Let it Go Gray, Luciano, Let it Go Gray
Manolo says, Grecian Formula SPF 50
The Shoe Auctions of the Freemans, Part II
Manolo says, the Manolo he loves what is in the couture auction at the Freeman’s House of the Auctions. And now, the cataloger of the auction, the Olivia, she has sent the Manolo the story behind the many of the items that are on the block.
I must tell you about the estate the vintage shoes in the sale came from– it was the estate of a single woman, Esther Ludwig, who just died at age 99. Her house had been empty but for the caretaker for many years– but she wouldn’t let her things be sold until she died, and used to make her groundskeeper pick her up and drive her by the house to make sure it was OK. So, we got the estate, and people started to tell me that there were clothes there and I should come out one day and help out and see if I wanted to take anything for my sale. I scored the shoes, and a lot of men’s shirts that had been her boyfriend’s- preserved in a room where he had lived, and then died– in 1973.
What the marvelous story!
Manolo loves the late Esther Ludwig! Look at these boots that she had in her closets!
NOV
2005 30
2005 30
Holiday Gift Books, Part II
Manolo says, the Manolo he continues his suggestions for the books suitable for the holiday giving, here are the few more, given in no particular order.
The Indispensible Collection
The Complete Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson
Who does not love the charming adventures of the little boy Calvin and his friend the tiger Hobbes? This theoretical person, who does not love the Calvin and the Hobbes, the Manolo he does not wish to know. Such is the regard the Manolo holds for the oeuvre of the genius Bill Watterson.
What The Modern Italian Brides Get on The Day of Their Weddings
It is well known the Manolo he is something of the gourmand and the scholar of the culinary arts, indeed he has the most sizeable collection of the books of cookery and culinary history on the shelves in his humble kitchen. This book, which has been the standard item in the Italian homes for the past fifty years, it is one that the Manolo cooks from frequently, usually with much satisfaction and success. It also has the virtue of being the handsome volume, something designed by the collective of prominent Italian modernists, and thus suitable for giving as the gift.
The Horror, The Horror
Interior Desecrations by James Lileks
The Gallery of Regrettable Food by James Lileks
The James Lileks he makes the Manolo laugh out loud. He is the master miner of the detritus of the American near past, bringing up for our disapproval the loathsome foods and the ridiculous trends in the home decorating, and in the process, turning these prosaic things into the comedy gold.
The latest book, which the Manolo has not yet read, it is entitled Mommy Knows Worst : Highlights from the Golden Age of Bad Parenting Advice. This it is not the topic that especially appeals to the Manolo, however, the Manolo he will undoubtedly read this book simply because the James Lileks he is that funny.
For the Smartie Friends Who Like to Think and Laugh
The Cornish Trilogy by Robertson Davies
The Robertson Davies he is the long time favorite of the Manolo, and this week the Manolo is joyously racing (re-racing) through the Robertson Davies’ The Cornish Trilogy.
The three novels that comprise this masterwork they all consider, each from the slightly different angle, the important matter of art, and how it entertwines with the life and the love and all of the important things.
For the Manolo what makes them so delightful, it is that the Davies he is indeed most erudite, and his novels they are filled with the high-minded things, but at the same of the time he is not above telling the low joke, not above the common japery. And so, despite the profundity of the topics, these they are the books of great humor, and would be perfect for your smartie friends who read and like to laugh.
P.S. The Manolo he had intended to give you his recommendations for the new fiction, but then he realized that there was not much of the new fiction that he liked.
Sadly the recent trend in the literary fiction it has been inexorably inward looking, resulting in mounds of unreadable books that are about nothing but the solipsism of the authors who produce them. Bleech. This it is not for the Manolo, which it is why he is rereading the Robertson Davies this week.
NOV
2005 29
2005 29
The Shoe Auctions of the Freemans
Manolo says, the Manolo friends at the Freeman’s House of the Auctions in the Philadelphia, they are having the giant auction of the couture items, inlcuding many pairs of the super fantastic shoes.
For the example look at this beautiful “Lizagator” shoe from the I. Miller!
The shoes of the I. Miller! The Manolo he cannot tell you when he last saw the pair of these. Not only did they produce the beautiful shoes, but it was the I. Miller (who are long since defunct) who hired the Andy Warhol in the mid-1950s to be their chief illustrator,and thus they nurtured his love of the shoes.
This pair for the auction, they are available in the size 9AAA. Here is another of the pairs in the 9AA from the I. Miller.
Plaid! With the original box!
Snakeskin Slingbacks from the I. Miller!
And look there are the more contemporary shoes in this same auction. Shoes from the Maestro Manolo, and the Balenciaga, and the Jimmy Choo, and these absolutely beautiful shoes from the Yves Saint Laurent.
