JAN
2008
12

The Manolo Week in Review

Manolo says, here is the best of the week from the Manolo-sphere.

Mr. Henry…

Wisdom du jour instructs dog owners to prepare raw food, in particular raw chicken, following the theory that a raw diet mimics what wild dogs ate. Since the dog had been domesticated for 30,000 years, give or take, Mr. Henry wonders just how much chicken they have been getting, historically speaking, and thus to what degree their digestion is genuinely accustomed to such fare.

Plumcake…

Today I wore them for the first time since the repair, and met a friend at my very favorite coffeeshop/cocktail lounge. Then, as I was leaving those hallowed, booze-filled grounds…SNAP!

Raincoaster…

Truly hath it been said that the days between Christmas and New Year’s are the sweetest of the calendar, and for one reason only: presents!

Twistie…

Once again, you guys amaze me with your snark and creativity.

Isidore Gallant…

A suit is good for nearly any occasion, though playing cricket, or any strenuous sport, is usually not one of them.

Never teh Bride…

While I can accept that one man’s clutter is another man’s collection, I’m firmly of the mind that if something is neither useful nor beautiful, it ought to be chucked, repurposed, sold, or given away.

Francesca…

Suddenly, the heavens opened and Francesca knew that this saleswoman was her personal messenger from God.

Spirit Fingers…

As the saying goes, there are plenty of fish and playful predatory mammals in the sea.

Glinda…

And perhaps this is the biggest question, when did underwear become reading material?

JAN
2008
11

Shoes of the Future of the Past

Shoes that light up!

Manolo says, shoes that light up! What will they think of next?

Via the blog Modern Mechanix.

JAN
2008
11

Manolo the Columnist

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

Dear Manolo:

I’m a working girl, and worse, a shop girl. Normally, I’m restricted to plastic shoes from discount dealers, but this year my family gave me $200. I’ve decided the best way to spend it is on a new pair of cute, flirty but practical, black work shoes. What would you recommend that can be worn while climbing ladders, and can be teamed with both pants and skirts?

Valeria

Manolo says, how well, the Manolo remembers his own days as the young shop boy, working in the famous shoe store of the Mercurio Bahamonde y Albornoz. Each morning the Manolo was up early and off to the shop, where he spent the day blissfully working among beautiful shoes and the people who loved them.

Of the course, the salary that Don Mercurio provided was meager, although one could supplement it by taking home packing material, which could be fashioned into perfectly comfortable sleepwear and bedding. And how luxurious it was, in the young Manolo’s tiny, seventh floor, walkup flat, to lie there snuggly warm in the giant pile of tissue paper, shredded cardboard, and packing peanuts.

Look it is the Zia from Juicy Couture, the adorable little black flat that is both flirty and practical.

Zia by Juicy Couture    Manolo Likes! Click!

JAN
2008
11

Ayyyy!

Manolo says, ayyyy! Tom Cruise Saves the Day!

JAN
2008
10

Faye Dunaway’s Boots

Manolo says, many of the Manolo’s internet friends have asked the Manolo to post the pictures of Faye Dunaway in the yellow, feathery, knee-high boots, and in the outfit with the PanAm logo.

The Manolo points you to these images, which you will view at your own peril…

The PanAm Bag

Yellow Boots One
Yellow Boots Two

JAN
2008
10

Project Runway 4, Episode Seven

Manolo says, savor these words, dear internet friends: “New Jersey High School Prom.”

Such delicious and horrifying images are conjured up, no?

And yet, for the most part, the young women who were selected to be the “clients” were smart, and sophisticated, and somewhat knowledgeable about fashion. And they seemed to provide enough guidance to the designers so that some of them were able to produce attractive and flattering gowns.

Undoubtedly, some of this precocious knowledge is attributable to Project Runway, itself, for it has popularized the production of fashion like nothing before it. Certainly, the fashion blogs also deserve much credit here, as they have demystified fashion and made it accessible, so that for the first time the voice of ordinary enthusiasts can be heard and respected.

This is all so encouraging to the Manolo, who hopes for nothing less than the complete democratization of fashion, in which talented young peoples in New Jersey, and Manitoba, and Minas Gerais, and Botswana can produce beautiful clothes and sell them to people on the other side of the world.

