What the Manolo Is…

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

Reading…

Watching…

Listening to…

As hard as it is to belive, the Freddy and the Fredericka it is the first novel the Manolo has ever read by the Mark Helprin, this despite the exhortations of many of the Manolo’s friends! And, as is often the case, the friends know best. This it is the smart and hilarious book, and the Manolo is sorry he had not read the Mark Helprin sooner.

JAN
2007
09

Cor ad Cor Loquitur

Manolo says, these handsome suede shoes from the Kate Spade are yet another of the shoes named for the philosophers, this time the Augustine

With these upon your feets the Donatists and the Pelagians would not stand the chance.

Previously, the Pascal and the Liebniez.

JAN
2007
08

Joie de Vivre!

Manolo says, under the buffoonish exterior hides the brute sexuality of the inflamed tiger.

Update!

Depardieu: The Beast Within!

Manolo says, the Manolo’s internet friend the Mimi she has called the Manolo’s attention to the most amusing picture of the Depardieu, one which brings to the mind the much more famous wildlife picture.

Sadly, this first photo it is perhaps not safe for your place of employment, nor maybe for your recently eaten lunch.

So, after this stern warning, if you still wish to see these two comparative photos…

(more…)

JAN
2007
08

The Ankle Straps

Manolo says, one of the Manolo’s commenting internet friends has asked the Manolo the question.

A question asking for visual analysis. These shoes have the dainty ankle strap. 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.

Naturally, the readers of the Manolo are far wiser than any television hosts, and had already given the response. Here is the Manolo’s close internet friend the La BellaDonna answering the comment with great perspicacity.

La BellaDonna, she assures the Good Peasant Stock (who is undoubtedly a relative! How delightful!) that for the dancing the night away, not to mention the transversing the icy sidewalks of the city, the merits of the ankle strap far outweigh the possibility of the shortening of the leg. Yes, it is true; the fashion mavens, they often screech that the ankle-strap, it shortens the leg, but there are the many factors to consider: it may lengthen the life during the night of the dancing! Plus, there is the limit to how much the leg it can be shortened, after all. A foot? Two feet? Will it make the leg seem a yard shorter? Unlikely. There is also the matter of the length of the skirt, the colour of the shoe with the ankle strap, and the hose worn with same. Yes, La BellaDonna, she advocates wearing the hose (or even The Tights) in the winter, as opposed to flashing the bumps of the goose. The black ankle strap worn with the black tights, it will not shorten the leg. The gold ankle strap, peeking out in flashes under the flying long skirt, it will not shorten the leg. The leg-coloured ankle-strap, it will not shorten the leg. La BellaDonna, who is sadly short of leg and long of torso, yet fond of the ankle strap shoe herself, suggests that you try the ankle strap shoe on with the proposed garment, and observe the overall effect. (La BellaDonna also notes that the fashion mavens who dispense the ukases do not always dress in the manner worth emulating, and that one’s own judgment, ultimately, is the best.)

This it is so true.

And to illustrate the point, here is the gorgeous ankle strap shoe from the Giorgio Armani.

Ankle Strap D'Orsay from Giorgio Armani    Manolo Likes!

Shorten the leg? Ha! The Manolo laughs!

How could you possibly look anything other superbly elegant in this most beautiful ankle straped shoe?

JAN
2007
06
JAN
2007
06

Manolo Mobiles

qualityshoe.jpg

bootcar.jpg

Manolo says, Manolo loves the Shoe Cars!

P.S. Many thanks to the Manolo’s internet friend the very witty Nancy for these most amusing pictures.

P.P.S. The Previous Model

Injustice!

Manolo says, the Manolo is dismayed to see that once again the Bloggies, the annual awards for the best blogs, have neglected to include the catagory for the Fashion Blogs!

This it is the injustice! (Yes, perhaps not the great injustice, but the injustice nonetheless.)

One need only look at the dozens of the recent articles in the mainstream press about the influence of the fashion blogosphere to see that the fashion blogging has become the phenomenon that cannot be ignored. But ignore it the Bloggies have done, undoubtedly because the organizers of these awards are the post-adolescent techno-geeks more interested in talking about the electronic doohickeys and the Web 2.0 than the subjects that are of real interest to many millions of the blog readers.

If, like the Manolo, you wish to see the fashion blogging as the category in the Bloggies, go to the website of the awards and send the organizers the email politely expressing your desire to have the fashion blog category included forthwith.

