as we dashed into the building. While the sale wasn't officially slated to open to the public until 11am, we were ushered in immediately with the rest who were given tickets upon emerging from the stairs. Once inside, things were still pretty calm, but energy started building as word of the discounted designer shoes made its way through the city.

The brand's heels, boots, and flats can retail into the thousands, so it's no wonder the promise of $250 ankle boots and $175 heels sent people on an early lunch. And if you're a sample size 37, you might as well make an afternoon of it: There were more 37s than the rest of the sizes combined, causing shoppers with larger feet to cry out "seriously?!" upon picking up yet another pair.

For the most part, however, the sizes are well organized. Divided between tables, the selection gets noticeably paltrier as the numbers increase, but at the sweet spot (36 through 38), you're met with so many suede ($125), leather ($125), and snakeskin ($150) heels that you won't know where to look first.

You could try one shopper's method, which was simply taking an entire box of shoes from under a table, bringing it to the register, and hoping for the best. Or, like many others, you could take your selections to the floor and try them on there. There are mirrors stationed all around the room for you to take a look.

While there are plenty of sandals and heels, fall boot shoppers will have to be a little more determined with their perusing. The gallery above has pictures of almost every pair of boots we could find but, once again, you're likely to find them in only one size.

A sales associate told us that there won't be restocking during this one-day sale, which doesn't have a specified end point at this time — just whenever they're sold out. Also stop at a bank on your way over, since the sale is cash only.

Foursquare

Warwick New York Hotel

65 W 54th St, New York, NY 10019 (212) 247-2700 Visit Website

Loading comments...