Manolo’s Shoe Blog

Manolo says, here, long overdue, is the first Carnivale of Couture!

The Manolo he wanted to start the first Carnivale and the new year with the interesting and the timely topic, and what could be better then asking the super fantastic, super smartie fashion bloggers for their fashion predictions for 2006.

Manolo loves the shoes, and so what better way to start the first Carnivale of the Couture than with the Shoewawa’s Spring shoe predictions, which they are the chunky leather, platform moccasins, formal-looking wedges, and white!

At the I Am Fashion, the Herrods Girl and the Barneys Girl they are predicting that this it will be the season of the pretty white blouse and the stockings.

The wonderful Coolchiq says that the slaves to the fashions of the 2006 will be sporting the high waists, the balloon skirts, the calm neutral colors, and vegetable prints!

The Verbal Croquis (who the Manolo has just discovered and added to his blogroll) predicts the return of the purple, the 1940s, and lots of the militaria.

The Pink Mirage, who the Manolo has loved and read from the first day of her blogging, predicts that the animal prints they are out, the white and the cream they are in, and, the best of all, Pirate Galliano!

The Counterfiet Chic, the smart and stylish lawyer who blogs about the fashion and the counterfeiting of the fashion, she says that white/brown/greige is/are the new black/blacks.

The Devilish Heels says that the shoes of the 2006 will be more over the top then ever.

The DoggieWoggie, she gives us the dog fashion trends for the 2006.

The Jewlery Weblog says that it will be the layers, the romance and the beads for the 2006.

At the Persiflage the outlook for the 2006 it is indeed very grim: another year of the Uggs, the velour and the low rises.

For the Bagsnob, the 2006 it means crocodile!

The Shangrilaw predicts, the return of the curvy girly girls, not the skinny flat-as-the-board girls, but the curvy, bouncy, bosomy girly girls, in girly underwear.

And, at the last and appropriately, the Final Fashion has the few words about the end of the Megatrends.

For the future of the Carnivales, the Manolo he will host the next one here at his humble shoe blog, but he would like to have the Carnivale of the Couture rotate through the fashion blogosphere, so that all may share in the duties and the bounty of the traffic. So, if you would like to participate please email the Manolo so that he may put your name on the list to do the hosting.

The topic for the next Carnivale, to appear next Friday, it is: Fashion Don’ts That Make Your Crazy.

Prepare accordingly.

Manolo says, now that the Manolo is back at the blogging it is time to (in the words of the Emeril) “kick it up the notch”, and so the Manolo he would like host later this week the first Carnivale of Couture, the collection of the bloggings from the Manolo’s internet friends the fashion bloggers.

And to help his many internet friends to find the topic on which to write, the Manolo he would propose blogging about the topic: Fashion Predictions for 2006

So, if you are the fashion blogger, or the blogger who would like to write about the fashion trends of the new year, blog something good and send the Manolo the link. On the Thursday or Friday of this week, the Manolo he will post the links and we will have the first Carnivale of Courture.

Manolo says, the Manolo’s internet friend the Virginia Postrel, she is also purse blogging today!

Actually, the Virginia she is cool blogging, posting the article in which the she considers what it is that makes something “cool”, and among the things cited as being cool for her is the most attractive purse from the BCBG Max Azria.

Ultimately, however, although the Virginia can point to the items of coolness, she cannot explain exactly what it is that makes them cool.

This it is because the “coolness” is more about the emotional than the intellectual.

In the past the Manolo he has discussed this matter of the super fantastic, which although not the same as coolness is similar enough for the purposes of this discussion. In such discussions, always the Manolo returns to this conclusion.

Sometimes the Manolo he can explain why something, it is super fantastic. Other times, the Manolo can only feel the super fantasticness in the vibrating of his very being.

This it is the recognition that the emotional response to the item under consideration precedes and and sometimes preempts the rational consideration, so that we want something before we know precisely why we want it.

It is the opinion of the Manolo that if we have trained out tastes over time, through exposure to truly wonderful things, we can come to rely upon such emotional responses as being worthwhile of acknowledgement. So that, for the example, the Manolo he does not need to articulate and explain why he loves the particular shoe, because he can feel, and he has learned to trust his tastes in such matters of feeling.

This it is exactly what is happening to the Manolo’s friend the Virginia. She cannot articulate why, but she nonetheless knows.

