Happy Anniversary! Five Years of the Manolo’s Shoe Blog!!

Manolo says, who could have imagined that five years ago today, when the Manolo made his first post, that he would still be here, still attempting to bring the beauty of shoes to his many and diverse friends.

In 2004, when the Manolo began his shoeblogging odyssey, there were very few other fashion blogs to be found on the interweb, and now as the Manolo once had hoped, there are dozens of shoe blogs and thousands of fashion blogs from all sorts of people, blogging from all sorts of perspectives.

This is perhaps the most amazing thing of all, that fashion reportage and criticism has become thoroughly democratized, just as the Manolo had predicted it would many years ago.

Naturally, the Manolo is bursting with pride that he has played the small tiny part in the development of the fashion blogosphere, as it’s greatest appreciator of shoes, and ridiculous clown prince. Although, much of the credit for the success of the Manolo must go to those talented peoples who have elected to help the Manolo fill the Manolosphere with writing: Never teh Bride and Twistie at the Manolo for the Brides and Manolo for the Home, Raincoaster and Spirit Fingers at Ayyyy!, Isidore Gallant at Manolo for the Men, Mr. Henry at the Manolo’s Food Blog, Glinda at the Teeny Manolo, Plumcake and Francesca at the Manolo for the Big Girl and Diable and Diablesse at the Spanish language site, Manolo Moda. All of these peoples are beyond wonderful and deserve the Manolo’s undying gratitude.

The greatest measure of thanks, however, must be given to you, the wonderful, generous, kind, indulgent, intelligent readers who have made every bit of the Manolo’s success possible.

It would be impossible for the Manolo to repay the debt of gratitude he owes to you. You have literally changed his life for the better, and for that, and for the thousand other kindnesses, the Manolo thanks you. You are most certainly, and without the single doubt, super fantastic!

SEP
2009
15

Writer’s Block!!!

Manolo says, aaaaaaaayyyyyyy! The Manolo has been suffering from the terrible case of blogger’s block! Many and profuse are the apologies which he tenders to you.

AUG
2009
01

The Manolo Twitters

Manolo says, here is the briefest taste of what you are missing if you are not following the 140-character musings of the Manolo on Twitter.

The movie “The Perfect Getaway” looks like Deliverance with hot chicks, no Burt Reynolds, and no squealing like the pig.

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Topol is still performing the lead in Fiddler on the Roof? How is that even possible? http://www.fiddlerontour.com/

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Sally Field + The Unsinkable Molly Brown – Sanity & Decorum = Mary Murphy

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Boulevardiers vs. Flaneurs = Shakers vs. Quakers. Non-violent sects occupying the same continuum of faith.

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RT @EdDriscoll If social class, wealth & taste make up a boulevardier, it is a perceptive mind that defines a flaneur http://twurl.nl/mk3bq6

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To the Chubby Blonde Lady, please do not use the hem of your sundress to clean your glasses. The Manolo can see your underpants.

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Serendipity. The Manolo turned on America’s Got Talent (for his weekly Hasslehoff fix) & there was the 53-year-old break dancer getting down

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How to ridicule dumb lyrics? Steve Allen, 1956, http://bit.ly/a1Lg0 – Alanis Morrisette , 2007, http://bit.ly/Jpp6u Alanis for the win!

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California Fashion Trend Alert: Parasols, formerly only carried by Asian ladies, are now being carried by non-Asian ladies.

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Dear Calif Highway Patrol officers sitting at the next table: The Manolo does not wish to hear ribald tales of your youthful sexual exploits

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Dear Chubby Man with the pencil thin beard: Sir, you are mistaken if you believe careful trimming can make others believe you have the chin.

Go follow the Manolo’s tweets now!

JUL
2009
25

The Manolo Twitters

Manolo says, if you have not yet signed up for the Manolo’s Twitter feed you are missing out on some tasty 140 character amusement.

Here are the few sample of recent Manolo tweets.

To the man with the bowl-shaped, salt & pepper toupee: Sir, you are not even fooling yourself, much less the MILF you are attempting to woo

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Your hairpiece says, “Look at me! I am virile and confident in my behairedness” Her body language suggests, “I would rather not, kthxbai”

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And now the hottie MILF has left, leaving Toupee Man to contemplate his game. Sir, if the Manolo may suggest somthing: Bald is Beautiful.

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SYTYCD observation: Marie Osmond + Ethel Merman – Singing Ability = Mary Murphy

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Re the movie Funny People: because everyone loves those movies where the famous comedians get to be all maudlin & sappy sentimental.

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The commercial for the Julie & Julia movie? Ayyyy! This will undoubtedly make the Manolo’s agent very, very jealous

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Zappos is the excellent customer service company, truly one of the best on all the internets. Amazon customer service? In the word: Meh.

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Trust the Manolo, If Neil Armstrong had worn these boots in 1969, we would now have the permanent base on the moon… http://bit.ly/dNSCb

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Three things that have broken the Manolo’s heart: ugly tattoos on beautiful women, La Boheme, Kirk Gibson

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Intimate Gymnastics? What is that? ….. http://bit.ly/WdMXl …. Ayyyyyyy!

