Manolo says, Ayyyyyy! The Manolo’s internet friends at the very funny Snarkywood have snarked the Manolo’s beloved Hasselhoff .

Manolo says, please, star-spangled jockey girl, come judge our fashion contests.

Manolo says, one of the Manolo’s many internet friends, the Justin, has just written the most entertaining and informative article about the street style blogs.

[A]n exciting new development is making it easier than ever to follow the look of the man (and woman) on the street. Made possible by faster Internet access and cheaper digital photography, street-fashion blogs have sprung up all over the world, and they are quickly proliferating.

The best of these sites capture the joys of people-watching and offer an experience that’s more like lounging on a park bench than flipping through a fashion magazine. For one thing, the blogs aren’t label-conscious: Few identify the brands worn, and not one mentions the prices paid. Their subjects also tend to be dressed casually, with few business suits or cocktail outfits in sight. Even better, many of the subjects are actually smiling—quite a faux pas in the fashion world, which still demands the scornful, stricken look that traces back to Lord Byron.

The Manolo loves the street style blogs for exactly the reasons that the Justin has cited, because they display what the real peoples are really wearing. The best of them show us that super fantastic style it is not merely the province of the rich and powerful.

Here is another portion of the article which the Manolo believes to be most wise.

But ultimately these blogs should strengthen the leveling and decentralizing forces that continue to dismantle the once dominant fashion pyramid. The time is long past when a few couturiers could dictate international style from the heights of Paris. Thanks to the growing popularity of this new medium, it seems likely that a leaderless multitude will increasingly influence fashion from the ground—or rather, pavement—up.

Of the course, it is not the secret that the Manolo should agree with this, as he has on many occasions in the past spoken about the trend towards the greater democratization of the fashion.

Manolo says, the latest column of the Manolo it is now available for the downloading at the website of the Express of the Washington Post.

The topic it is the shoe trends for the fall.

Dear Manolo,

Black boots for brown boots this fall?

Jen

Manolo says, yes it is the middle of the stinking hot July, but already for many of the months the Manolo has been thinking about the shoe trends for the autumn of the 2006.

At the very front of the Manolo’s thinking parts are the words “dark” and “baroque”

The Manolo believes that this fall we shall be wearing the shoes and boots in the deeper colors, and that there will be the certain baroque dramatic complexity to those shoes and boots. Look especially for the sculptural heels and perhaps the embroidered and braided materials with the dark ornamentation.

Of the course, the Manolo would also point out to his friends, all the trends aside, that the black boot it is one of the necessary items in any super fantastic girl’s inventory. You must own the pair, as nothing can take their place in certain important situations, such as when you wish to dump your latest no-good boyfriend.

Here is something new from the Mikala that has captured the Manolo’s attention; the handsome boot that perfectly expresses the seasonal trends.

Manolo says, of the course the Malan could not design the pageant gown! What true classic villian could design the pageant gown?

Such bubbly happy things are like the Kryptonite to the villians, guaranteed to bring them to their knees.

Yes, we were as the viewers supposed to feel the pity for the Malan, all because the Mother of the Malan had such cruel words for his designs.

The Manolo asks you, though, what villian has ever had the pleasant childhood? Such are the nasty experiences that make the villians.

No, the Manolo blames the producers of the Project Runway for allowing the the Malan to be eliminated early. Better to have taken his schlumping, whining, talentless partner, the Katherine as the mostly innocent sacrifice, so as to allow the Malan to survive to trouble us later with his Igor-like laugh, his strange, Englishy accent, his pasty white skin and the slick dark hair. (In the movie versions, the Malan is certain to be played by the Alan Rickman.)

Of the course, it goes almost without the saying that his dress it was bad, so very, very bad. But did not the Santino survive the worse disasters in the last season? For the example, the ridiculous wickety-wack Spring Time for Hitler underwear, which was accompanied by the lengthy runway argument with the Nina.

The problem for the Malan it is that this season has the surfeit of potential villians.

Case in the point, Angela, the crunchy hippy crafter who turns out to be the complete snake-in-the-macramé, unable to sketch, unable to do anything to help the so very annoying, panic-prone, and shouty Vicent avoid putting the silly sleeves on his gown.