P.S. You must also buy the Virginia’s book The Substance of Style : How the Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce, Culture, and Consciousness. It is one of the Manolo’s favorite books from the past two years, and it would make the fine gift for one who likes to consider the role of style in the modern world.

Manolo says, the discussion session it did not work exactly as the Manolo had intended, mainly because the technology it hindered the Manolo, rather than helped, as it was not the Manolo’s voice that you heard, but someone who was attempting to read the Manolo’s IM’ed responses to the questions.

However, the Manolo he has the few words of response that he was unable to make known during the session.

First the Manolo he would note that the Kim and the Never teh Bride they were wonderfully well-spoken and informed about the importance of the fashion blogging.

For the Manolo the great trend, as he has noted below, it is the democratization of the fashion, and the great strength of the fashion blogging it is that it is part and parcel of the democratizing trends of the age.

Individuals now have voices that are being heard, and the animus of the Elizabeth Hayt to the blogs perfectly illustrates how this trend it has upset the poobahs and panjandrums, who believe that they alone are entitled to speak to the unwashed masses.

But, sadly for the Elizabeth the Correspondent and those who are like her, the world it is changing under their feet, and the pride they take in their ignorance and lack of curiosity will not change this.

Update: Ayyyyy! The Manolo he neglected to mention that the Kristen, who the Manolo thought was quite funny, was also on the panel. Many apologies.

There is the marvelous picture of the Kim, the Kristen, and the Elizabeth the Correspondent.

Manolo says, it is not the secret that the Manolo he has recently joined up with the Pajamas Media (who will by the time you are reading this be called the OSM). This it is the new media venture designed to join the bloggers together with the old media peoples under the single roof.

It is also not the secret that the Manolo he has been asked to moderate (via the computer from the comfort of the Manolo cave) the discussion session at today’s launch party of this new company. This session it will be entitled “Are Blogs the New Black”, described as “the lighthearted look at the fashion industry’s mingling of pop culture, passion and power.”

This description it is not correct. The fashion industry it has little control, except as subject matter, over the actions of the fashion bloggers.

In the stead, the Manolo he would describe this session as “Let The Hundred Flowers Blog: the Democratization of the Fashion and the Fashion Reportage.”

As the long time internet friends of the Manolo know, the Manolo he is convinced that one of the great trends of this the new century it will be the democratization of the fashion, just as one of the promises of the blogging revolution it is the democratization of the news and the commentary.

What does the Manolo mean by the democratization of the fashion?

The Manolo believes that as more peoples they are becoming better educated, they are demanding the beauty and the good design in their own lives, and that the best fashion it will appeal not just to the cognoscenti, but to the wider world.

Thus the search for the suitable, flattering, and appealing individual style, it has become the true quest, the true desire of millions.

There are the dozens of the things both small and great that the Manolo can point to to support his thesis.

For the example, within the last twenty-five of the years the names of the most famous fashion houses, Prada, Gucci, Chanel, they have become the household words, and their fashions have trickled down so that they are coveted by millions, including the American rap stars and the British chavs, alike.

Likewise, the desire for good design and fashion, it is revealed by the current great success of the department store chain the H & M in selling the designs of the Stella McCartney at the affordable prices, just as last season it had (to the chagrin of the Manolo) the great success in selling the designs of the Lagerfeld.

Or if you wish to see the same principle at the work in the matter of the housewares look at this, The George Foreman/Michael Graves Grilling Machine.

We now wish our clothes, our things, even our grilling machines to be stylish in the way that we hope reflects our indivuality.

At the same of the time, the medias they have become more democratic, and the new media tools, especially the blog, they have given ordinary peoples– shoe lovers, teenaged girls, dandies, stylish college professors, and anyone who has the computer– the tools to talk about the style and the fashion to the wider audience, to become the fashion and style critics.

Many of these new critics they are not only passionate about the fashion, but they are also wonderfully knowledgeable and entertaining writers. And, as the consequence, they are gaining the audience for their writings on the internet, joining their voices to the voices of those who have been annointed fashion critics by the newspapers and the fashion magazines.

Once, we had to wait for the Vogue, or the New York Times to read what the high and the mighty thought about the latest runway show. Now, on the day of the show, we can turn to the La Coquette in the Paris, or the Spirit Fingers in the Hong Kong, or the Cool Chiq in the Scandinavia, or the I Am Fashion girls in the New York and the London for the informed and entertaining commentary.

