Manolo’s Shoe Blog

Manolo says, Grecian Formula SPF 50

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!

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

The Silver Spoon

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

Manolo says, ayyyyyyyy! No meatloaf! No meatloaf!

P.S. Yet another “Sexiest Man Alive” bites the dust.