Dear Manolo,

My mom is going to appear on a local television show and is bringing me as her plus one. I need something that is casual but also comfortable.

Elisa

Manolo says, the Manolo has not asked, nor was the information volunteered, but the Manolo is now burning to know the context of this motherly appearance on the local television program. Indeed, in the absence of information, the possibilities to exercise the imagination are deliciously endless.

For the example, the Manolo wonders, is the Mother of Eliza being feted on the Channel 37 Action Eyewitness News at Noon for her recent victory in the National Corn Flake Bake Off? (Once tasted, who could ever forget Mom’s Crunchy Chicken Kiev, Iowa-Style?)

Or, perhaps, Mama Eliza is being arraigned on criminal charges resulting from the unfortunate events that occurred during the release of her new rap gangsta album?

Maybe, instead, she is the community activist, working to save the habitat of the greater crested greeble, who has finally been invited to say her piece on that community affairs show that airs at 5:30 on the Sunday mornings.

Whatever it is, the Manolo recommends that her daughter wear the sensible but attractive shoes, because undoubtedly it will be the wild time. Here is the Cole Haan Air Lainey Chain Wedge in nougat-colored suede and patentleather. Perfect for the sudden celebrity.

Manolo says, Ayyyy! it is the hot-rodding Prada Tail Fin Wedge sandals! Clearly our muse Miuccia has had the very specific influence: the 1959 Cadillac, with the bullet taillights!

The Apotheosis of Tail Fin!

Here are three shoes from the Diane von Furstenberg which will help you usher in the new season.

If you are especially brave, maybe you will break out the shorts, in which case you will need the The Klee, the fun toe-ring flat sandal perfect for helping you shiver through until the real spring arrives.

Although, maybe your desire to to show off your wintery legs to good advantage is not as absolute as you first thought, or, perhaps you want to distract viewers downward, away from your holiday remnant thighs, either way the Opal is the sort of snazzy-juicy platform that would look super-fantastic on the first day of the new season.

Maybe, on careful reconsideration, your legs would be better covered with the seasonalish capri pants, in which case The Botswana, available in eight safari-themed finishes.

Dear Manolo,

At the end of the month, I’m taking a series of exams, the final portion being an hour long oral defense of what I wrote in the written exam concerning marriage in Rome, Latin poetry, necromancy, magic and the Goddess Hecate; (in multiple essays, not just one). It’s very frightening, as I am just a shy and lowly undergraduate. I want to WOW my professors in the orals, but I need the confidence that can only be gotten from fabulous shoes (on a budget though, I am a college student). Do you have any suggestions?

Betsy

Manolo says, on the one of the hands, what else would one wear to take the exams about the world of Rome than the handsome pair of the gladiator sandals?

But, on the other of the hands, that would be too obvious, would it not?

And yet, on the third of the hands, the professors who are doing the examing are probably the Romanophiles, and so would certainly be amused by your choice of the feetwear.

Although, on the four of the hands, probably not.

Still, on the fifth of the hands, the sandals of the gladiator sandals are comfortable, yes?

Besides, on the sixth of the hands, it is February, and cold and wet, even in Rome itself.

Ultimately, on the seventh of the hands, you must project the aspect of confident seriousness, not frivolity, and so the Manolo recommends the Vivian from the Kors by Michael Kors, in the Taupe Kid Suede (also available in 11 other finishes.) Not exactly Roman, but when in Academia one must do as the Academians do.

Dear Manolo,

Labor Day is this weekend, and I’m confused about the rule that prohibits the wearing of white after that date. Where does it come from and why should I pay attention to it?

Miranda

Manolo says, it has been two or more years since anyone has asked the Manolo about the white shoes and the Day of Labor, the fact which the Manolo takes as evidence of the final death throes of this old rule.

Its origin lies in the ancient history of Edwardian America, when lightweight suits, hats and shoes in light colors became the preferred summertime clothing of the rich and leisured. When the summers ended, these comparatively casual clothings were put away and the sobriety of black and brown were resumed.

