MAY
2015
05

Met Gala 2015: Charlie Chan Meets the Dragon Ladies!

Manolo says, Confucius say, museum who hold big party for fashion world, get trash on exhibits. . . What ever you do, mortal, do no stare directly into the face of the Sarah Jessica Parker, lest ye be turned to stone. . . Look! It is the Maggie Gyllenhaal, and she has come to the gala straight from the automat where she was restocking the sandwiches. . . It is amazing what can be accomplished today with the animatronic technology. Still working on the artificial intelligence, though. . .

JUL
2013
25

The Season of Neon

Manolo says, the Manolo’s friends at the Designer Desirables have declared this to be the Season of Neon. Neon is rocking for Summer 2013 and it’s the perfect antidote to the sickly sweet sorbets that are all over the place. We’re talking luminous greens, yellow, pinks and oranges. It takes balls to wear neon; you won’t go unnoticed, you’ll be ousted for the fashion loving creature that you are! Oh yes neon is for victims (the fashion kind) so you better be prepared to stand behind it. The Manolo loves the neon, and he especially loves the current trend toward…

JUL
2013
23

Nostalgia for the 1990s? Already?

Manolo says, according to the blog posting at the website of the Intro, the hot menswear trends of the summer of 2013 are the varsity letterman’s jackets, nautical-inspired clothing, and the 1990s nostalgia. Get ready for a blast from the past! 90s fashion is back, as seen on the catwalks at Topman Design and Shaun Sampson summer 2013 is seeing a big 90s revival. Key trends like double denim, neon brights, acid wash, all over prints, grunge style beanie hats and loose fitting fabrics are all must haves for this season. Now I’ll admit that the 90s look may seem…

AUG
2012
27

How to Dress in Umbria?

Manolo says, one of the Manolo’s internet friends, the Rondi, has asked the Manolo the question. Happy Sunday to the Manolo! I have a serious question for you. I have won a scholarship to study in Italy and will be spending time in Umbria in September. Naturally, I would like to avoid looking like a dorky tourist and having Italians mock me. Can you give me some advice on what to pack? I am planning to bring a good deal of black (including black ballerina flats) but I also would like to bring my white jeans. Italians celebrate their Labour…

AUG
2012
04

The Edwardian Bill Cunningham

Manolo says, from the Best Newspaper in the World, comes the remarkable series of photographs, taken by Edward Linley Sambourne, the turn of the last century photographer who seems to have pioneered street fashion photography. Street blogging may be considered to be a modern phenomenon, but a series of images unearthed by Kensington and Chelsea Libraries prove that the practice may date as far back as the early 1900’s. The Library service has published several wonderful images by the late amateur photographer Edward Linley Sambourne, who was also the chief cartoonist for Punch, which give an amazing insight into the…

JUL
2012
26

Manolo’s Thursday Miscellany

Manolo says, here are the few things which may help you past the idle moment… They’re a bit Advanced Fashion so potentially not for the average user, although I honestly don’t think they’re as tough to pull off as most people think. There are some written medieval sources on possible female breast support, but they are rather vague on the topic. The manifestation of that may change from day to day, but the elements of joyful dressing for me are Movement, Color (not necessarily *vivid* color), Harmony, and just a bit of Edge.

JUL
2012
25

The Chinese Fashion Police

Manolo says, wearers of mandals and Crocs, beware!

JUL
2012
19

P’Trique and the Fashion Girls

Manolo says, “Her life is only as fabulous as her Facebook photos make it look.”

JUL
2012
17

Four Seymour Troy Shoes

Manolo says, At the Manolo’s Pinterest, he has been pinning many pictures of the historical shoes, and so now he wishes to share with you some of the things that have caught his fancy, in this case, the shoes of the Seymour Troy, one of the first famous America fashion shoe designers, famous starting in the 1920s and continuing on through the early 1960s. The first shoe, above, is this dramatic Seymour Troy button-strap suede pump, dated to the circa 1929. To the Manolo, this shoe looks totally wearable in the present day, and is probably more comfortable than you…

JUL
2012
12

Things that Manolo the Manolo Laugh: Bright Nude Illusion Gown from Paula Raia

Manolo says, to be more specific, the $5,000, orange-colored, hoochie-mama prom dress of your nightmares. Presumably, the “illusion” in the name of the dress is the reference to the belief on the part of the wearer that she is the person of stylishness.

JUL
2012
11

From the Archives of the Manolo: Metropolitan Railway Boots, 1916

N.B. Unfortunately, the interwebs at the Casa Manolo were not working for much the morning, and thus your humble shoeblogger got the late start on the day, and so, by way of entertainment, here is something good from his archives, originally posted on the January 7, 2011. Be certain to visit the original post and read the spirited discussion in the comments. Manolo says, the Manolo loves these boots on the English railway guard lady, so feminine and flattering, indeed, the entire costume is most super fantastic! From the site of London Transport Museum During the First World War, the…

JUL
2012
10

André Perugia Pumps

Manolo says, here for your midday shoe-viewing enjoyment are the embroidered red and black pumps from the master shoe maestro, André Perugia, shoes which currently reside in the Kyoto Costume Institute. Gorgeous! P.S. If you like looking at the historic clothing you should go to this blog, OMG That Dress, from which this photo comes, and follow the Manolo on the Pinterest.