Or consider the handsome and serpentine Keith who attempted to charm the big-haired young Delta Burke out of her gown and into his. Ayyyyy! Too much sultry and manipulative eye contact for the comfort of the Manolo!

Then there is the Jeffrey, he of the aggressive neck tattoo and the overblown/insecure ego, you know him, the one who is certain to go postal at some point in the season.

And so sadly for the Malan, the herd of the villians had grown too large and needed the culling.

As for the winners, the Kayne and the Robert, it was like watching the dinner theater remake of the movie Miss Congeniality III, in which the designer of Barbie clothes combines with the beauty pageant consultant from Oklahoma to produce the Bob Mackie-esque mermaid gown for the attractive but personality-challenged beauty queen. Zzzzzz. Wake the Manolo when the Hasselhoff makes his cameo as the celebrity judge.

Speaking of the celebrity judges and the boredom, where was the Michael Kors? In the stead, we were given the very nice, very un-bitchy, mostly boring Vera Wang, wearing her customary black uniform.

Finally, once again, the Manolo considered the design of the Laura and the Michael Knight to be the stand out. The gown had the beautiful clean lines and the bling-bling sparkle that the Manolo thought made it most arresting. Perhaps the judges considered the white color as not being appropriate to the occasion.

Ayyyyyyyy! Come back Malan, all is forgiven!

Manolo says, Ayyyyy! Once again it is time for the most fabulous of the beauty pagaents, the Miss Universe! Look, here is the Manolo’s favorite part, the competition of the native costumes.

The favorite of all the Comic Book Guys.

Inside she is as morose as the Ingmar Bergman.

Manolo sees London, Manolo sees France…

Manolo says, this sandal from the Isaac Mizrahi it would be perfect for wearing to the summery afternoon garden party, perhaps with the nice sun dress.

Even the better, it is on the sale, 55% off of the regular price, the savings of nearly $100 of the American dollars!

Manolo says, the topic for the next Carnivale of the Couture it has been posted at the very smart website of the Fashion Incubator.

Tell us about the most technically complex garment you have either owned or constructed, describing it’s unique features. Feel free to include photos if you have them.

This it is the marvelously thoughtful and important question.

Manolo says, Ayyyyyyyyyy! The Manolo he is most emphatically not the Baubé

Has anyone received the Fall “Book” from Neiman Marcus? There is a cosmetics insert with a cartoonish hairstylist/makeup artist character by the name of Baubè in it. And Baubè “speaks” eerily like our beloved Manolo.

And if The Manolo has the gig writing the parlance and the patois for this Baubè character, “bravo,” I say.

It’s pretty cute, it’s funny, it’s well-illustrated and I hope it pays buckets of dough.

If he doesn’t have the gig, and I kind of think not (he’s more erudite than this Baubè character could ever hope to be), he’s being ripped-off. It’s a pretty egregious and blatant rip and for a few moments there I was thinking of suggesting he lawyer-up.

But WWTMD? What Would The Manolo Do?

But, the beautiful and funny Susanna the Bling Blogger, she already knows the exactly correct answer to what the Manolo would do.

He would laugh. He would be flattered. He would saunter respectfully past the offerings of Baubè for the super-fantastic shoe selections at Neiman Marcus. He would go to Giorgio for dinner. And so it would be.

Indeed!

There are many who in the past have attempted to imitate the Manolo. Mostly, the Manolo he has regarded these imitations as the amusing, if sometimes poorly executed, form of the flattery, to be enjoyed as such.

This it is how the Manolo regards this Baubé

Although, it must be pointed out that, for many reasons, this fictional Baubé he cannot be the Manolo, as the Manolo he does not have the tattoos; would never wear the tail of the pony on his head; has the much better command of the language and the style; and of the course, would never appear in the public barefeeted!

Ultimately, Baubé he is simply one more homage to the wit of the Manolo.

Manolo says, the latest column of the Manolo it is now available for the downloading at the Express of the Washington Post website.

Today, the topic it is the flat-feeted waitresses.

Dear Manolo,

I have a “friend” who works as a cocktail waitress. She also has flat feet, incredibly flat feet, and she wears a size eleven. Of course, she can’t find anything that’s attractive and will fit her orthotics. Please help my friend.

