Manolo says, according to science! today is the most depressing day of the entire year.

Dr Cliff Arnall, a Cardiff University psychologist, devised the formula that shows today is the most depressing.

His equation takes into account six factors: weather, debt, time since Christmas, time since failing our new year’s resolutions, low motivational levels and the feeling of a need to take action.

Taken together they pinpoint today as ‘Blue Monday’.

But be not afraid, dear friends, for the Manolo has been saving something spectacular for just such the situation, when the desperate circumstances called for the desperate measures…

Behold the fuschia knee high boots with the black and gold metallic trim from the Pucci!

Are they not the crazy, wonderful, over-the-top boots?

Do they not, in their crazy, wonderful, over-the-topness bring the smile to your face?

Mission accomplished! Pucci has made the smile.

Let us see the Jack Bauer do that!

Manolo says, once again, it is time for that most exciting date in the Ayatollahs’ fashionista calendar, Fashion Week Tehran!

In the name of Prophet, work it sister!

In the old house in Tehran, that was covered in vines, lived twelve little girls…

The Manolo is now confused, why are the Discalced Carmelites here?

P.S. The previous Fashion Week Tehran

Manolo says, the distinguished Professor Norman opines on the philosophic question before the assembly.

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.

Manolo says, one of the Manolo’s internet friends has asked the Manolo the most important philosophical question.

Dear Manolo,

After reading a very interesting article about the average number of pairs of shoes owned by the shoe obsessive Australian women , my husband and I have had much debate about what defines “the shoe”… he insists that the flip flop and slipper should be defined as a shoe as they cover the feet. Naturally, I disagree. Can you help moderate this discussion? It does give me a great deal of solace to know that I am not the complete shoe tragic and that I form part of a very important bell curve!

Thanks,
Cat – lover of the Marc Jacobs.

To some of the extent, this arguement between the Cat and her husband, it is similar in tone to the great arguments of the medivel ages, during which the Scholastics would debate endlessly about the theological arcana and minutiae.

However, despite the seeming pettiness of this question it is still worthy of consideration by the Manolo.

Sadly for the Cat, her husband is mostly correct: the slipper is the type of the shoe, as is the flip-flop.

However, after having said that, the Manolo would not include items such as the houseshoe and the cheap flip-flop in any accounting of his or anyone else’s shoe collection.

It would be as if the dedicated philatelist counted the roll of recent stamps in his desk drawer when tallying the breadth of his collection. Yes, they are stamps, and they are in his possession, but they are inconsequential and not worthy of mention.

Likewise, the slippers and the plastic flip-flops are not worthy of counting, as they are semi-desposible items intended for current use. (The Manolo would make the exception for the opulent slippers, such as the special monogrammed velvet houseshoes. )

Now that he has settled this question, the Manolo will soon address some of the thornier Thomistic shoe questions.

Manolo says, here are the few links that may perhaps amuse…

Fashion Forcast 2007

How to Save Britney

The Language of the Fan

Low. Ri. Der. Ride a little lower.

Manolo says, as far as the Manolo could see, this year the theme for the ladies of the Globes of Gold awards was “Fantasy Bride”, as many, many of the famosas appeared in the white dresses.

Here is the partial list of the white-wearing Golden Globe Brides to Not Be…

The jilted Swan Lake non-bride

The comically well endowed Spawn of Trump

The Nastiest Little Mermaid

The beautiful Heidi Klump and Rebecca Romaine Lettuce

The very defintion of zaftig.

White, white, white, white, white, white as far as the eye could see!

Of the course the Manolo cannot ignore the mens…

The deer in the headlights.

Trump and Baldwin: in the truly just world these two men would be nothing more than the neighborhood butchers famous for the quality of their keilbasa.

Manolo says, it is Tuesday, time to see what the Manolo is…

Reading…

Listenting to…

Reading…

The Manolo has to say that he cannot remember when he loved the book on the first reading as much as he loved the Freddy and Fredericka.

Yes, it is the hilarious book, but more than that it is the beautifully written, wonderfully humane and elegaic book, one that celebrates all of those things that the Manolo most admires. It recognizes what the Manolo has long thought, that the greatest philosophy of all is love. It trumps everything.

Sadly, instead of moving straight into the next Helprin novel, the Manolo read the
Christopher Buckley book, which, while amusing, was the thin, watery gruel compared to the feast of the Freddy and the Fredericka. And now the Manolo is determined to read all of the Helprin novels in the coming weeks.

Manolo says, the Manolo would say that these were her mother’s shoes, except the Manolo is not sure if this girl and her sister have the mother. Indeed, sometimes he thinks they were raised by the feral dogs who were good at marketing.

P.S. Many thanks to the Manolo’s internet friend the Elayne for the link to the picture.

Manolo says, the English newspaper the Daily Mail they have written the article about the fashion blogs, entitled The Fashion Blog Stars, and they have mentioned the Manolo!

You see, these days, to have one finger on the fashion pulse, you need to have the other one on your computer mouse, reading (or writing) the latest blogs – derived in true 21st century fashion as an abbreviation of ‘web-logs’ – from Planet Style.

The industry that is all about staying one step ahead is struggling to keep up with the plethora of bloggers who are revealing trends before they’re set, passing on gossip before it’s happened and rapidly diminishing the power of the glossy magazines.

Bloggers can be the harshest critics of hyped-up fads and can pull a look from the reject rail and make it hot: so influential and well-read are these internet diarists that the industry’s biggest brand names are vying for a (positive) mention on their sites, and paying to advertise on the most popular pages – making it a lucrative occupation for those that receive a large number of ‘hits’.

[...]

An anonymous New Yorker, who writes under the pseudonym Manolo (a tribute, of course, to the one and only Mr Blahnik himself), this amusing blog is a must-read for shoe-lovers everywhere. Witty and authoritative, his unusual prose takes some getting used to, but once you’re in the groove, the to-ing and fro-ing between Manolo and his footwear friends is very entertaining.

This week, someone posed the question; “On “What Not to Wear”, the style gurus are always saying ankle straps shorten the line of the leg. Do you agree? Can only the willowy six-footer teenage model pull off the ankle strap? What sayeth the wise one?”.

“The Manolo sayeth, do not get the Manolo started on the frumpity What Not To Wear peoples. All the Manolo will say, is that in this case they are wrong. Unless you have the excessively stout legs and the 18″ inseam, the line of the leg is not appreciably shortened by the ankle strap shoes.”

Also mentioned in this amusing article are the Manolo’s internet friends at the Bag Snob, the Purse Blog, the My Fashion Life, and the Sartorialist.

Manolo says, not often, but sometimes (rarely) the descriptions provided by the on-line shoe sellers are poetic.

Such is the case with this beautiful strappy sandal from the Jean-Michel Cazabat, which the copywriter at the Zappos has described as having the “modern medly of metallics”.

You may be assured that for the rest of the week the Manolo will be attempting to work this wonderful, alliterative phrase into all of his conversations.

Manolo says, here is the latest from the Vivienne Westwood collection.

Sweet Granny’s Cradigan and Dickies Public Safety Pants Combo.

Post-Punk Fred Flintstone Kilt and Busby.

Topsy-Turvey Double-Barrelled Sweater Boy.

Vivienne Westwood: The Bridal Consultant of Frankenstein.

P.S. Truth in Advertising!