Manolo the Columnist: Avea from Circa by Joan & David
Manolo says, here is the Manolo’s latest column for the Express of the Washington Post.
0Dear Manolo,
Has The Manolo forgotten (or is he ignoring) the fact that the world as we know it today is in a recession-depression? Most (nearly all) of the shoes The Manolo recommends to ladies in dire need of shoe advice are exorbitantly priced. I make nearly six figures and I, today, would not buy $300+ shoes just because it’s not smart. I’m not even sure I’d buy them if the economy was flush with buying power like it was, say, back in 2005 or 6. Perhaps The Manolo should consider shoes that are still stylish yet moderately priced and very well made.
Alicia
Manolo says, ayyyy! It is true, the Manolo is the dreamer who loves to consider the most beautiful shoes, regardless of the outrageous prices the designers would charge for them.
However, even as the Manolo dreams, he is not unsympathetic to the impoverished cries of his many friends. Indeed, he understands exactly what it is like to have to tighten one’s belt so tight that the buckle rubs up against the backbone, to be so poor that one must fashion one’s own super fantastic shoes out of the cardboard cartons from the Chinese takeout place in whose dumpster you dined the previous evening.
Of the course, it is best to look for the quality shoes on the sale, oftentimes, however, necessity demands stylish shoes when the pocketbook is at its thinnest. In such cases the Manolo would recommend something like the Avea by Circa from Joan and David, the reasonably priced shoe that stands out from the crowd.
Comments
La Petite Acadienne 14 years ago
Excellent recommendation, Manolo! A unique and stylish shoe that appears to be comfortable both for the feets AND the wallet! Brava!
Lisa 14 years ago
I can’t get on board with these–I think the brown patent detracts rather than adds, but the heel height is good.
I also get tired of having fingers waggled at everybody around about the recession and what we should all do to pay attention to it and be mindful of it. This is a shoe blog. I get to reading this after the NYT and WSJ and the Economist and The Financial Times and the recession hasn’t exactly been under-covered on their pages. I don’t need the Manolo to rub it in that times are hard. I need him to make me smile.
Francesca 14 years ago
wow- very very cute
xoxo,
F
http://lekisskiss.blogspot.com <– Texas gal bloggin fashion from NYC!!
raincoaster 14 years ago
I really, truly, don’t understand this. People with six-figure incomes are BY DEFINITION “flush with buying power.” Does this reader mean to say that extravagance is in poor taste during a recession? Is s/he using “smart” in the sense of “fashionable and au courant?”
brian 14 years ago
A 6-figure salary in NYC is just above poverty.
Jo 14 years ago
I always remember the teachings of the Manolo – that if one’s wallet is thin, one should save up and invest in good quality shoes that last a long time. Buying fewer shoes that last longer, rather than cheap and cheerful ones that fall apart after a few months seems sensible to me (then there are always suprfantastic shoes in the wardrobe too!). So to me, £200 (I’m UK!) would be a good investment buy!
It’s the $1000+ ones that are really outrageous ;)
Phyllis 14 years ago
A corollary to this thought is keeping shoes repaired and in good order. A good cobbler is hard to find these days, but a company in San Diego called Nushoe can repair anything from women’s pumps to firefighter boots. They just rebuilt my 25 year old cowboy boots and did a fantastic job. Just download their prepaid postage label and send them off. I also use shoe trees in every pair. For my pumps I like a spring steel shoe tree (smaller than the hefty ones used for men’s brogues). You can see them here just scroll down:
http://www.emocs.com/trees.htm
And of course shoes do need to be polished and brushed because dirt is corrosive.
Dani 14 years ago
Love the shoes. And I heartily second the thoughts of Jo and Phyllis. Living in a town with lots of cowboys has many advantages! – including great cobblers. Good cowboy boots don’t get tossed, they get resoled and resurrected over and over because they’re so well-made. That’s true of any good shoe, if you take care of them. Didn’t Mayor Bloomberg himself say he only trades off between two pairs of work shoes which are so old no one even knows what they are? I think one pair was ID’d as a discontinued style of Cole-Haan.
Also, my cobbler will add holes to belts for free, which is really great with rises changing all the time. A nice belt isn’t cheap, either!
Jessica D. 14 years ago
I don’t get why people read a blog called “Manolo’s Shoe Blog” and expect it to be cheap shoes. Hello, Manolo Blahnik=equals expensive fine shoeware. If you want less expensive shoes find “Madden’s Shoe Blog” or “Payless’s Shoe Blog”. Even if you can’t afford these shoes they are so much fun to look at and dream about, and maybe give you inspiration for finding shoes in your own price range. If you don’t like the blog, don’t read it!
(off soapbox)
Tina 14 years ago
From looking at it, I bet these shoes are so comfortable to wear!