Manolo’s Shoe Blog

Manolo says, the website Collector’s Weekly has the interview with the super fantastic John Walford, author of the book The Seductive Shoe and shoe collector extraordinaire. Here is the very tasty excerpt.

Collectors Weekly: What were women wearing at the beginning of the 20th century?

Walford: This was just around the period when hemlines were beginning to creep up. Interestingly, shoes were almost a reaction to the fashions of the time. A lot of the Edwardian turn-of-the-century fashions were dripping in lace and making the most of the feminine figure, with padded buttocks, a padded bosom, and a tight waist. The look was ultra feminine. In contrast, shoes were often very masculine—little, tight Oxford shoes with low heels, very suffragette in comparison to the elaborate femininity of the costume itself. Even in eveningwear or with very fancy dresses, the footwear was still quite practical and masculine.

All that changed in the 1910s with the rise of the hem. There was the introduction of straps and color in womens footwear. Of course the leg was still not supposed to be seen in its naked form, so stockings were opaque. But the shoes themselves brought attention to the leg and the foot.

Shoe design took off in the 1920s and ’30s when bare legs and translucent stockings became acceptable. Suddenly shoes were brightly colored and highly decorated. French shoe designer André Perugia got his start in the 1920s, doing fantastical designs and colors and patterns for Paul Poiret. Roger Vivier designed shoes for Elsa Schiaparelli in the 1930s. This is when shoe design as we know it really began.

And now you must go read the whole thing, as it is remarkably informative and lengthy.

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

Dear Manolo,

I’m about to graduate with a masters degree in landscape architecture, and will shortly be going out to seek my fortune. To this point, I’ve not thought much about footwear, content to wear my wellies in almost all situations (I did put on real shoes for my sister’s wedding). Now, however, as I begin to think about job interviews I become somewhat nervous. What do you recommend to convey the exact right combination of professional seriousness, outdoorsy intellectualism, and artistic competency?

Jane

Manolo says, to the uninitiated, the landscape architects are merely glorified gardeners, but to those who know about such things, landscape architects are members of the ancient and useful fraternity, stretching back to God himself, who in one of his first recorded acts redirected the major water feature to produce the usable spot of dry land, where he subsequently planted the garden.

Of the course, less august landscape architects have more mundane concerns, such as how to convey the proper image through personal dress and style.

Like the traditional architect, the landscape architect must appear both professional and artistic, but with the additional burden of having to appear sufficiently in touch with nature, without resorting to bib overall and John Deere gimme caps.

The Manolo suggest expensive but comfortable, tailored suiting made from natural fibers in woodland browns and greens. Think Jedi Knights meet Robin Hood meets Prada.

Look! Here is Fanny from Donald J. Pliner, the mid-heel wedge with the rich walnut-colored leather that would look good indoors or out.

Manolo sings,
Louie Louie, oh baby, me gotta go!

A fine little shoe, she waits for me.
Me catch the ship across the sea.
Me sailed the ship all alone.
Me never think he’ll make it home.

Louie Louie, oh no, me gotta go, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, baby.
Louie Louie, oh baby, me gotta go.

Manolo says, it is Monday and you are back at your desk doing that thing that you do. It was the closely run thing, your making it to your place of work this morning. You are not feeling especially well at the moment, and are certain you are coming down with that hacking, sniffling, achy-breaky cold with which your spouse and children are afflicted. (Indeed, it is obviously going around, as even the Manolo has been felled by this late winter pestilence, and feels quite unwell as he types this missive to the world from his sickbed.)

But, you, on the other of the hands would not be stopped by the mere heavy-handed hint of approaching illness, not when there is the important project due at work, and not when staying home means yet one more day caring for the crotchety, cranky, demanding patients at home.

“Mooooooom, can you get me a glass of water.”

“Hon, can you bring me a bowl of soup.”

“Moooooom, my head hurts.”

“Hon, come feel my head. I think I’m feverish.”

“Mooooom, can you get me another blanket?”

