The Manolo in Chile

Manolo says, for those friends of the Manolo who still sometimes cry out in the night, “why are we no longer being shown the shoes of super fantasticness,” who occasionally in the odd moment wonder what is happening with their old internet friend the Manolo, well, here is update.

For the next few months, the Manolo has forsaken his usual haunts for the muy dramático landscapes and muy dinámico cityscapes of Santiago de Chile. And, sadly, he must again report that the Chilenos are no more stylish than the last time the Manolo was here. The Chilenos, they are increasing everyday in the prosperity and stability, but they have disastrously adopted the worst elements of the American People of the Wal-Mart fashions, with the grotesque tatuajes, strange piercings, and ill-fitting clothing made in places where the tailoring is done with the small hatchet and duct tape.

Still, there are many compensations for enduring such affronts, such as this…

Caldillo de congrio and the bife de chorizo

The meal of the bife de chorizo and the caldillo de congrio, accompanied by the fine wine of Chile.

And soon, the Manolo will again pay the visit to the Museo de Moda, which he considers the best fashion museum in the world.

In the meantime, here is the pair of shoes that the Manolo would put onto the feet of the Chilean ladies, if only they would consent to the Manolo making them over.

Prada Embroidered Chunky Leather Sandals

It is summer in the Hemisphere of Southerness! What better way to celebrate the quirky excitement of the Santiago de Chile, than with the chunky platform sandals with the embroidered flowery details from the Prada!

DEC
2012
25

Merry Christmas!

A Merry Christmas Shoe

Manolo says,

Merry Christmas!

The Manolo wishes you the most super fantastic of holidays, warm and happy, with friends and family, good food and wonderful gifts!

NOV
2012
26

Manolo in the Daily Dot

Manolo says, in case you missed this, last week, the Manolo wrote the small piece for the Daily Dot website about the pernicious effects of the fancy food blogs…

It is all because of the deleterious effects of the food blogs that early this morning you had to make the special trip to that hipster butcher shop, you know the one with the nice young men who have the arms full of tattoos and wear the ironic handlebar mustachios. Unfortunately, because of the food blogs, you had no choice. You had to pick up the organic, pastured, free-range, eighteen-pound heirloom turkey, which had been ordered directly from the farmer for your big Thanksgiving meal.

When you got to the check out counter, you were afraid to look while the Betty Boop-a-like girl in the polka-dot kerchief rang you up, so you just handed over your debit card and pretended to examine the copy of Adbusters. It was one hundred and nineteen dollars and change. More money than you had paid for the past six holiday turkeys combined, all of them honest Butterball toms who had given their lives in noble service to gluttony and national pride.

You had not wanted to spend so much money on the bird, but two years ago it was your brother’s turn to host the family festival, and his wife (who is the adjunct professor of sociology down at the junior college) served the organic free-range turkey, which everyone, including your husband Gary, praised as “the best bird ever.”

What made this all so galling is that your sister-in-law has her own silly food blog, (silly, despite the fact that it was nominated for the James Beard Award for Excellence in Pornographic Food Photography, which it thankfully did not win) which means that on Friday morning the entire interwebs were treated to the large picture of Gary, fork in mouth, being transported in orgasmic ecstasy to the ethereal plane of turkey delight. Tweeted and retweeted by the followers of your sister-in-laws blog, this photo of Gary had become, by the end of the weekend, its own meme, prominently featured above the fold on the Buzzfeed with the variety of captions, the majority of which were variations on the theme “Ermahgerd Terky!”

And now you must go read the rest of the piece.

OCT
2012
16

Eight Years of Shoeblogging!

Manolo Blahnik Winter Boot

Manolo says, on this day eight years ago, October 16th, 2004, the Manolo began his earthly mission of bringing the beauty and magic of the shoes to the internets.

And now, nearly the decade later, the world has changed, and beautiful shoes are everywhere, all over of the internets, the shops, the runways, and the streets. Shoes have been finally and universally recognized as the greatest and bestest fashion accessory of all time.

To put it more plainly: We are living in the Golden Ages of Shoes.

What joy it gives the Manolo to know that he has done his small, tiny part in helping bring to about this apotheosis.

Most of all, however, on this happy day, the anniversary of the shoeblogging, what joy it gives the Manolo to know that he has made so many dear internet friends over the years, friends who have provided him with their attention and affection and support.

The Manolo, who could never fully express the deep gratitude he feels, can only say, dear readers, you are indeed most super fantastic!

AUG
2012
01

The Manolo on the Go

Manolo says, dear friends, apologies from the Manolo for the paucity of the posting. He is on the road today. Later this evening, he will post something entertaining. Please forgive.

In Which the Manolo is Blocked by the Roseanne Barr

Manolo says, the exchange from the Twitter of the Manolo.

http://twitter.com/TheRealRoseanne/status/221670260959490049

Rosanne Tweet of Doom

You have been blocked from following this account at the request of the user.

Ayyyyy!

In Which the Manolo Considers the State of the World

Let us stipulate that, despite what Boing Boing tells you, if you are over 10 years old and you are building the Sistine Chapel out of Legos, or are recreating key scenes of Anna Karenina using Barbie dolls, you need to get the life.

