Dear Manolo,

I’m just about to turn the Big Five-O, 50 years old. I keep myself in good shape, and I think I still look great, but I am nonetheless somewhat depressed by passing the half-century mark, so I and need a pair of shoes to cheer me up. Can you recommend something youthful and sexy, but not inappropriate?

Carla

Manolo says, Fifty? Do not despair, for fifty is the new forty-seven-and-the-half!

Actually, thanks to the modern medicine, ubiquitous gym memberships, and the superior make-up technology, the women of today generally look much younger than did the ladies of the previous generations.

Indeed, the Manolo had just recently seen the 1971 Geritol advertisement, which showed the group of prematurely aged 46-year-old womens. Sadly, it was all grey hair, wrinkly faces, and bags under the eyes, as nearly all of the women looked at least the full decade older then their actual age.

But, then, what else could be expected if one grew into middle-age in the society that regarded liquid iron supplements and smoking cigarettes as sensible parts of any beauty regimen?

Of the course, it goes without the saying that in the forty years time, the future peoples will be mocking us for looking prematurely old, and following strange advice such as injecting botulism into our foreheads to eliminate the wrinkles

Here is the Case from the Kate Spade New York, the sexy but appropriate sandal to wear to wear to your birthday party.

Dear Manolo,

I will be traveling to a wedding in Rome at the beginning of October. This will be my first trip to Italy, and needless to say, my first experience at a Roman wedding. While the issues of dress and such are important, I have the feeling that my choice of footwear will be paramount. Can you help me with a fabulous, stylish shoe that will fit in appropriately for such an occasion? I will note, the wedding will not be taking place in a church.

Amy

Manolo says, how wonderful the Manolo’s friend is to be visiting Rome in the month of October. This is undoubtedly the most beautiful time to be in the Eternal City, and if one is lucky, everything, from the crystalline blue skies and the gentle warm sun, to the charming way your waiter winks at you as he takes your order, will conspire to make you fall in love with the city. Even, the ever-present possibility of sudden death by taxi will only add to the magic of Rome.

Of the course, if one is not lucky, your bags will be plundered at the airport by the corrupt officials, gypsies will steal your purse near the Coliseum, and the crazy Roman drivers will douse you repeatedly with muddy water left in puddles along the street by the unseasonable rain.

But, such are the chances one takes when one travels, no?

Here is the Tilly from Kate Spade New York, the molto elegante demi-d’Orsay pump that would go well with almost anything.

‘Tis the season for outdoor parties, which invariably provokes harrowing shoe angst in me. I love the great outdoors. Really I do. They’re a lovely place to sprawl out with a good book and a Nalgene bottle full of mint juleps. But Mother Nature has a long-burning vendetta against me. Try as I may to be prepared for whatever gravel pits, mudslides, and rivers of lava she may throw in my path, I never seem to be wearing the right shoes.

This became painfully clear at a splendiferous wedding that I attended in the Hungarian countryside last month. Guests were treated to abundant wine, whole roast mammals, flitting cherubs, and gamboling fawns. The bride, ever attentive to her friends’ collective fabulosity, even had wooden walkways lain in the fields so people could walk comfortably from place to place. This worked marvelously until the walkways got wet and turned into a network of Slip n’ Slides.

By now I think you can see where this is going. . . two broken sandals and a solicitous Hungarian peasant boy later, I sorely lamented my choice of footwear.

The difficulty with picking shoes for outdoor events is that your footwear must be practical and adaptable to all sorts of terrain. That means no heels unless you’re out to aerate someone’s lawn. Bigger trouble still is that your footwear often winds up looking eminently functional. So here are a few shoe selections that are practical, adaptable and elegant. . . and even a couple with a little altitude built in.

Swoosie, by Kate Spade, will keep your feet firmly planted on terra firma with arch support often lacking in strappy little sandals. Plus, they’re adorned with little golden grape clusters.

And Oona, by Loeffler Randall, would be perfect with those white wide-legged trousers you have. You know, the ones that make your legs look a mile long. Those trousers.

Finally, Jean, by Stuart Weitzman, is the perfect combination of polished and relaxed elements. I usually get a little queasy at the sight of cork heels. But these are so pitch perfect that you don’t have to worry about looking like the sort of leather-textured woman who molests cabana boys with coconut oil.

Now go outside and play!

Dear Manolo,

Every Easter since I’ve been a little girl, I’ve gotten a new spring dress and a new pair of shoes. Can you help me pick out this year’s pair?

Daria

Manolo says, it is the spring, the Manolo’s most favoritest time of the year, when the weather turns clement, and the flowers are blooming, the bees are buzzing, and the birds are singing their sweet songs of birdly love.

And, for the Manolo, Easter is the highlight of the season, when the church-going peoples get dressed up in their finery and parade themselves joyously before God, like the King David dancing in front of the Ark of the Covenant.

Of the course, for the children, Easter is the holiday that teaches the very important life lessons.

