Manolo the Columnist
Manolo says, here is the Manolo’s latest column for the Express of the Washington Post
Dear Manolo,
Could you suggest a nice pair of tall leather boots for winter wear?
Eric
Manolo says, the Manolo has the single commandment about the boots and the shoes for the men: you cannot wear the shoes that would potentially appear in the closet of the Argentine tango pimp.
You know the sort of the shoes the Manolo is talking about, with the overly pointy toes, and the bizarre details like the maltese cross cutouts, shoes which have weird colors and are made from the exotic leathers like the wildebeest and the pit viper and the Vietnamese pot bellied pig.
Men’s shoes must be of the traditional cut, color and materials. It is the quality of the workmanship and the fineness of the details which should distinguish the men’s shoe.
Of the course, the exception to the rule is the choice of sneaker, where the man may go as wild as his infantile heart desires. Do you wish new sneakers with the hydraulic springs in the heels and USB port in the toe? Do they come in lime green with the purple laces and the Linux operating system? The Manolo says, go for it.
As for the boots for winter, the Manolo recommends the
Brando Engineer boot from Frye, for its classic styling and durable nature.
January 19th, 2007 at 9:22 am
Oh, nice boots, Manolo! I was just thinking to myself how mu current boots suck and how I need new ones. And I just may have found them!
January 19th, 2007 at 11:58 am
Oh noes! I tried on the very self-same boot with the pointy toe and the Maltese cross of Vietnamese pot-bellied pig at the rack of the Nordstrom this Friday past. And I would have walked home in them had it not been for my delicately narrow feet!
January 19th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
I prefer a good jump or paratrooper boot. Classic, durable, easy to clean, and with a side zipper they come on and off really quickly.
January 19th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
This speaks to the pirate biker who took first place in dressage at the fox hunt that lives inside of every man. Well done, Manolo.
January 19th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
“A funky snake print on calf hair makes this square toe boot a must-have…”
No. No, it doesn’t.
January 20th, 2007 at 4:34 am
Although I’m normally a devotee of Rocketbusters and Luccheses, I quite liked these John Varvatos, which fit the bill:
http://www.zappos.com/n/p/p/7251959/c/325.html
January 21st, 2007 at 4:51 am
mrs. dalloway would feel predisposed to like any man who showed up wearing the brando engineer frye boot, but she would feel it necessary to know the character of the man in the varvatos boot before she could decide if he were the sexy man or the overreaching rodomonte. (the man in the mark nagel boot of the regent would have difficulty making eye contact with mrs. dalloway, as she would be torn between the involuntary boot-staring and the polite gaze-aversion.)
January 25th, 2007 at 6:02 pm
… as usual my existence is validated by the knowledge that the Manolo is always right. These very same boots were wrapped under the tree this Christmas for my husband who loves them and swears by their comfort. They are a little bit Master and Commander..no?
January 26th, 2007 at 12:48 am
Wow. I think I saw a guy wearing those pimp boots in the Gallery in Philly. Except his probably cost $29.99, not $699.99!
January 29th, 2007 at 1:50 am
As Argentine tango dancers, we take exception to your description of these boots as suitable for the Argentine tango pimp.
We understand, however, that they are quite well suited to the sleezy salsa pimp.
Thank you for your understanding.