“Hon, can you get the remote control to the TV, I’ve dropped in on the floor by the bed.”

You should probably be taking it easy at home on the couch, although you would be getting even less rest, but this morning you gulped down the giant glass of orange juice, and the fistful of over-the-counter medications, and homeopathic snake oils, and toddled off to work, your sinuses feeling like the burlap bag full of badgers.

What you need now is five seconds of looking at beautiful shoes, to soothe your nerves and distract you from your incipient headache.

Look here is the from the Zero Mirror Platform Sandal Jimmy Choo!

Ayyyy! Tonic for the body and soul!

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

Dear Manolo,

I’m taking my wife to New York for a romantic weekend. However, I’m have a devil of a time finding a pair of hip, downtown shoes in my size, which is sixteen. Please help.

John

Manolo says, at the least, the Manolo’s friend can take comfort that the size sixteen, while enormous, is not the biggest feets of which the Manolo has ever heard. Indeed, the Manolo had the acquaintance many years ago, who wore the size eighteen (which he covered most frequently in the red Converse All-Stars). And even this freakishly large size is still well below the extra freakishly large Shaquille O’Neal size twenty-threes.

It is the opinion of the Manolo that men with such majestic feet deserve nothing less than the finest custom made English shoes, although such luxurious feetwear are generally beyond the means of the average person.

In America, many big-feeted men and professional athletes (including Shaquille O’Neal) shop at the venerable Friedman’s Shoes in Atlanta which has specialized in extra big shoes since 1929. (If you cannot go to Atlanta you may visit their website at www.largefeet.com)

Likewise, there are other on-line shoe stores which carry the big sizes, including the always reliable Zappos.

Speaking of majestic shoes, here is the Rex from Donald Pliner. Wear them with blue-jeans and you will be the hippest big-footed man in all of the TribeSoNoLitaHo.

Manolo says, here are the few links which may perhaps amuse…

I like to think of them as the equivalent of a men’s tie – a way to really show off your personality, the best way to express your sense of style.

Little known fact: a lock David Hasselhoff’s chest hair sells for about €75 in Germany ($102 U.S.).

Good Girls vs. Bad Girls

Manolo says, the Manolo needed to see something beautiful and sparkly today, something that was not merely fantastical but also wearable. Hence, the Biana from Kate Spade.

Manolo says, normally when one thinks of the cage sandal, one of the shoe trends which has recently swept the field, one thinks of the aggressively urban, Queen Boadicea, lady-warrior-straps-on-her-leather-armor type of shoe, in black or dark brown.

Not our beloved Maestro Manolo Blahnik. For the man of such delicate and whimsical sensibilities, when he hears the words “cage sandal”, he thinks of birds, and of making the dainty bronze containers for your tiny parakeet toes.

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Or else, he uses brilliant blue satin to swaddle your lower extremities in Bird of Paradise color!

Ayyy! Such beautiful shoes!

Manolo says, February is usually one of the best months for the shoe sales, as it is the end of one season, and the beginning of the other. And now, here is the perfect opportunity for the Manolo’s internet friends who love the muy comfortable shoes of the Taryn Rose to purchase them at the discount.

Here are four of the Manolo’s favorite current bargains.

Above is the Harmony, the shoe the Manolo recommended exactly one year ago in his newspaper column. They remain the handsome and fun shoe, but now they are selling at the unbelievably ridiculous price of only $75! Hurry!

The red satin Camore slingback pump catches the eye with its shiny heel, making it the perfect feetwear for the cocktail party of moderate swankiness. And it is nearly half off the usual price!

The Tyra from Taryn Rose looks smashing in the disco silver and black. And, it is greatly reduced in price!

And, saving the best bargain for last…

This is the Calypso from Taryn Rose, the simple, elegant, evening sandal which will never go out of style, selling for only $135 of the American dollars! This is
the savings of nearly 70%! 70%!!!!!! Seventy Percent!!!!

Hurry! Before they are all gone!