Sarah

Manolo says, ayyyyyyy! To be the cocktail waitress of the big flat feet, the Manolo can think of few situations more difficult.

It is the sad fact that the waitresses of the cocktails they are judged and rewarded to some of the extent on their personal attractiveness (but are not we all?), and yet if one is forced to be clomping around in the great pain because of the deformity of the feets, the phrase “whisky sour” would perhaps take on the whole new meaning.

Indeed, nothing can make the Manolo’s beloved Kir Royale turn to the bitter liquid ashes in the mouth like the unpleasantness of the server.

And so, in the interest of the good taste, the Manolo would recommend to the “friend” of his friend Sarah, the pair of the traditional heeled dance shoes, such as the Professional Footlight by the Capezio. These shoes, which are available in the large and wide sizes, they are specifically designed to be comfortable and attractive under the most arduous conditions.

Manolo says, ayyyyyyy! The newest season of the Project Runway, it has begun!

With it comes the return of the smartest man on the television, the magnificent Tim Gunn! Celebrate!

And with him comes the beautiful Heidi, and the crabby Nina, and the Michael Kors, looking as puffy and day-glo and as bitchy as ever! Celebrate again!

As has become traditional, the first night of the new season, it is filled with too many characters and too much confusion to be fully comprehensble in the single sitting, and so the Manolo he will have to again watch this episode before he can fully sort out the various personalities, however, here are the first impressions of the Manolo.

The Front Runners

Keith: The Keith he has it all, the very strong design sensibility, the difficult and arrogant personality, and he looks like the Jude Law. Look for him to be there near the finish.

Laura. The Manolo loves the Laura and her impeccable, refined taste in the clothes, although he has his doubts about her hair color, which may best be described as heirloom tomato red. She would be the Manolo’s favorite to win, except he is worried that her style, it may be considered too derivitive and restrained for the judges. In the fact, he thought her design should have been the winner on the first show.

Robert: The Manolo’s favorite to win. He has the mostly calm, wry personality and the super fantastic Barbie experience.

Second Tier
Angela: There is intelligence behind the artsy-craftsy-woodsy-folksy work of this Ohio organic girl. The Manolo also reminds you that the outsiders of strong individual vision do well in the Project Runway. She is the dark horse of the Manolo.

Kayne. The Manolo loves the Kayne, if only because he is so perfectly comfortable in being the huge flaming cliche, although the Manolo suspects he is actually quite savvy, and will be quite good at adapting to the game.

Michael: One of the Manolo’s early favorites, if only because the Manolo thought his dress was quite good, and the use of the coffee filters was clever. He is another outsider with the strong, eccentric personal vision. And if only the Michael Knight could use his secret weapon, the K.I.T.T., he would be the sure winner.

Uli: Mmmm, krauty and intelligent and possessed of the experience the Manolo believes will help her to do well.

Plot Devices

Malan: Or as the Manolo likes to think of him, Lord Valdemort Lite. His strong artistic vision and possibly malevolent personality will allow him to compete until near the end.

Jeffrey: It is not often that one sees aggressive neck tatoos on the person who is not locked into the maximum security prision. The Jeffrey he will be around for many weeks, because of the personality. As for his style, it would be perfect if you are treking alone into the irradiated, post-apocalyptic wastes of the Forbidden Zone.

Cannon Fodder

Vincent: Is the Manolo the only person who sees the Vincent and thinks he looking is the “kooky” character being played the late and great Dick Shawn? Gone by the third week.

Bradley: Duuuuuude, the Manolo expects Bradley to later give us the semi-coherent lecture on the virtues of hemp.

Bonnie: Pleasant, sweet, gone soon.

Katherine: Quirky, but in the usual and predictable ways that such peoples are quirky.

Alison: The best of the cannon fodder, which should allow her to make it about half of the way through the season.

Gone Already

Stacey: Possibly the competent marketing expert, but not the designer of the clothes.

The Manolo loves the Project Runway! As do the Manolo’s friends at the Blogging the Project Runway, the indespensible blog for the fans of this wonderful show.

Manolo says, the latest of the Carnivale of the Couture it is now available at the blog of the ShoeSense. You must go visit, it is most amusing.