More good news for “Sex and the City” fans, shoe divas and bargain hunters: There’s a Manolo Blahnik sample sale on Saturday, Nov. 14, at UConn’s West Hartford campus.
Let’s repeat that: Manolo Blahnik sample sale.
For those unfamiliar with the name, Manolos are iconic designer shoes favored by celebrities and made famous by character Carrie Bradshaw in the “Sex and the City” TV series and two movies. (This week Manolos are also the stars of one of the unique table settings at the Connecticut Valley Garden Club’s annual Set To Celebrate fundraiser at Hartford’s historic Town & County Club. For more information go to set2celebrate.net.)
They’re also wildly expensive. The signature stilettos, boots, sleek slides and chic slip-ons normally retail from $400 to $2,500.
At Saturday’s event, hundreds of pairs of the brand’s high-end footwear will be priced from $150 to $450.
The sale is a scholarship fundraiser for UConn animal science students. George Malkemus and Anthony Yurgaitis, both top executives at Manolo Blahnik, donated the shoes and established the scholarship to help promote agriculture and the dairy industry in Connecticut.
(The two businessmen have a passion not only for designer shoes, but also for farming and animal husbandry. They operate a cow-breeding operation and dairy farm, Arethusa, in Litchfield.)
If you go, expect a crowd. A Manolo sample sale to raise money for the same cause held in August in Bantam drew more than 1,000 shoppers.
“People started lining up two hours before the doors opened and the line stretched around the building,” said Grace Merritt, UConn Foundation writer.
Saturday’s sale will feature shoes in sizes 4 1/2 to 13. If you wear size 9 or larger, or sizes 5 1/2 to 6 1/2, you’ll find a greater selection.
The Manolo Blahnik sample sale takes place in the UConn School of Social Work building, 85 Lawler Road, West Hartford. Parking is available behind the building and in the larger UConn lot across the street on Trout Brook Drive. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Payment is by cash or credit/debit card and all sales are final.
![By KIMBERLEE KRUESI (Associated Press) NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — An initial hearing for country music star Morgan Wallen was postponed Friday until August in a case in which he’s accused of throwing a chair from the rooftop of a six-story bar and nearly hitting two police officers. Wallen’s attorney, Worrick Robinson, told reporters that the […]](https://www.courant.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Morgan_Wallen_Arrest_25419.jpg?w=525 "By KIMBERLEE KRUESI (Associated Press) NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — An initial hearing for country music star Morgan Wallen was postponed Friday until August in a case in which he’s accused of throwing a chair from the rooftop of a six-story bar and nearly hitting two police officers. Wallen’s attorney, Worrick Robinson, told reporters that the […]")
![By ALICIA RANCILIO (Associated Press) It all began with a post on Twitter. It was 2020 during the height of the pandemic and LaDarrion Williams was thinking about the lack of diversity in the fantasy genre. He proposed: “What if Harry Potter went to am HBCU in the South?” “Growing up, I watched ‘Twilight,’ I […]](https://www.courant.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/LaDarrion_Williams_Portrait_Session_82477-1.jpg?w=499 "By ALICIA RANCILIO (Associated Press) It all began with a post on Twitter. It was 2020 during the height of the pandemic and LaDarrion Williams was thinking about the lack of diversity in the fantasy genre. He proposed: “What if Harry Potter went to am HBCU in the South?” “Growing up, I watched ‘Twilight,’ I […]")