To have several suits of seasonal clothing, when the working people made do with the same clothing year round, was considered the mark of refinement, hence it became the rule to which the socially elevated and those who aspired to that status, rigorously adhered. White in summer, black and brown the rest of the year.

Now, of the course, we live in the vastly more crass and materialistic culture, and clothing is cheap, and cheaply made. And the rich and famous are distinguished not by their sartorial refinement, but by the outrageousness of their televised antics.

And so the Manolo’s rule is now wear what you desire, as long as it is refined, well-made and appropriate to you and the occasion.

Here is the Just The Little Knotty Wedge from Lilly Pulitzer, not exactly white, but still the fun and flirty post-Day of Labor rule breaker.

Dear Manolo,

This summer I will be on a faculty fellowship at an Ivy League university, where an ambitious film actor is also pursuing one of his 11-or-so literary PhDs. What kind of footwear can I wear with my floaty dresses that will at once announce “serious academic” to my colleagues as well as “important ingenue” in case the actor’s looking for a fresh co-star?

Kate

Manolo says, to paraphrase the immortal Dorothy Parker: seldom cast as actresses, are the girls who wear glasseses.

Despite the unusual circumstances involving the pretty boy actor and the Ivy League fellowship, this is the variation of the old conundrum: how does the smarty-smart girl attract the admiring male gaze without feeling, self-consciously, that she is the gender-traitor for conforming to the traditional, heteronormative, patriarchal orthodoxy.

Although, the modern world, being infinitely more complicated than the 1980’s music videos, offers further difficulties that the acerbic Ms. Parker could never have imagined.

Or, to paraphrase the Thomas Dolby, “Good Heavens, Miss Sakamoto! You’ve filed harassment charges against me for noticing that you’re beautiful!”

Which is why the pretty boy actors tend to date the pretty girl actresses, because such academy-specific complications do not enter into the mathematics of Hollywood romance.

But, it never hurts to give it the old college try. Here is the Willie from Diane von Furstenberg, the sharp-looking wedge heel sandal with enough intellectual interest to maintain ones credibility in the faculty lounge.

Manolo says, the Manolo is feeling especially in the pink today, and so what better way to express this happiness than with something fun and flirty and especially joyful, like these wedge sandals from the Lilly Pulitzer, the Just the Little Knotty Wedge.

Perfect for your Saturday outing to the yacht club for lazy late brunch!

“Please,” bethought the Manolo, “you are both 27. You should not be dressing as if you were waiting for the Justin Beiber tickets. And it is spring, which is not the season for the Uggs!”

“So, Mr. Dandified Smartypants,” retorted the girls in the mind of the Manolo, “what should we be wearing?”

“Beautiful spring wedges from the Elie Tahari!”

The Robin Wedge.

The Rita Wedge.

The Alicia Wedge

Dear Manolo,

I make my living as a wedding photographer. I would characterize my style as less traditional and more journalistic, which means I try to blend in somewhat with the guests, and move around a lot. When the weather warms up, I’ll be doing a lot of outdoor wedding on lawns and cobblestones, so I’d like a find a good wedge heel shoe, but one that looks classy and would go with my usual outfit, a silk shantung pantsuit. Please help.

Anne

Manolo says, the wedding photographer is one of the most difficult of all creative occupations.

On the one of the hands, if you do the job well, you will be praised for properly memorializing one of happiest days in the life of the family. Your work will sit on the mantelpieces and pianos of parents, siblings, and future children for generations to come.

On the other of the hands, if you fail, you will be reviled as one of the great villains of history, alongside the Ghengis Khan, John Wilkes Booth, and the man who invented the 1040A form.

You will be blamed for marriages that go bad, and your failure to photoshop away the mustache and double-chin of the bride, or your picture of Uncle Leo plumber’s crack will be cited in divorce documents and become legend among the members of extended families. Which is why it is important to always ask for the big deposit up front.

Here is Lilly Wedge from the Lilly Pulitzer, the simple, elegant wedge heel sandal available in silver or gold.