Manolo's Shoe Blog

JUN
2012 18

Manolo’s Monday Miscellany

Manolo says, here are the few things which may amuse… Whether it’s a delicate buckle or a stronger strap hugging your ankles, it’s a surprisingly sexy look—dressed up or down . When you look at that impossibly proportioned Edwardian gown, don’t you wonder how tiny that waistband actually is? I know I do! . Now 30, Mr. Cohen has staked out a turf in the blogosphere that is distinctly his own, politely stalking voguish ladies of a certain age just because he can. They inspire him, he said, with their startling freedom and poise.

JUN
2012 18

Her Majesty’s A Pretty Nice Girl

Manolo says, here, from the Vanity Fair photo retrospective of Elizabethan hats, comes the most shocking photo ever of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. It is 1954, and in Australia for one, brief, glorious moment, the Queen is perfectly au courant. She is not the redoubtable, middle-class matron who visits hospitals and endures the antics of her louche children, but rather the stunningly-attired, 28-year-old, semi-hotty. Everything about this is exactly perfect, from the hat to the shoes, from the gloves to the lace. This is the example of how the woman who has not been granted great beauty, can none-the-less…

JUN
2012 17

Inspiration

Manolo says, The Muses sometimes speak to us in strange ways.

JUN
2012 16

Happy Bloomsday!

Manolo quotes, Her shoes were the newest thing in footwear (Edy Boardman prided herself that she was very petite but she never had a foot like Gerty MacDowell, a five, and never would ash, oak or elm) with patent toecaps and just one smart buckle at her higharched instep. Bloomsday, we are informed, was June 16th, 1904, thus we wonder, what sort of shoes might our Gerty MacDowell have been wearing? From 1905, these dainty, pumps give you the idea of what was the fancy fashion at that moment. More work-a-day, from the same period, is this 1905 advertisement below…

JUN
2012 14

I Can Haz Orange

Manolo says, Please, M. Henri, may I keep it. I am so very hungry.

JUN
2012 13

Psychologist Say, Shoes Really Do Make the Person

Manolo says, once again, science proves that which we already knew to be true, that shoes tell us much about the person who is wearing them. Researchers at the University of Kansas found that people were able to correctly judge a stranger’s age, gender, income, political affiliation, emotional and other important personality traits just by looking at the person’s shoes. Lead researcher Omri Gillath found that by examining the style, cost, color of condition of the shoe, participants were able to guess about 90 percent of the of the owner’s personal characteristics. And, we are supposed to be surprised by…

JUN
2012 01

Young Billionaires, Then and Now

Then: The Young Howard Hughes… Ayyyy! So dashing! Now: The Young Mark Zuckerberg… Manolo says, it is the shower shoes that really bring the ensemble together.

APR
2012 13

The UK Daily Mail, Now Officially The Greatest Newspaper in The World

Manolo says, if you doubt the Manolo, please look at this feature. But first, for the Manolo’s non-British internet friends, play the little game, before you click the link, please to guess what sort of event these ladies are attending.

FEB
2012 01

The Cardboard Art of Christian Tagliavini

Manolo says, why has no one until now told the Manolo about the work of the photographer Christian Tagliavini? It is so wonderfully amusing, and made out of the cardboard. Taking 13 months to complete, 1503 is largely inspired by the masters of the Renaissance, notably Agnolo di Cosimo (usually known as ‘Il Bronzino’) who was born in the same year as the title. Using cardboard & paper in place of material allows Tagliavini to design each item from the patterning to the final construction of form completely. In his series Dame Di Cartone (literal translation: ‘Cardboard Ladies’) several influences…

SEP
2011 01

One Hundred Years of London Style

Manolo says, the internets occasionally bring us wonderful and wonderfully amusing things, such as this video below… Not always, but more than once in this montage, not only can the Manolo tell you what year is being portrayed but what month!

JUN
2011 02

Snooki’s Fashion Accessory: Attention

Following her incident with an Italian police car yesterday, nugget sized Snooki of deplorable MTV Jersey Shore “fame” was photographed today wearing a neck brace to accompany her hideous ensemble and unfortunately she couldn’t find one big enough to cover her entire face and body. Snooki and her co-star Deena got into a minor traffic accident on the streets of Florence, which shockingly according to police reports involved no alcohol. Snookie was apparently driving a vehicle (sitting on what I can only assume was a child’s booster seat, seeing as I find it hard to believe she could see above…

MAY
2011 24

People of WalMart, the Music Video

Manolo says, appalling societal decay set to the catchy tune!