Sample Sale Report: Christian Louboutin

I've always been curious what goes on at the infamous and super elite Christian Louboutin Sale - and I was lucky enough to go as my friend's plus one earlier today during the press preview.  The sale is known for being uber strict and it definitely was.  After checking in at the lobby, my wrist was stamped with the word "confidential" and I couldn't help but smile at the wording choice.  After being inked, we made our way up to the 4th floor where security guards checked our stamps again before proceeding to the bag/coat check.  Pictures and phones are not allowed in the sale so the only thing I could take a picture of was the stamp on my arm!

I was expecting a shitshow but it was surprisingly calm inside.  All the shoes are laid out on racks and are in the boxes - so you literally have to open each box up to see what's inside.  Pricing started at $150 for shoes and capped out around $900 (ballpark) with the majority of the shoes coming it at the $250-$350 mark (everything is organized by size and each box is color coded to correspond to a price).  Classic styles like black patent or nude pumps are rare but there's quite a bit of merch to go through.  In terms of sizing,  if you have really small feet (34-35.5) or really large feet (40 and up) this sale is your oyster.   While there are other sizes available, common sizes like 37-38 are not as plentiful.

There are no men's shoes at this sale but hopefully that will change soon since the men's store in Meatpacking opened up this year - fingers crossed!  I knew this was a women's only sale but for a moment, I had a short lived pang of excitement as my friend saw a guy trying on some shoes.  After trying to look without making it seem like I was looking, I scouted a pair of platform sandals on his feet (he had issues balancing while standing up - so I think a shorter heel would have worked better).  I sighed inside - forgoing the thought of scoring a pair of shoes for myself, and went back to looking for pumps for my sister.

Definitely a fun shopping experience - thanks T!

This sale is open to family/friends (invite/rsvp required) next week and has a very strict door policy,  so don't have any expectations if you try to crash. 

Who: Christian Louboutin Sample Sale
What: Discounts on women's footwear and accessories
When: Nov 12-15, 2012. Mon-Tues 9am-6pm, Wed 9am-1pm
Where: 306 W 38th St - 4th Floor (b/n 8th  & 9th Ave)