In the morning they will fling themselves headfirst into the pile of candy that has been delivered in the night by giant magic rodent. Afterwards, filled to bursting with the sugar, they will be forced in to the formal clothing and made to sit still on the hard pews while the preacher and/or priest waxes poetic at great length.

Excessive Indulgence and fairy tales, followed by the lengthy period of enforced obedience and boredom, it is good training for college and the working life that follows.

Here is the Blush from Kate Spade, the open-toe slingback with the tiny mesh daisies that are fully expressive of the unbounded joys of the season.

I love vintage clothing. The cut, elegance, and craftsmanship of clothing from the 1930s to the 1960s have always captivated me. Perhaps it’s because I can’t separate the fashions of those decades from the films. I’ve got my Bette Davis suits, my Barbara Stanwyck blouses, and my Jayne Mansfield sweaters. I wear my vintage pieces for work and play, mixing them up with current clothes to keep anything from looking costumey. I love the art of vintage clothing construction so much that I’ve even bought scraps of vintage dresses only to admire the exquisite handsewn beadwork left on pieces of shattered silk. But there’s one place I draw the line: vintage shoes. (Cue outrage and indignation from all the vintage fashionistas out there.)

Here’s the deal. Unless you’re a collector who hangs fancy shoes from your Christmas tree, don’t buy vintage shoes. No matter how curvaceous the vamp, well-turned the heel, or smooth the skin (yes, we’re still talking about shoes,) try to resist their siren song. I speak from experience. Over the decades, leather weakens, glue dries out, and stitching breaks. However accomplished your cobbler, he cannot restore such shoes to wearable condition. So when you consider buying a pair of vintage shoes, ask yourself, “Do I feel lucky?”

Right now I have two pairs of vintage shoes. I wear neither of them. Because for every pair of vintage shoes presently in my closet, three died painful, public, embarrassing deaths. There isn’t a place in New York City where I haven’t wiped out in a pair of gorgeous vintage heels. I went down in a blaze of pantyhose when my 1940s snakeskin ankle-straps disintegrated underfoot at Columbia University. I landed skirt-over-face on a midtown sidewalk when the heels of my 1950s cherry-red babydolls snapped clear off beneath me. And, apart from the concussion, I can’t remember what happened after a pair of 1930s golden sandals gave out in the East Village.

So rather than risk your hard-earned money on a pair of shoes that may leave you and your virtue(s) splayed out on the pavement for all to see, save your pennies for new shoes with a vintage vibe.

These crisp white lace-ups from Chloe remind me of the Katharine Hepburn’s sporty chic look.

Kate says, 'If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun.'

They’re reminiscent of the ghillies that were popular in the 1940s, but are miles away from the orthopedic ones your nana still wears.

And these deceptively simple Kate Spade pumps, with their almond-shaped toe and low, curved vamp, are reminiscent of Jean Harlow’s infamous “where’s my shoe?” scene in Red-Headed Woman.

Jean Harlow says, 'Do it again! I like it!'

The heel is narrower than you’d see on a shoe from the 1930s, but the sleek and subtle curves are emphatically art deco. They’d be as fitting at the office as they would out on date night.

And finally, there are these shoes from Salvatore Ferragamo. Every time I see them, they bring Sophia Loren to mind. Like her, they’re classic and restrained, yet unabashedly sexy.

Sofia tells Salvatore, 'Everything you see I owe to spaghetti.'

I became intrigued by espadrilles when I visited Cuba, a number of years ago.

There to experience the island’s university system, I spent an evening at the Hotel Armadores de Santander, a grand hotel in old Havana.  In the morning, I opened the French doors that led to a pink-tiled deck overlooking the Malecón. 

A previous guest had forgotten—or left behind—her sky-blue espadrilles; they sat contentedly under a table, all sun-and-salt-water bleached beauty.

What was so appealing about this humble mix of cotton canvas and jute?  Exactly that: the simplicity of design, the thoughtful color, and the fact that the espadrilles had been much loved (or much worn, at the least; they were abandoned).

This spring, designers have been in a flurry as they reimagine the classic espadrille, with looks that range from pretty to the truly eccentric. 

Here’s the “Tahiti espadrille pump” from Dior, which seems to be a fancy drink umbrella and shoe all in one;

The “cage” espadrille by Yves Saint Laurent;

Lanvin’s ballet-inspired “French” espadrille, in satin;

Kate Spade’s “Lido,” which conjures happy visions of bathing huts at the beach, or perhaps the stripes on Tadzio’s sweater in Death in Venice;

Tory Burch’s version, with her ubiquitous logo.  If I could coin a portmanteau, I might call it toobiquitous;

Ralph Lauren’s winning platform ankle wrap in a neutral tobacco;

a classic picnic-blanket version from Castaner, the Spanish company that has been making espadrilles since 1927;

the Tamariu tie espadrilles, worn to spectacular effect by Penelope Cruz in Volver (remember the from-the-beneath-the-bed shot?);

and this curious inclusion from Bergdorf Goodman’s website.  Made by Prada, this “espadrille” reflects neither the traditional espadrille materials nor design.  I call it the “ugly ’drille-ing.” (It’s more macaw than swan, though.)

