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

Dear Manolo,

Now that all my Christmas shopping is done, I can address my real problem, finding a pair of shoes to wear on New Year’s Eve. My husband and I are going out with some people from his office (including the big boss himself) for a fancy evening of dinner, dancing and drinks. What do you suggest?

Marilyn

Manolo says, the Manolo is sad to say that the formally elegant sartorial traditions surrounding the New Year’s Eve celebrations are slowly fading into the past. Where once we took pride in our appearance, shooting our cuffs and adjusting our cummerbunds before stepping onto the public stage, now we simply tighten our drawstrings and hope for the best.

Undoubtedly, our future celebrations will find us wearing brightly colored unisex jumpsuits made from miraculous fabrics that holographically conceal the shabbiness of our underclothing.

And now the Manolo will reveal to you the forgotten secret of why dressing up for the New Year’s celebration is important: it both sacralizes the occasion and makes us feel better about ourselves. Beautiful clothing has the potential to elevate and ennoble us, to remind us of our potential to transcend the mundane problems of the ordinary world. It is also just fun.

Here is the Tracking from Stuart Weitzman, the elegant strappy sandal perfect for tripping the fantastic light on the Eve of the New Years.