But back to the Project Runway, and to the designers who were confronted by these young women who had definite ideas of their own. Predictably, Christian, who is the most immature of the designers, had the most difficulty adjusting to the demands of his outspoken client.

(more…)

JAN
2008
10

Prada Sandals for the Middle of the Winter

Prada Womens Shoes Spring - Summer 2008

Manolo says, yes it is only January, and the spring is still decades away. How you long for the coming of the summer, when you can wear beautiful, strappy sandals from clever designers without feeling conspicuously out of place.

Look! it is the new Summer 2008 sandals from Prada! Is that the ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds?

Whose Shoes Wednesday…The Answer!

Manolo asked, whose shoes?

Faye Dunaway!

Manolo answers, it is the Faye Dunaway!

Congratulations to the Manolo’s internet friend Isay who was the first to know the owner of the whose shoes.

Whose Shoes Wednesday

Manolo asks, whose shoes?

JAN
2008
08

Manolo Moda

Manolo dice, no estamos satisfechos con la conquista del mundo de blogs en ingles. Estamos listos y muy bien vestidos para la invasión de los blogs en español. El Manolo presentara su nueva colección de blogs, como un armario lleno de deliciosos Manolo Blahniks, con los temas de zapatos, moda y los famosos.

El Manolo busca autores con fascinación de zapatos, moda y los famosos, un sentido de humor y por supuesto, la habilidad de escribir con inteligencia y sabor en español.

Además de fama, te prometemos un pequeño sueldo por tus ingeniosas palabras diarias. Este puesto es part-time.

Si te llama la atención, manda un e-mail a El Manolo, indicando porque serias perfecto/a para el nuevo weblog de Manolo en español y unos links o ejemplos de tu trabajo.

How Many Shoes Do You Need?

Manolo says, two of the Manolo’s internet friends Thom Wong and Linda Grant are both having the separate discussions about the requisite number of shoes that each person should own.

The brilliant and witty Linda Grant gives the almost definitive answer to the question, How many shoes for the woman?

The Manolo says “almost” because she has neglected the important categories of “beautiful shoes you have briefly glimpsed on other peoples feets, but cannot find in the stores,” and “beautiful shoes you have dreamed about, but cannot find in the waking world.” The Manolo includes these unusual categories because, for the Manolo, such shoes occupy much more space in his psychic closet than do shoes the Manolo actually owns. Thus, he considers them necessary.

Although, on closer reflection, perhaps, this sort of thing is peculiar to the Manolo.

In any event, you must go read the Linda’s entire list, as it is both amusing and totally correct.

Not coincidentally, the second conversation, being led by the Manolo’s internet friend Thom Wong, is about the minimum number of shoes required by the man. It is the firm rebutting of the ridiculous notion that the average man should own no more than three pairs of the shoes. (And here the Manolo openly scoffs at such sad and artificial limitations.)Salvatore Ferragamo Cap-Toe Oxford.

In this age of doing more with less, global energy crises, and the Ugg viral outbreak, it is the perfect time to contemplate how many shoes a man should own. The Thoughtful Dresser states a rule, unfamiliar to this writer, that a man tends to believe he doesn’t need more than three. The esteemed Manolo places that number closer to ten. The simple answer is – as many as he wears.

Most men treat footwear as an afterthought, which naturally risks derailing even the most carefully considered outfit. Before even thinking about tie and shirt combinations a man should take stock of what is going on his feet.

The Truth!

In regards to the Manolo’s declaration of ten as the magic number, the Manolo would simply note that this is the absolute minimum below which the well-dressed man dare not venture. Naturally, the Manolo would counsel that one acquire as many beautiful shoes as one’s budget and taste allow.

Perhaps tomorrow, or the next day, the Manolo will give you his practical list of the ten necessary shoes for the man.

JAN
2008
08

Jonathan Kelsey Metallic for the Tuesday

Metallic Open-toed Sandals from Johnathan Kelsey  Manolo Likes!  Click!

Manolo says, what better way to keep the mid-winter blues at bay then with the beautiful and dynamic metallic fuchsia shoes from the Johnathan Kelsey?

Take that, Seasonally Affective Disorder!