This it is nothing short of miraculous, and it is why the Manolo he is excited about the future, about the possibilities of discovering the new talent, the new views, the new ways of looking at fashion and style. It is also why the Manolo he is the greatest supporter of the fashion blogging, because he belives that this process of democratization it cannot but result in good things.

The Age of the Super Fantastic it approaches!

Manolo says, the Chelsea Clinton, she has gone all Rachel Zoe!

Backed into the corner, the sisters Olsen respond with …Super Mecha Rachel Zoe!

Manolo says, the Rachel Zoe look, it is now officially over.

Manolo says, Ayyyyy! The animal prints they are everywhere this season!

First the spectacular one from the Dolce and the Gabbana.

Then the semi-practical one with the round toe, from the Kenneth Cole.

Finally, if you are going to wear the animal prints, do not be shy. The super fantastic girl who would wear these boots from the Donald Pliner she is indeed the creature of dangerousness.

Manolo says, it is the fahion week in the big city, and the Manolo he is the very busy man. However, many of the Manolo’s internet friends they have been doing the exemplary coverage of the shows and the clothes.

The Barney’s Girl and the Herrod’s Girl they have been analyzing several of the shows, including that of the Marc Jacobs.

Lera the Fashion Addict notes that the trends for the spring they are the beige, the empire waists, and the short shorts.

The Bunnyshop she is bored with this season. (And here the Manolo he must partly agree. Beige?)

The Fashionologie she also says that bland is the word. Although, like the Manolo, she gives the qualified props to the Project Alabama, but not to the Marc Jacobs soundtrack.

The Brittney Ancell, until she saw the spring-colored show of the Temperly she was “worried that everyone was going to be walking around in ill-fitted, neutral-hued clothing next year.”

The Girls at the Papier, they expend much energy getting into the shows, so as to be amazed by the Diane von Furstenberg.

And, finally, you must vist the Fashion Tribe, as they are podcasting the fashion shows! Even the better, if you listen to the podcasts you will see why they make the Manolo laugh with their sassy-bad-selves. Listen to them talking about the Zac Posen, and you will be swept up by their jejune enthusiasms for the fashion. They are indeed most amusing and most charming, even if the clothes this season are not.

UPDATE: The Final Fashion has many pictures of the shows, and she agrees with the Manolo that the Alexandre Herchcovitch collection is this seasons worst.

Manolo says, Ayyyyyy, the Times of the New York they have done the article on the fashion blogs! And there is the picture of the Manolo’s internet friend the Barneys Girl, and she is indeed most beautiful and super fantastic.

With names like Fashionologie, Kiss Me, Stace, Shoewawa and Now Smell This, the more popular fashion blogs are compelling enough that “to ignore them is to run the risk of seeming out of touch,” said Brandon Holley, the new editor in chief of Jane, the young women’s style magazine. Readers identify with bloggers’ idiosyncratic, rebellious voices, said Ms. Holley, who has added two online diarists to her stable of contributors. The blogs, which are updated weekly, daily and sometimes hourly, are a platform uniquely well suited to fashion news, she added.

“Fashion moves so fast, ” Ms. Holley said, “that readers find the blogs keep up better than even the tabloids like Us Weekly.”

Writing with a candor not often glimpsed in the pages of that celebrity weekly, or in W, InStyle or Harpers Bazaar, bloggers form an opinionated, informed and spirited community. They may be a long way from displacing Vogue as a fashion authority, but they are steadily gaining clout with consumers and marketers.

“In coming months we can expect that fashion blogs are probably going to have the same kind of influence that we see in widely read blogs about gadgets and high tech toys like BoingBoing,” said Bob Wyman, the chief technology officer and a founder of PubSub, a search engine that offers a weekly rating of a blog’s popularity based in part on the number of links that appear in the content and also the number of postings.

This it is exactly what the Manolo said many months ago in this very blog.

The Manolo he is confident in predicting that the fashion blogging, it is only in its infancy, and that it will grow in the importance over the coming two or three years. Indeed, look for more of the fashion industry insiders to begin their own blogs.

Of the course, this it was not the especially prescient prediction, but the Manolo he takes the pride in it nonetheless, and he notes that indeed the fashion insiders, like the Beverly Feldman, they now have their own blogs.

This article by the Ruth La Ferla, it is quite good, but, sadly, for some reason, the Manolo he was not mentioned. Happily, many of his internet friends they were!