JAN
2007
05

Manolo the Columnist

Manolo says, here is the Manolo’s latest column for the Express of the Washington Post.

Dear Manolo

My husband and I are attending a wedding in Manhattan at the end of the month. I have a wonderful black dress, but now I’d like a shoe with some color, preferably a comfortable shoe for dancing the night away.

Sarah

Manolo says, the Manolo has long thought that the winter weddings in the big city are among the most elegant of the weddings.

During the summer, the brides feel the obligation to include the out of doors in the ceremony, and thus the guests are subjected to the wilting heat and the humidity and the barking dogs and the buzzing bees and the nasal ravages of the floating pollens.

This is to say nothing of the strong temptation felt by some peoples to wear the bright yellow, sleeveless summer dresses with the cheap plastic flip-flops at any opportunity.

In the winter, however, the guests must be decorously covered, and the weather limits the outdoorsy nature-romping to the sidewalk between the cab and the door.

It is the grown up affair, with the elegant ladies in the little black dresses and the distinguished gentlemen in the respectable suits, tripping the fantastic light in the banquet room.

Here is the Angel by the Charles David in the pewter, the shoe that will enliven your look with the hint of metallic color.

Angel by Charles David    Manolo Likes   Click!

JAN
2007
04

Her Career

Manolo asks, who died?

JAN
2007
04

Help for the Boston Girl

Manolo says, one of the Manolo’s internet friends has asked the Manolo the questions.

Dearest Manolo!

I hope you are well – I’ve been enjoying your column for a while now, and I think you are The Fabulousness.

I have two unique shoe issues. One is that I recently relocated to Boston, and the girls here still think it is ok to wear Uggs. No. Not happening. Boston is heading into the winter season, and I know I will need something other than my cute tall boots from Maestro Fluevog and the very excellent wedge heel Born boot. Something waterproof and warm yet stylish, and able to manage hurdles like “snow drifts” and “cobblestone” and “everyone here is 18 and I feel a million years old”. Am I stuck with fishmongerette boots from LL Bean?

The second bit is that I’m getting married in Hawaii next summer to my amazing, darling fiance. We’re having a casual small beach-y wedding, but I want to still look like a million dollars. I’ve seen some interesting shoes from the aforementioned favorite John Fluevog, but most shoes seem to be too clunky and hot for May on the beach. I want a shoe that isn’t a flip flop with the words “just married” on the bottom, or god forbid PLATFORM FLIP FLOPS, or the typical Miss Piggy maribou-type shoe with the feathers and impossibilty of a bit of sand. Barefoot? Heavens no.

Help me, Obi-wan Manolo, you’re my only hope!

Ginevra

This it is the most amusing letter, one that deserves the careful attention, but first allow the Manolo to quickly dispatch the question about the wintery boots by recommending the boots of the La Canadienne, as being both reasonably priced and suitable for the chilly weather. (How could they be otherwise? They are from Canada, where the bronze loonie dollars must be stretched to cover the extensive winter clothing needs.)

Look here is the Allure from the La Canadienne.

Allure by La Canadienne   Manolo Likes!  Click!

Does it not look toasty warm and stylish?

And now to the shoes of the wedding, the choosing of which the Manolo always finds most difficult.

It is difficult because many of the brides to be invest such intense romantic fantasy longing into the wedding planning; everything must be “perfect” if the wedding is not to be “the failure”.

And so the Manolo is often called upon by his internet friends to pick the “perfect” shoe for the “perfect” wedding, even though the Manolo knowns that the perfect platonic bridal shoe exists only in the mind of the Maker, and that we humans must make do with one of the imperfect shoes available to us.

Still, it is our duty to attempt to find the shoe that comes the closest to the eternal eidos and without rupturing the bank.

Add to this natural difficulty the whole problem of the casual beachy Hawaiian wedding for the girl who loves the Fluevog and the Manolo can only say, aaaayyyyyyyyyyyy!

However, after much of the searching, the Manolo has emerged with the Marion by the Pella Moda.

Marion by Pelle Moda   Manolo Likes! Click!

It is festively pretty with the sea-shell-like stone ornamentation, and the lower heel is sand friendly.

And now the Manolo must go lay down.

JAN
2007
02

On The Cover of The Rehab Magazine

Manolo says, got the freaky old lady name o’ Cocaine Katy who embroiders on his jeans…