Manolo’s Shoe Blog

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

Reading…

Listening to…

Watching…

First the Manolo announces that with the arrival of the summer, he has commenced working on his summer reading list. And it is off to the good start with the very enjoyable Ivy Briefs, written by the Manolo’s internet friend the Martha Kimes, who blogs at The Random Muse. The Ivy Briefs is quite funny, and certain to be enjoyed by anyone who has endured either the law school or the lawyer. In the other words, it could be enjoyed by anyone.

Secondly, the Manolo has been dipping into the Matthew Barney’s Cremaster Cycle, with the predictably hilarious results; to wit, for each stunning and arresting visual image, the viewer is forced to endure 27 minutes of solipsistic, Matthew-Barney-based tedium.

Thus the best way to watch even the smallest amount of the Cremaster Cycle is with the thumb firmly placed on the fast-forward button, zipping ahead to those few moments that are actually worth the watching.

“Yes, Manolo, but is it art?”

In the word: “Meh”.

Manolo says, because this is the short week for the Americans, the Manolo has decided to not run the Build the Outfit contest this week. It shall return next week, with the new challenge for the Manolo’s amateur stylist friends.

In the meanwhile, there are many amusing conversations about outfit building in the Manolo’s Super Fantastic Forums.

Manolo says, while the Manolo himself long ago shucked off the tyranny of the petty rules which “forbid” the wearing of the white shoes during seasons other than the summer, the Manolo is nonetheless sympathetic to those who still adhere to this outmoded rite.

And so, in the spirit of comity between the warring sects, the Manolo offers to his dogmatic No-white-shoes-before-Memorial-Day friends this fun pair of the summery white Isaac Mizrahi sandals!

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

The Transformation of Marc Jacobs

What your shoe say about you.

Not that the shoes are by any means naive or childish looking but those over-prounounced features are bringing out the need to wear something similarly exaggerated with them

Manolo says, look at this bit of news from the Postal Service of the United States.

Saks Fifth Avenue says its new shoe department is so big and fancy it’s getting its own ZIP code.

The quintessential Manhattan store is revamping its shoe department, and when it moves from the fourth floor to the eighth floor in August customers will be able to send mail to 10022-SHOE.

“We believe it’s such a big move for us it deserves its own ZIP code,” Saks spokeswoman Lesley Langsam Kennedy said Thursday. “We wanted to make it a destination.”

The U.S. Postal Service said it worked with the retailer on the new ZIP code, which is just promotional. Only the last four characters, which aren’t necessary when you’re mailing something, are specialized, and they won’t be read by sorting machines. The rest of the midtown neighborhood, which includes St. Patrick’s Cathedral, shares 10022.

The new 8,500-square-foot Saks showroom at the flagship Fifth Avenue store will have more shoes, more service and more stock room capability, Langsam Kennedy said. It also will feature a VIP room for private shopping, spacious seating, refreshments and shoe repair on hand, she said.

Some of the Manolo’s happiest hours have been spent on the fourth floor at the Saks. Of the course, he is very much looking forward to the new eighth floor.

P.S. Many thanks to the Manolo’s many internet friends who sent him this news item.

Manolo says, the Manolo’s friend Roger L. Simon, CEO of the Pajamas Media has reviewed the Manolo’s new work, The Consolation of the Shoes.

The Manolo, on his blog, could teach us style and decorum, observe our culture, sell shoes and be funny all at the same time. It was a tap dance he continued to carry off, to my amazement, from week to week. I wondered if he could expand this into longer forms.

Now I know. The Consolation of The Shoes is an attempt to explain The Manolo without explaining him, if you know what I mean, and it succeeds brilliantly. Yet somehow, beneath all the obfuscations and stratagems, truth emerges. And perhaps that is the point. We learn much of the character and development of The Manolo, about his allegiance to Lady Fashion, and the answer to one of the greatest of all imponderables – equal to, if not exceeding, the conundrum of one hand clapping … “What, then, oh mortal men, do you seek happiness outside that which lies within your shoes?”

Please go read the whole review, and then perhaps go buy the copy of The Consolation of the Shoes. You will not regret either decision.

Manolo says, after much deliberation (for there were several excellent entries), the Manolo has finally selected the winner of his second Build the Outfit contest, and it is the Manolo’s internet friend Beth, who submitted this entry…

Here is what the Beth had to say about her entry.

I love the new silver trend that’s been popping up, so I decided to draw that silver out of the shoes and keep the accessories focused on that in order to calm down the pattern in the dress.

And she accomplished this goal marvelously.

For the Manolo, this entry was wonderfully unexpected. He would not have imagined that the outfit with the bold pattern and the handkerchief hemline would have worked with these shoes, but as soon as he saw it he knew that it would work beautifully.

So, congratulations to the Beth!

Manolo says, the Manolo is of two minds about the shoes. On the one of the hands, they are compelling and baroque, on the other they are slightly ridiculous.

However, despite this confusion, the Manolo does know that if the Kylie Minoque wishes to wear these shoes, she needs to pair them with something simple and elegant, something not as underwear-flashing busy-trashy.

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

The world is getting smaller; here are a few fashion faux pas that — with a little discretion — travelers to Europe shouldn’t be afraid to disregard.

I never noticed your wobbling, no worries, lovely

I had no choice but to fling myself into their midst and show them how it was done.