The thing with having a smartphone with limited storage is space that your come to realize that photos take up a LOT of space. I was clearing some photos on my phone a few days ago when I came across these, and thought 'Hey, I should post this up as a reminder to myself, and also to let others know what/how to prepare for next year!'. And yes, I realize this post is more than a month after The Big CLEO Shoe Drop. (⌒_⌒;)

(Picture credit: CLEO Malaysia)

Even before September had arrived, I was pretty excited about the September 2014 CLEO Malaysia issue because they had a limited edition Dipped Row for CLEO exclusive sold at selected bookstores. Then I got wind of the Big CLEO Shoe Drop event and was like 'EMERGERD I NEED TO GET A COPY NOW!' with my friend.

Dipped Row for CLEO Malaysia (Sept 2014)

There were 2 types of earrings and 1 type of bracelet in different colours to choose from. I ended up choosing the black and gold bracelet because I like the elegant match of colours, and it'll be easier to wear with my usual outfits. Unfortunately, the quality had me less than impressed as it was very light and plastic-y, unlike the earrings which were much more solid. Oh well.

CLEO Exclusive! Dipped Row for CLEO edition

13 September 2014, the day of The Big CLEO Shoe Drop, finally arrived. My friend and I had decided to go for the Midvalley session in the morning. I reached there around 8.30 am (the event started at 10 a.m.) and managed to get #47 in line. My friend had arrived earlier but went to grab breakfast before lining up, so she was about 20 numbers behind me.

Paper wristband with queue number

The queue in front of me when I arrived.

I was very happy with the way the CLEO staff handled the event. I think they had managed to learn from last year's event where some people got their brothers/boyfriends/husbands to grab an extra pair of shoes, and so this year they had some pretty strict rules e.g.

1. ONE pair of shoes per copy of CLEO (they punch a hole through your copy to verify);
2. You must be able to WEAR the shoes and WALK IN THEM to the finish line (which means if you want a guy to get an extra pair for you, you'll need to buy an extra copy of CLEO and find somebody who has the same shoe size and doesn't mind wearing ladies shoes);
3. First come first served - you'll be given a number once you join the queue, so if any of your friends arrive later, they'll have to join the end of the line;
4. The CLEO team had thoughtfully arranged the shoes according to size so that it'll be easier to choose.

Kudos to the CLEO team for great event management! *salutes* I have always been very annoyed by these kind of events because there are always queue-cutters and lax rule enforcement, but they did a stellar job and I am super impressed. (✿◠‿◠)b

SHOE HEAVEN

After waiting patiently in line for 1.5 hours, the event finally started. We were all sorted into groups of 10 for our turn to choose the shoes. Each group had 5 minutes to try on the shoes and then had to wear their chosen pair over to the 'finish line'.

My loot from the event?
A pair of Melissa x Vivienne Westwood heels! (✿ ♥‿♥) My first pair of Melissa shoes ever.




My friend also scored a pair of Melissa heels, but hers is the Melissa x Karl Lagerfield ones.


Super happy with our loot that day, as both pairs together were worth more than RM 1000! Σ(O_O；)

The Big CLEO Shoe Drop

Here are some useful tips if you're going to an event like this, or even warehouse sales/ticket launches:

• Do get to the venue early, but not too early, especially if you're going alone. 
• Bring along a drink and some food to eat while lining up. Bring a book/magazine/MP3 player too, if you feel you're gonna be bored.
• Be patient while lining up. No pain, no gain.
• Keep your eye on the prize. CLEO had already published the brands/types of shoes that will be given out, so it's best to have a goal in mind to help you save time while choosing. After all, you only have 5 minutes!
• Play nice and don't grab everything without letting go. It's okay to hold onto a couple of pairs to decide, but definitely DON'T hog everything. Let other people have a chance to choose. :)

At the end of the day, it's FREE, so don't take it to heart so much if you didn't get what you wanted. It's all in good fun, and it's a great activity to share with your friends. (๑>◡<๑)