Manolo's Shoe Blog

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…

JUL
2012 01

Sunday Slipper from Elizabeth and James

Manolo says, yes, the slipper is the hottest thing among the fashion cognoscenti, which proves that, like the swallows to Capistrano, the classics will come back with surprising predictability. Here is the Grace from Elizabeth and James, the classic pony hair slipper in Prussian blue or canine dalmation. Perfect for jaunting about town!

APR
2011 04

Botas Exoticas: The Leningrad Cowboys

Manolo says, the Manolo’s internet friend, the Yum Yum, has pointed to high-spirited Finnish rock band known as the Leningrad Cowboys, who for the past twenty years have been wearing the pointy hair and the pointier shoes. In 1993, they even did the concert with the Red Army Chorus, of which the video below is the amusing artifact. To the Manolo, the pointy-toes and pompadours of the Leningrad Cowboys have more in common with the Japanese Rockabilly dancers as the obvious appropriation and exaggeration of the American rock iconography, while the sudden appearance of the botas exoticas of the baile…

OCT
2010 12

The Jacket of Sport

Manolo says, our friend Mr. Henry considers the Sport Jacket. To those interested in the history of fashion, mention must be made that, like so may other fashions originating as actual sportswear, the modern suit jacket originated as a hunting coat for riding to the hounds. The seat vent allows the jacket to drape elegantly astride the saddle. Most sport jackets today appear to have devolved from military uniforms, specifically the flight jacket and the motorcycle jacket.

APR
2010 28

The Maxi-Dress Moment, Pt 2

Manolo says, it is the summer of the Maxi-Dress! Here is the Regan Maxi-Dress from Lilly Pulitzer, the white strapless maxi with the so-called “burnout” tropical leaf pattern. And now, we must need some colorful shoes to add interest and flavor to the dish. The Manolo recommends pink! On the left is the Metro T-Strap Wedge Sandals from Kate Spade. On the right is the Dolce & Gabanna Estelle Wedge Sandal (which you may recognize as having been recommended by the Manolo in the green color the couple months ago). Of the course, you are not limited to pink with…

APR
2010 27

The Maxi-Dress Moment

Manolo says, unless you are perhaps living in the cave in the Hindu Kush, you will be aware that one of the better trends of this season is the maxi-dress. Here is the single shoulder, beautifully draped, Theo Maxi-Dress from Joie that will have you looking like the Pallas Athena! And, for the shoes, pay no attention to what the model is wearing, you, of the course, will require sandals of great simplicity and unusual beauty. Sandals such as the Blaze from Elizabeth and James, which have imbibed the spirit of classical antiquity, and yet suggest not the placid classicism…

APR
2010 07

Kim Jong Il, Fashion Trendsetter!

From the Agence France-Presse comes news of the latest fashion trend. The trademark suit sported by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il is now in fashion worldwide thanks to his greatness, Pyongyang’s official website said Wednesday. Uriminzokkiri, quoting an article in communist party newspaper Rodong Sinmun, said the modest-looking suits have gripped people’s imagination and become a global vogue. “The reason is that the august image of the Great General, who is always wearing the modest suit while working, leaves a deep impression on people’s mind in the world,” it said. “To sum it up, that is because his image as…

APR
2010 06

Sweatpants for the High Fashion Slobs!

Manolo says, finally, the People of Walmart people are at the head of the fashion parade! Taking casual chic to its extreme, a number of established designers including Michael Kors, Thakoon and Jean Paul Gaultier are touting versions of the slouchy pant usually associated with stay-at-home sick days. Gussied up with expensive materials, some tailoring details and price tags as high as $1,000, this new breed of sweatpant is intended to be worn proudly in public with blazers, dressy tops and high heels. Designers say their customers are looking for fashion that’s less flashy, more practical. Plus, in shaky economic…

MAR
2010 08

Diary of the Shoe Collector

Manolo says, the website Collector’s Weekly has the interview with the super fantastic John Walford, author of the book The Seductive Shoe and shoe collector extraordinaire. Here is the very tasty excerpt. Collectors Weekly: What were women wearing at the beginning of the 20th century? Walford: This was just around the period when hemlines were beginning to creep up. Interestingly, shoes were almost a reaction to the fashions of the time. A lot of the Edwardian turn-of-the-century fashions were dripping in lace and making the most of the feminine figure, with padded buttocks, a padded bosom, and a tight waist.…

OCT
2009 26

Manolo’s Monday Miscellany

Manolo says, here are the few links which may perhaps amuse… “Maybe I lost money by not doing them when they were in fashion this time. But I don’t care. I did them in the 70s. That was enough for me. Never again! I don’t like them!” It’s a bit drafty Famous Footwear Trends Celeb Trend: Gold Lame

JUN
2009 11

The End of the Highest of High Heels?

Manolo says, the Manolo has been predicting the end of the ultra-extreme towering heels for many months now, and at last it has come to pass, as announced by Leon Andre Talley himself. Designers with an obsession for towering torture chambers, often poorly designed for the well-being of the foot, must get a reality check. I, for one, am over the mania for the high, high heel. Too many career women look like a herd of fashion beasts, aping one another in impractical shoes . . . Can’t anyone take a cue from First Lady Michelle Obama, in the elegant…

JUN
2009 09

Can’t Touch This

Manolo says, in this week’s fashion news, the return of the bicycle shorts and the drop-crotch pants. Drop-crotch pants and bicycle shorts? This can only mean one thing… Hammertime!