This, courtesy of Mizhattan:
Long before there was the red sole or the incredibly weightless BB, there was the buckle. Known as the Fabergé of Footwear, French cobbler Monsieur Roger Vivier first invented stiletto heels back in the fabulous fifties. Fast-forward to 2003, French-Italian designer Bruno Frisoni took over the reins and revamped the brand. Today, La Maison Vivier has a fanatical cult following and today's sample sale was proof.
Even though I expected an outrageous turnout, I was still impressed when I arrived at the sale this morning and saw the 100 or so early bird shoppers (some waiting in line as early as yesterday evening) queued up in front of Soiffer Haskin. By 8:30am, the line had stretched beyond 9th Ave and had approximately 400+ people shivering in the cold. Mercifully, the doors opened an hour earlier than scheduled at 9am.
After a quick mandatory coat check, I entered the sale space and headed right towards the iconic buckles and red boxes. Prices didn't seem to differ much compared to last year with most buckles on sale between $300 and $350. But I did notice a glaring difference in the availability of sizes. Though I spotted Decollete pumps, Belle Vivier flats, Belle De Nuit pumps, Gommette ballerinas, and d'Orsay flats, the chances of smaller sized shoppers finding a fitting pair of shoes proved to be nearly impossible. Almost all buckles in size 38 and below were gone by the time I made it in. And it's not like I took my sweet time getting up this morning. It was quite the contrary as I was part of the first contingent of shoppers let inside the sale. Therefore, I was seriously disappointed when I learned of the short supply of sizes compared to the wealth in various styles of shoes that were on hand. And so, I moved on.
Unlike the footwear, the handbag section proved to be more interesting than I expected. Though I didn't find any Prismick totes, there were lots of Miss Viv handbags. Miss Viv shoulder bags were priced between $750~$1,995 and were available in various colors like black patent (like this one), red, maroon, blue, and yellow (9th & 10th photo below). In addition, Miss Viv was also available in mini versions (suitable for evening occasions) with colors ranging from satin pink to chic black (14th photo below). Prices on mini Miss Viv were around $525. Other than the iconic Miss Vivs, prices for other handbags and clutches were $500~$875. As for accessories, three long tables near the cash registers held a modest variety of wallets, gloves, belts, and jewelry. It took me less than a minute to browse and even that was too much time wasted.
As much as I adore Roger Vivier and Inès de La Fressange's style, I would say this year's sale was not worth the time and certainly not worth the effort of braving several hours in the cold. There was practically nothing for sizes 38 and under and I was told merchandise would not be restocked. If you must, I would suggest checking out the handbag section when the crowds die down but this in itself isn't a stellar MizAdvice. Further reductions are highly unlikely but regardless I will make sure to keep you in the loop with any developing details. So check out the comment section below and feel free to drop a line to let me and your fellow Mizhattanites know how the sale panned out for you today.
