Insider: Magnanni at Bergdorf... Prada's New Book

Photo Finish
Spanish men’s shoemaker Magnanni continued its seasonal tour of high-end stores Friday, bringing custom finishing straight to the customers of New York’s Bergdorf Goodman. The event, also scheduled for Saturday, allows shoppers to pick a footwear style and color and then watch it being applied right before their eyes. The entire process takes about three hours, and customers will pay $650 for the shoes, a matching belt, a shoehorn and polish. “It’s the uniqueness [of this event] that customers like,” said Pascual Blanco, president of Magnanni. “They don’t mind waiting or paying for it.” So far, Magnanni also has taken the event to Neiman Marcus in Houston, Nordstrom in Chicago and several locations in Japan. Requests run the gamut from simple black laceups to outlandish colors — some based on surprising inspirations. “We had a client ask for a shoe that looked like his favorite drink, the Tequila Sunrise,” said Blanco. “What you have in your head is very hard to find. [For some], this is the only way to find that. And we’ve never had an unhappy customer.”