Manolo’s Shoe Blog

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

Dear Manolo,

Now that the summer is almost over can you give us your opinion of wearing white shoes after Labor Day.

Julia

Manolo says, every year at this time the Manolo feels like Punxsutawney Phil, the cute little Pennsylvania goundhog, who must each February emerge from his burrow and announce whether or not the winter will continue.

Likewise, at the end of each summer, the festive crowds gather on the boulevards in front of the Manolo’s pied-à-terre, waiting for the Manolo to emerge, boutonnière in place, walking stick in hand, to opine on the suitability of white feetwear after the Day of Labor.

And, each year, the Manolo gives the same response to the gathered throngs, “Yes, the thousand times, yes! You may wear the white shoes even into the fall.”

And, each year, the Manolo gives the same justification, that whether or not one wears white shoes is entirely about suitability. If the weather is still warm, and your outfit would benefit from beautiful white shoes, then you should wear them.

Look, here is the Zudora from the Donald J. Pliner, the white and black peep-toe pump that could look smashing well into the autumn.

Manolo says, if you are shopping for dessicated chicken tendons.

Manolo says, taking the car parts and turning them into the couture? Excellent challenge! Indeed this was another of the episodes that captured the make-it-work spirit of the original season of the Project Runway. (And here allow the Manolo to praise the producers for the uniformly good challenges that have been given to the designers this season.)

As for the competition itself, once the designers were going, it was painfully clear that Keith the Angry Gay Mormon would not survive the week. Not only was his demise foreshadowed by the producers’ choice of clips, but from the beginning his decision to play it safe with the boring blah skirt and halter top was misguided.

The Manolo wanted to shout: “You are Keith! Hear you roar!”

Anger, not childish petulance is what was called for. Keith needed to channel his rage into something powerful and exciting. But in the stead, he gave into to weepy self-pity and insolence. No, no, no!

In the end, the result was foreordained. Keith would be leaving. His final outfit was boring, poorly made, and ill-fitting.

As for the winner, Leanne (the victor of the Season Five Mousy Brunette Deathmatch), the Manolo was underwhelmed by her outfit. But then any dress that includes makeshift panniers and does not include the towering Maire Antoinette wig, is not something of which the Manolo can approve. .

Much more to the Manolo’s tastes were Korto’s stunning and simple seatbelt swing coat.

Ayyyyy! But that was beautiful! Undoubtedly, it was also heavy and impractical, but, still, oh, so very, very pretty

Korto is clearly the most original and unexpected of all of the designers. Her choices are not always those of the Manolo, but they are emphatically her own, and they are emphatically original. She deserves to be in the final three, although whether or not the judges see it that way is the different matter.

Speaking of another of the Manolo’s finalist picks, this week, for the first time, the Manolo was disappointed by Terri. She is the person of undoubted talent, and has the powerful desire for success, but she keeps making the pants-based outfits, and this week’s was not all that. Perhaps there is some small truth in Jarrel’s catty remarks, that she has “only four patterns”.

By the way, the current Manolo final three: Jarrel, Terri, and Korto.

Ayyyy! All of the contestants would be African-American…or, perhaps in the case of Korto, American-African. (The Manolo is unclear on the acceptable terminology. ) Noteworthy and coincidental, yes. But freighted with meaning? The Manolo cannot say.

And now onto what was for the Manolo the true highlight of the evening, when the viewers were showed the picture of Stella with her boyfriend….

William “Ratbones” von Zipper.

When Ratbones likes someone, dey stay liked!

Manolo says, we mean it man. We love our McQueen!

Manolo asked, whose shoes?

Manolo answers it is the Emmy Rossum!

Congratulations to our good friend Spirit Fingers, who was the first person to correctly identify this most difficult to guess person.

Manolo says, ayyyy! It is the end of the season sale for the Taryn Rose shoes, shoes of great comfort and handsomeness.

Mira! Here are some of the Manolo’s favorites.

This is the Demic from Taryn Rose, the beautiful simple and understated business pump, which is on the sale at 35% off of the regular price, the savings of over $150 of the American dollars!

The open-toed Daffodil is very good-looking in chocolate or black, but quite smart and sassy in red patent leather, and the icing is on the cake because it is selling for more than 30% off of the usual price.

And, since the fall and wet weather approaches, here is the Raina H2O, the round-toed weatherproof suede that is 42% off in the brown color and 35% off in the black, in both cases the savings of over $200 of the American dollars!

As the Manolo has said many times in the past, the Taryn Rose are those rare shoes that have the magical ability to look better on the foot than off. So, hurry, there are many Taryn Rose bargains to be had.

Manolo says, our dear Never teh Bride considers the important matter of plastic furniture covers.

Manolo asks, whose shoes?

Manolo says, Mr. Henry at his finest and funniest…

Mr. Henry spoke directly to him only once. On a bright and cheerful morning Mr. Henry stepped out onto his tiny porch and was assaulted by the sight of natural man scratching his furry self.

“Couldn’t you put something on?” Mr. Henry asked rhetorically. Doper did not speak. Furrowing his giant uni-brow, he shrank back inside the dark apartment.

You must go read the whole thing.