The Infantile Brick Bible

Infantile


Our society no longer produces art for grownups, just endless mountains of disposable, derivative, infantile trash, which is then celebrated by disposable, derivative infants on the internet.
The Execrable R. Crumb

Execrable


“Isn’t that cool,” says the manchild from his mancave, as the interweb delivers yet one more piece of trivial flapdoodle.

Once, men and women produced serious art filled with soul and meaning, joyfulness, fine feelings, deep emotions. Now, the great genius of our age, hailed by fanboys and know-nothings, is the execrable R. Crumb, whose repulsive drawings offend the senses. To look upon them is to feel your heart sink, to listen to the critics offer them praise is to feel your gorge rise.

But what of the “serious” artists of our debased age?

Let us also stipulate that we hold no affection or respect for those who impoverish us with their lackwit offerings, who reduce the ineffable to the trivial, who hide their inferior skills and empty heads behind the facade of jargon. Such is the state of our world: We have become trivial peoples who mistake our trivialities for profundities, and pat ourselves on the back for it.

So, what must be done?

Don Colacho

Don Colacho


The Manolo does not know. He is the creature ill-suited for action, fitted for good-humored epicurean repose, rather than stoic purposefulness; he is the satirist and aesthete, ineffectual in all but words and good taste.

If pressed to chart the course, he replies with the aphorisms of Don Colacho: perhaps we should consider ourselves as he did, “merely travelers who suffer shipwreck with dignity”.

But why shoes, Manolo?

Kahikalow from Manolo Blahnik

Sublime

Well made shoes represent honest labor done for useful purposes. Beautiful shoes show us that even the mundane can be elevated to the sublime. Shoes that are both transmute craftsmanship into art.

JUN
2012
30

Manolo Social Media

Manolo says, please to click one below:

Follow the Manolo on Pinterest!Like the Manolo on Facebook!Follow the Manolo on TumblrFollow the Manolo on Twiter!Manolo's Super Fantastic Newsletter

Allow the Manolo to stipulate that if you are not following the Manolo on the Twitter, you are missing some of his better witticisms.

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Guest Posting at the Shoe Blog of the Manolo

Manolo says, now that the Manolo has revived his formerly semi-moribund shoe blog, he would like to invite his internet friends to consider contributing the guest post or two.

It does not matter if you are the fashion blogger, or the non-blogger, the Manolo would love to see what his internet friends have to say about such topics as shoes, runway trends, shoes, fashion history, shoes, celebrity misadventure, shoes, indeed almost any topic that is not overtly political, or overly controversial. All the Manolo asks is that the contribution be thoughtful and moderately entertaining to his readers.

If you would be interested in doing this please to send the Manolo the email telling him what you would like to blog about.

JUN
2012
22

Manolo Social Media

Manolo says, Look! Social Media!

Follow the Manolo on Pinterest!Like the Manolo on Facebook!Follow the Manolo on TumblrFollow the Manolo on Twiter!Manolo's Super Fantastic Newsletter

P.S. If you are not following the Manolo on the twitter, here is some of what you are missing:

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Manolo Social Media

Manolo says, the Manolo politely reminds you that he maintains the online presence on several of the most modern social media platforms. For the example…

Manolo's Shoe Blog on Facebook

The Manolo would take is as the great favor if you were to “like” his humble shoe blog on the Facebook.

Likewise, the Manolo shares some of his more ephemeral thoughts through out the day at his Twitter feed, to which you may wish to subscribe.

Additionally, the Manolo sometimes fiddles around with the Tumblr thingy and the Pinterest whatzit, pinning the pictures and tumbling the quotations that capture his fancy.

As you may have noticed, the Manolo has returned to posting more frequently, likewise, the Manolo is working to revive his moribund Super Fantastic Newsletter, which he hopes will eventually send out the weekly news about the Manolo, together with coupons, bargains, announcements, and contests. Naturally, the Manolo would be enormously pleased if you would consider subscribing to these email updates.

JUN
2012
14

Internet Famous!

Manolo says, apparently, the Manolo is famous in Romania!

Cel mai celebru blogger anonim al momentului este „Manolo the Shoe Blogger“. Nimeni nu ştie cum arată, de unde vine sau ce vârstă/culoare are dar se presupune că este latino-american. A mărturisit într-un interviu că a locuit în Argentina şi îşi încheie e-mail-urile cu „Besos“. Manolo, oricine ar fi el cu adevărat, a reuşit să-şi construiască un personaj hazliu de tip bufon care nu-i va plictisi prea curând pe miile de cititori strânşi din 2004 încoace. Marca sa înregistrată: folosirea articolului hotărât „the“ în faţa numelor de persoane şi vorbirea la persoana a treia singular. Este cu siguranţă unul dintre cei mai vânaţi bloggeri anonimi din lume.

The Manolo has only the most limited idea what is actually being said, still, it is nice to be recognized by kindly peoples in distant places, no?

And look! There were also the few paragraphs about the Manolo, last year, in the Forbes Romanian edition.

Ayyyyy! The Manolo says, to all of his Romanian internet friends, Salut!