Of the course, the Manolo he must warn you, if you choose to bid on any of these shoes, the Manolo he will be bidding against you.
NOV
2005 29
2005 29
Holiday Shoes IV
Manolos says, nothing completely captures the spirit of the Christmas like the pair of the velvet pumps from the Casadei with the seasonally appropriate bows! Buy both pairs and mix and match for the crazy girl holiday feeling!
NOV
2005 29
2005 29
The Plastic Hasselhoff!
Manolo says, the Fug Girls, they are not loving the Hasselhoff as they should!
Yes, perhaps the magnificent Hasselhoff he has resorted needlessly to the aesthetic surgery (and this when his own manly features they could hardly be improved upon!), but is he still not the master actor of his generation? The person upon whom the millions worldwide justifiably lavish their adoration?
The conclusion of the Manolo: Despite the strong evidence to the contrary, the Hasselhoff he is only human. He feels the same pressure as the rest of us to look his best. Yet, undoubtedly, this personal insecurity, it will only add to the depth of his on-screen portrayals.
NOV
2005 29
2005 29
Holiday Shoes III
Manolo says, this slingback with the peep-toe from the Stuart Weitzman is captures the spirtedness of the season, no? This it is because the crystal curlique ornamentation, it looks like the Christmas cracker just waiting for the festively waistcoated gentleman to give it the manly tug.
NOV
2005 29
2005 29
Mugs of Good Cheer
Manolo says, if you are searching for the perfect holiday gift, perhaps you should consider the mug upon which is written the witticism of the Manolo. These and many other such items they are available at the Manolo’s Shoe Blog Shoppe.
Lunch Lady Pitt
Manolo says, ayyyyyyyy! No meatloaf! No meatloaf!
P.S. Yet another “Sexiest Man Alive” bites the dust.
NOV
2005 28
2005 28
Manolo’s Holiday Gift Books, Part I
Manolo says, many of the Manolo’s friends they have been asking the Manolo for the advice for the holiday giving, saying
Manolo, please help us, we are foundering in the sea of gift-giving choices! We do not know what to get the husband, or the wife, and/or the person of the significant otherness!
The Manolo says to his many internet friends, be not afraid, over the next week or the two the Manolo he will provide you with the assistance you require to make this the most super fantastic of the holiday seasons.
Today, it is the part one of the gift books!
As the Manolo’s many internet friends know, the Manolo he is the great reader, and thus the subject of the books it is dear to the heart of the Manolo. And so here are the few of the books that the Manolo himself will be giving his friends this year.
Manolo’s #1 Book of the Year
Blahnik by Boman: Shoes, Photographs, Conversation
This it is the most gorgeous of the books for the table of the coffee that the Manolo the Shoeblogger has ever seen. It is simply beautiful.
Yes, the text it is as the Maestro Manolo Blahnik has described it, the “vomitarian” stream of the consciousness, however you do not want this book for the writing, but for the gorgeous pictures of the shoes of the master presented in the whimsical tableaus. This it is the perfect gift for the person who loves the shoes and the beauty.
The Perfect Book for the Man Who Would Be Well Dressed
Dressing the Man: Mastering the Art of Permanent Fashion
This book it is the Bible of the fashion for the man. If your husband, or boyfriend, or your man of other significantness does not have this book on his dressing room table, you must buy it for him. Give him this book as the not so subtle hint that perhaps his wardrobe it needs the improvement.
Manolo’s Favorite New Cookbook
Tapas : A Taste of Spain in America
It is not the secret that the Manolo he is something of the gourmand, and is the habitual reader of the books on the cooking and the eating. So, you can trust the Manolo when he notes that this book it is worth giving to your culinarily inclined friends. Even the better, the Jose Andres, he is the delightful character, and his charm it infuses this attractive and easy to use book.
Manolo’s Favorite New Fashion History Book
The Manolo loves the Louis XIV! The opulence! The excess! The beautiful red shoes with the bows!
Manolo’s Favorite Book by the Personal Friend of the Manolo
The Seasoning of a Chef : My Journey from Diner to Ducasse and Beyond
The Manolo he runs with the literary/culinary crowd, and this book, which has caused such the uproar among the professional chefs, it is written by the chef Doug Psaltis and his twin the Michael Psaltis, who also happens to be the Manolo’s literary agent. Even if this connection it did not exist, the Manolo he would recommend this book to those who enjoy the culinary books.
The Chef Doug he is the magnificently obsessed person, one who has dedicated his life completely to the good food, to the extent that his own memoir often makes him look like the jerk, but always amusingly so.
Tomorrow the Manolo will present to you his favorite works of the new fiction.
NOV
2005 28
2005 28
Happy Birthday to the Maestro!
Manolo shouts, Happy Birthday to the Maestro Manolo Blahnik!
Born this date in the 1942.
We are not worthy.