Hurry, go sign up for the Manolo’s Twitterings.

JUL
2009
17

The Blogroll of the Manolo

Manolo says, the Manolo is updating his blogroll!

If you have the real life fashion blog and consider yourself the internet friend of the Manolo and would like to exchange links with him please leave the message in the comments.

JUL
2009
09

The Manolo Twitters

Manolo says, here are the few witticisms the Manolo has twittered over the past couple of the weeks.


To the middle-aged lady at the next table: you are not the newsboy, and yet you wear the newsboy cap. Please explain yourself, Madam.

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Malibu celebrity sighting: Lindsey Lohan!!!!!!! At the Country Mart with Samantha Whats-her-noodle persued by the paparazzi mob.

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Movie Review: Tetro. The ridiculous yet compelling Oedipal melodrama. As it should, Buenos Aires automotive traffic plays the major role.

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Manolo Pet Peeves: grown women who affect to walk like the little girls. Subset of Peeve: Celebrities who stand with toes turned in for pix.

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When Lady GaGa sings, “Just got my ass squeezed by Sexy Cupid” the Manolo imagines “The Ecstacy of St Theresa” by Bernini. Is this wrong?

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Poor Michael Jackson. So talented, so tormented, so sad.

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Billy Joel and his wife are getting divorced? Ayyy! This most romantic of love matches is ending? Can there be any hope for the rest of us?

So, go sign up for the Manolo’s Twitter and get the wisdom of the Manolo delivered in 140-character doses.

JUN
2009
20

The Manolo Twitters

Manolo says, the Manolo would like to remind you that he is now Twittering.

The Return of the Prodigal

Manolo says, it is Tuesday, and the Manolo has returned from his most recent Patagonian adventure, more or less in the single piece. Sadly, the Manolo’s beloved MacBook did not fare so well, as the glass of mineral water was poured into it, with the predictably hilarious results.

Unfortunately for the readers of the Manolosphere, this accident and the Manolo’s travel to remote and unwired regions of the world, coincided with the acting up of the Manolo’s internet servers. Because of these circumstances the Manolo was unable to adequately address the server problems, and thus you may not have been able to see this site or the others for the better part of last week.

Please accept the Manolo’s apologies for this difficulty.

Happily, the Manolo has now returned to Buenos Aires and next week the Manolo returns to America for at least the next several months.

FEB
2009
19

Manolo on the Go

Manolo says, the Manolo’s internet friend Cassandra has asked the Manolo the poignant question…

Manolo- Are you ever coming back?!?!?!

Yes, as soon as the Manolo works his way through these…

At the moment, the Manolo is in Mendoza, Argentina, the culminations of the two month long trip around Patagonia and Chile.

Tomorrow he returns to Buenos Aires, and next week to the more regular blogging schedule.

Where is the Manolo?

Manolo says, many of the Manolo’s internet friends have written to him asking, “Manolo, where are you?”

To which the Manolo can only reply…

Aqui!

Running with the newest members of the Posse Manolo…

(more…)

The Fourth Anniversary of the Manolo’s Shoe Blog

Happy Anniversary!!!!

Manolo says, it is hard to believe but, on this very day four years ago the Manolo began his humble shoe blog.

At that time, there were hardly any other fashion blogs on the web, and now, four years later, there are dozens, and scores, and hundreds, and perhaps thousands of the fashion blogs, many of which are devoted entirely, or in part, to those most marvelous of accessories, the shoes.

And the Manolo is so happy to have played his small, tiny part in the development of the blogosphere, and likewise, so proud of his little corner of joyfulness and shoes.

Still, the Manolo is naturally much prouder of the wonderful and talented peoples who have elected to help the Manolo write the various blogs which compose the Manolosphere: Never teh Bride at the Manolo for the Brides and Manolo for the Home, Izzy Gallant at the Manolo for the Men, Spirit Fingers at Ayyyy!, Mr. Henry at the Manolo’s Food Blog, Raincoaster and Glinda at the Teeny Manolo, Plumcake and Francesca at the Manolo for the Big Girl, with Twistie writing on the weekends, and now blogging wonderfully in the Spanish language, Diable, Diablese, and Patri at the Manolo Moda blog.

The Manolo remains convinced that there is no group of bloggers anywhere who are as consistently entertaining, or as wonderfully funny, as these amazing peoples. That they have chosen to share their talent through the medium of the Manolo’s blogs is counted by the Manolo as being among the greatest honors of his life.

Of the course, the greatest of all the meager honors accumulated by the Manolo, are the affection, attention, and generosity of the readers who visit this space, and who, more than anything else, have made this blog the success that it is.

The Manolo cannot possibly repay this debt of kindness, he cannot possibly tell each of his readers how much this has meant to him. All he can do is say to them, and to you, thank you, the thousand times, thank you.

You are indeed most super fantastic!