Manolo the Columnist
Manolo says, here is the Manolo’s latest column for the Express of the Washington Post.
Dear Manolo,
In two weeks, I am to graduate high school. Can you please suggest a fun and inexpensive shoe for the boring yet significant graduation ceremony?
Jessica
Manolo says, ayyyy! Congratulations to the Manolo’s young friend on her academic accomplishments and the impending transformation into the quasi-adult state that immediately follows this event.
One day you are worrying about your calculus final, and the next you are worrying about your summer job as the camp counselor, where you will invariably meet the hunky older “dude” who rides the motorcycle, rolls his own cigarettes, and knows how to dance the lambada.
Sadly, or perhaps fortuitously given your friend’s long-term career prospects as the short-order cook, this romance will be transitory, as come September it is off to college where you will encounter the yard-long beer bongs, Lit Crit, and roommates who are enthusiastic participants in the culture of “hooking up”.
By the middle of November, you are back to worrying about your finals, although happily your study partner is the tall, blond, exceedingly hunky squash player, on whom you have the small crush, even if he is so WASPy that his lips do not actually move when he speaks.
Look, here is the Baby from Franco Sarto!
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:42 am
Oh, Manolo, how you make me laugh with your little vignettes, and the shoes are cute, too.
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Manolo, I, too, enjoyed your synopsis that so accurately captured the collegiate life. However, I disagree that these shoes would look nice with a ye ol’ cap and gown. They’re a bit clunky and platform-y to go with the already supremely unflattering academic robes. Also, my high school strictly forbade open-toed shoes at graduation. We were also only allowed to wear white shoes.
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Great post. I loved the part about the guy who rolls his own cigarettes and can dance. I like the cork wedge heels too!
May 23rd, 2008 at 11:19 pm
Cute, but not inexpensive. D:
Then again, I come from a place where $30 is a lot to spend on shoes.
May 24th, 2008 at 12:13 am
Same as Ella. Our graduation gowns are white, so a clunky black wedge is going to look rather awkward.
May 24th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
I think it’s cute, and I attend a lot of graduations, where I spend time looking at the footwear. Shoes that are too delicate look bad with the heaviness of graduation gowns. To me, this strikes a nice balance–some solidity in the wedge, but the slenderness of the straps make it lighter. It comes in other colors, too, some of which might work better with some gown colors.
May 24th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
it’s a great picture of the college life thought… i wouldn’t play those with the cap and gowns. a bit too distracting. i would go with a pair of simple navy blue slingbacks.
love,
danny
http://dannydaily.typepad.com
May 24th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
“even if he is so WASPy that his lips do not actually move when he speaks.”
This goes into my collection of memorable quotes.
May 26th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
I’ve just finished my first year of uni and it makes me sad how accurate that description is.
May 27th, 2008 at 4:54 am
The Manolo, he is spot-on on the student life. This made me chuckle! (PS. Please do not encourage any future forays into cork-heeled shoes. They are decided unflattering and can make anyone look frumpy, especially one wearing a toga.)
May 28th, 2008 at 12:14 am
Congratulations!
The shoes are perfect, if you’re allowed to wear open toes (and for those of you who can’t, what have they to say to the person who carefully wears the right shoes and the gown and NOTHING ELSE?). I especially appreciate the Manolo’s sensitive realization that the high school graduate has a different sense of style than the college or graduate school graduate. He has offered a stylish, youthful shoe that is still sharp!