My favorite espadrille remains the classic model, made in either Spain or France, without embellishment—the kind that can be kicked off at the beach or worn in town. 

Which model would gentle readers choose as the winner of their “Espy” award?

Dear Manolo

Do you have any super fantastic holiday shoe suggestions for those of us who are very pregnant and are therefore having to stick with flats this year or risk falling into a snow bank?

Anne

Manolo dances,
All the pregnant ladies
All the pregnant ladies,

All the pregnant ladies,
All the pregnant ladies,

All the pregnant ladies,
Put your bellies up
Up in the air, you just threw up
Got the queasy stomach
Wear them flop flips, but now you bout to trip
Cuz another shoe failed you
You up on heels, but then you off
Throw them in the compactor
Cuz you cried your tears, it’s the end of the year
Can’t wear the barefeets

Cuz its Christmas and you gotta put some shoes on it
Feet are swollen and you gotta put some shoes on em.
Office party, so gotta put some shoes on it.
Feet are swollen and you gotta put some shoes on em.

Wo oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh oh

Look! Here are the super fantastic spangly flats, the Flash from the Kate Spade New York, the sort of shoes that will make you want to strut your swollen stuff.

Manolo says, the Holidays of the 2010, they have arrived!

And you will need, as everyone does, the red-colored, velveteen, platform shoes with the sparkly dots… and you have looked everywhere for them, the low and the high, but you could not find them… but then, just as you had given up… ¡mira!… there they are, the Giada from Kate Spade!

And, now, all you need is the dress to go with them.

Dear Manolo,

My in-laws are coming for Thanksgiving, and my problem is that my mother-in-law is always making these remarks about how I don’t dress up enough. My husband is an only child, so I don’t think she really understands what it’s like to raise three young boys. However, I’m going to make the effort. Can you suggest something that will make me look super fantastic while I’m basting a turkey?

Melissa

Manolo says, while the Manolo deplores the in-laws who get all up in one’s business with the catty comments, the Manolo also deplores how the most important of our family ceremonies are now merely one more opportunity to loosen the drawstrings on the pants of sweat.

And so, the Manolo must applaud his friend’s decision to dress up, even if she is doing so only to please the sharp-tongued person who should be locked out on to the back patio like the misbehaving family dog.

But, we are civilized peoples of good breeding and common sense, and so we cannot force this woman to stand in the snow, her nose pressed against the sliding glass door, watching her family eat turkey. In the stead, we must turn the other cheek, and tolerate the barbs as best we can, because it is better when we show the generous spirit to those we love, even when they are not generous with us. For remember, one day, in the not too distant future, your own daughters-in-law will wish to banish you to the patio.

Here is the Marli Too from Kate Spade New York the remarkably comfortable wedge heeled shoe favored, according to the New York Times, by the lady politicians, and who knows better how to smile politely while being insulted than the lady politicians?

Dear Manolo,

I have been invited to attend my boyfriend’s company holiday party this year and am very excited because I’ve been told it is usually an extravagant and rollicking good time. Unfortunately, it takes place at the baseball stadium for our local professional team and while the invitation sets out a dress code of anywhere from cocktail to evening, it does also warn that in previous years, women wearing stilettos have had some problems walking around in the infield where apparently many of the activities take place. The invitation actually goes so far as to suggest ladies wear flats with their cocktail and evening dresses. I’m a reasonably tall girl who believes in maximizing my height wherever possible, so something inside me recoils at the suggestion of wearing flat shoes with whatever stunning party dress I come up with. My brilliant solution to this dilemma is to wear wedge heels to the party but I am a little concerned by the fact that wedges tend to have a more casual vibe and I am definitely looking for something sexy and glamorous in my shoe solution. Can you recommend some fabulous wedges worthy of building a holiday part outfit around?

Sam

Manolo says, as the Manolo’s friend has recognized, it is indeed difficult to find the wedge heel shoe that would be suitable for wearing to the formalish affair, even one at the baseball field, and which will most likely feature the peanuts, the crackerjacks and the feet-long sausages.

The problem with the wedge shoe is that it is inherently “funky”, having the lingering associations with the jitterbugging girls of the 1940s, and tie-dyed hippies of the 1960s, two groups whom one does not associate with the elegant soiree clothing.

And so, the Manolo would first recommend to his friend that she again consider wearing the flats shoe, for there are many, many sparkly-elegant ballet flats that could very easily meet her needs. However, if she persists in her desire to tower over others, perhaps she should try to stand on the pitcher’s mound, holding court from that elevated height. But, if this is not practical, here is the Bet from Kate Spade New York, the demi-wedge sandal in gold or silver that would be suitable in the pinch.