Manolo says, this is the sort of Cavalli shoe the Manolo loves, flashy, dramatic, and all-together beautiful. And the price is not outrageous.
Why cannot all of the Cavalli shoes be like this?
Manolo says, this is the sort of atrocity that makes the Manolo waver between anger and despair, while the price leaves him gasping.
P.S. Many thanks to the Manolo’s shoe-obsessed friend Wayne.
Manolo says, in the past the Manolo has criticized Roberto Cavalli for his lack of restraint as the designer, but one could never say that Cavalli does not have the marvelous sense of humor. For what could be funnier/scarier than to appear dressed as Karl Lagerfeld?
Manolo says, here is the Manolo’s latest column for the Express of the Washington Post.
Dear Manolo,
I know it’s the middle of August, but I’m finding myself daydreaming about what sort of boots I’ll wear this fall. Can you recommend a pair to fuel my fantasies.
Stephanie
Manolo says, daydreaming about the boots and the shoes of the coming fashion season? Ayyyy! You are describing what the Manolo spends most of his day doing, relaxing at the sidewalk café with the kir royale, while contemplating beautiful shoes in the eye of his mind,
It is clear to the Manolo that the Stephanie is the kindred spirit, for she has not let the oppressive heat and wilting humidity of the Washington summer prevent her from thinking about what she will wear in November.
Even better, she also knows that the daydreamings are reserved for only the most super fantastic of shoes, such as these marvelous soft leather boots from the Roberto Cavalli in the handsome burgundy color, with the crystals accents on the heels. Yes, these marvelous boots are exceedingly costly, over $1000 of the American dollars, but that does not matter, for the true beauty of the daydreams is that they are always perfectly and completely free.
Here you see the two pairs of shoes from the Roberto Cavalli, shoes which properly capture the Robert Cavalli aesthetic, which the Manolo might describe as “Long Island Russian Mafia Gun Moll”.
And yet, for all of that, the Manolo finds these shoes “almost”. Almost worth wearing. Almost beautiful. Almost super fantastic.
The problem is that the Manolo, who believes that true fashion lies on the border between the trashy and the classic, thinks that these shoes are located just across the fashionable border into the land of the trashy, which means these shoes are “almost”.
Of the course, this tendency to keep adding the junk to the shoes until they seem too much is not merely the major draw back of the Roberto Cavalli., it is also undoubtedly his greatest selling point, making his shoes perfectly suited for the flashy and unsophisticated market he has captured.
Do not get the Manolo wrong, the Roberto Cavalli is talented, it is just that he needs to be restrained.
Look here is the picture of the Cavalli at the Costume Institue Gala.
Clearly, this is not the celebrity endorsement which the more sensitive designer would be happy to have.
Update: The Manolo’s internet friend Nicole disagrees.
Manolo says, not just overpriced and ugly, but grotesquely so.
Manolo says, for the most of the part, the Manolo he does not find the shoes of the Roberto Cavalli to his taste. Yes, they are the favorites of the Hollywood crowd, but to the mind of the Manolo they are often too much over the top, and occasionally even ridiculous.
However, these boots of the Roberto Cavalli the Manolo he likes very much. Yes, they are somewhat fashion forward, with all of the strapping and the buckling, yet is there not also the tough girl chic in them?
And these they are the bargain! Over 50% off of the regular price, the savings of more than $450 of the American dollars!
