Manolo's Shoe Blog

APR
2014 17

Manolo the Columnist: Vagibu by Manolo Blahnik

Manolo says, here is the Manolo’s latest column for the Express of the Washington Post. Dear Manolo Spring has sprung and my thoughts are turning to a sexy-but-not-too-bare cage sandal (bootie). I’d like to find something in a bronze or gold, but would consider beige as well. The problem is, most have heels 4″ or more, and I can’t go over 3″. Help! Kelly Manolo says, ayyyy! This is one of those insoluble questions, of the sort that the Manolo occasionally receives from his many friends. “Manolo, can you find me the pair of super-sexy, strappy comfort sandals in which…

NOV
2012 28

Happy Birthday to the Maestro Manolo Blahnik!

Manolo says, on this day, seventy years ago, our maestro di tutti maestri Manolo Blahnik graced the world with his presence! In honor of this historic event, and in honor of our Maestro’s glorious day, the humble Manolo the Shoeblogger gives to you this link to the most recent interview. Actually, I know what he means. It is strange to think, now, that there was a time not so long ago when shoes were just shoes, rather than the magical totems of success and femininity they have become. Expensive high heels have become a motif in our popular culture for…

OCT
2012 08

The Diaz Leather Ankle Boot from the Maestro Manolo Blahnik for the Monday

Manolo says, it is Monday, and you are back at your desk doing that thing that you do to make that money that you need to keep the wolves away from the door. Wolves? Ha! Would that the rampaging wolf packs were your main concern. Yes, if you live in the Montana, or the Wyoming, the wolf might occasionally, maybe, snatch up the unguarded toy poodle, or the haughty house cat (who probably had it coming), but even there the danger to your nuclear family and home is negligible. Although, certainly, most 21st century husbands, now reduced to the largely…

APR
2012 13

Manolo the Columnist: Pargata Buckle-Toe Raffia Pump from the Maestro

Dear Manolo, I am a tax attorney in an exceedingly formal office. I work with a number of charming, albeit elderly gentlemen who might well drop dead on the floor if they encounter a naked toe in the work place. However, spring is quickly passing towards summer here in New Orleans, and even my affection for my colleagues cannot compel me to wear pantyhose during the summer in this climate. Can you direct me towards an office-appropriate shoe that is not too warm for summer wear but does not reveal my lower digits? Nola Manolo says, the Manolo has often…

DEC
2011 26

From the Archives of the Manolo: Manolo Blahnik Clausado D’Orsay Pumps For the Monday

N.B. This seasonally appropriate post, which the Manolo published last year, still makes the Manolo laugh with pleasure. Perhaps it will be to your liking also… Manolo says, it is Monday, and you are NOT back at your desk, NOT slaving away for the man. You were supposed to be back in the office this morning, as surely as the sun rises in the Easterly direction, doing your bit to increase the bottom line of MarScro International, the privately held company with interests in the manufacturing, importation and marketing of such diverse products as the lead-based Chinese toys, powdered Sudanese…

DEC
2011 05

Yet One More Reason to Love the Maestro…

He does not know who the Suri Cruise is! As always, the Maestro Manolo Blahnik delights and amuses. And, just in time for the Christmas, he has produced (with Camilla Morton) the seasonally appropriate fantasy picture book…Manolo Blahnik and the Tale of the Elves and the Shoemaker Ayyyy! He does not know who is Suri Cruise AND he has the new book. That is not one, but two reasons to love the maestro!

OCT
2011 03

Manolo Blahnik Suede Ankle Boot for the Monday

Manolo says, from Aquinas: Pulchritudo non habet rationem appetibilis nisi inquantum induit rationem boni: Sic enim et verum appetibile est: Sed secundum rationem propriam habet claritatem Our friend Eco says that this is Aquinas’s proof that beauty, goodness, and truth are “equivalent and convertible”. But, the Manolo does not need the Aquinas, nor the Eco, to know this. All the humble shoeblogger must do to understand that truth and beauty and goodness are the same is gaze upon this… The pointy-toed suede snkle boot from the Maestro Manolo Blahnik.

SEP
2011 20

Manolo Blahnik Suede & Raccoon Fur Boot for the Tuesday

Manolo says, it is Tuesday, and you are back at your desk, and the Manolo is finally getting around to welcoming the new week with the short essay. Yesterday you were saying to yourself, “what gives with the Manolo, he’s usually posted one of his Monday stories by now.” To which the Manolo would reply, of the course the Manolo was not available! Yesterday was the International Talk Like the Pirate Day! The Manolo began the celebrations early, and by the time he thought to post his Monday story, the spirits of the day (both abstract pirate good cheer and…

JUL
2011 25

Manolo Blahnik Strappy Suede Sandals for the Monday

Manolo says, it is Monday and you are back at your desk slaving away for man, the weekend the fast fading memory. Sadly, most of these weekends are not even worth remembering, given over as they are to the demands of the lawn care, and the house care, and the car care, and the laundry care, and all of the niggling little cares that weigh down the suburban homeowner. It was not always thus. Once, when you and Gary were first married, you had the romantic dreams of walk-up flats in Paris and long trips to the Greek isles, where…

JUN
2011 30

Blahnik Tonic for the Blahs

Manolo says, the Manolo, who has been dumped in the downs these past few weeks, has decided he must self-medicate, and what better way than with the invigorating shoes from the Maestro Manolo Blahnik? For those suffering from the low energy, the Cerreto Buckle Snakeskin d’Orsay Pumps from the Maestro Manolo Blahnik is perhaps restorative of vigor…. And if, like the Manolo, you are experiencing the surfeit of black bile, which to the person of normally sanguine temperament is quite distressing, then perhaps the Arsenia Metallic Leather Peep-Toe Pumps will put your humours back into balance. Simple but effective cures…

MAY
2011 10

My Top 5 Movies About Shoes

Ahh the cinema. Who doesn’t love curling up on the couch, perhaps with a loved one, a good friend, or simply a snuggie, and getting lost in the magical world of movie-dom? Regardless of what your interest, chances are pretty high that you will be able to find a film that suits your fancy. Be it romance, action, comedy, horror, or a true to life documentary, there is always a title out there to titillate your mind and stimulate your senses. “But what about shoes?” you ask? No worries, I’ve got you covered. While there is no cinematic “shoe” genre,…

APR
2011 25

Manolo Blahnik Pubil Leather Sandals For the Monday

Manolo says, it is Monday and you are back at your desk recovering from the day-long festivities of Easter. Yesterday morning, it was up early, into the Easter finery, and off to the church, where you frantically search for the seats in the packed room… oh look…it is cousin Barney, and there is the space next to him for the whole family, if you pack in very tightly and do not breathe in unison. Then the festivities began with one of your favorite hymns, that old showstopper, “Up from the grave he arose, with the mighty triumph o’er his foes,…