Shoes Lift the Spirits!
Manolo says, the Manolo’s good friend Linda Grant has pointed us to the article about the surrealist Prada shoes in the Telegraph, which contains the wonderfully brilliant observation, one which accords perfectly with the beliefs of the Manolo.
What, exactly, is the point, you might well ask? You probably won’t be able to walk very far in these shoes, and you certainly can’t run in them; so what is one meant to do with them? Put them on a mantelpiece, like a quirky sculpture? This is always an option - a perverse one, I grant you - but I have a theory, borne out by years of personal practice, that if you love a pair of beautiful shoes, however fantastical, you are miraculously able to dance in them. Thus the right heels - and you know them when you find them - will lift the spirits as well as the feet.
Finally, the statement which sums up the totality of the Manolo’s existence: Beautiful shoes make you happy!
March 17th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Those are very beautiful shoes, and I agree that wearing such lovely shoes can make you happy.
However, the manner in which snakeskin for shoes (and other items) is obtained is so obscenely cruel that any beauty in the shoe is rendered invisible by the horror associated with their creation.
It’s hard enough to recognize and appreciate the artistry in a beautiful pair of shoes when the shoes are made from a commonplace material, such as leather made of skin from cows, calves, kids (baby goats), &c. Snakes suffer for fashion even more, and shoes made from their skins are more highly prized.
Of course I love shoes, but where are the true shoe artists who want to practice their craft without killing other creatures for it?
March 18th, 2008 at 12:15 am
I always find that the key to the miracle of dancing in impossible shoes is the 1:1 ratio of inches of height to cocktails. The miracle does not occur until this balance has been achieved.
As for me, I LIKE the idea that someone out there gets paid to kill snakes. In fact, he should work in my basement.
March 18th, 2008 at 11:47 am
Having just purchased my first pair of Pradas I can say that they truly are lovely enough to put on the mantel! Works of art! I am the proud owner of the black peep toe with the rose as heel design… OMG! I want to sleep in them! Running? not hardly… Walking? Just barely… who cares, they are heaven!
March 18th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
I have the most beautiful pair of 4″ heels that I cannot stand in for more than 1/2 hour despite my love for them. Alas, love does not conquer all.
I do hope they are made of snakeskin - they look as if they are - so at least some good will have come of them.
March 18th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
P.S. I like Farylrobin’s take on the wearability issue
http://www.wsatoday.com//expert-opinion/expert-opinion/rockin-robin.html
March 18th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
However, the manner in which snakeskin for shoes (and other items) is obtained is so obscenely cruel that any beauty in the shoe is rendered invisible by the horror associated with their creation.
Wouldn’t it be awesome if that were literally true?!
March 20th, 2008 at 10:00 am
if you love a pair of beautiful shoes, however fantastical, you are miraculously able to dance in them.
This has not been my experience to date. Instead I have looked happily at shoe after shoe — and indeed, in the case of one pair, worn them happily in the store — only for the romance to evaporate as soon as I tried to dance in them. Or, for that matter, walk. I humbly submit to the Manolo that beautiful shoes, no matter how beautiful, only leave you happy until the blister starts forming, and that furthermore, to go on about beautiful shoes making you happy allows designers to get away with refusing to accommodate the wide or narrow feet.