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

Dear Manolo,

Now that Fall is here, I find I need some new boots, something that will keep me warm and dry. Did I mention that I’m a poor working girl? I am, so can you please suggest something reasonably priced?

Lola

Manolo says, as always the Manolo’s advice is to save up your moneys and purchase the best quality, most super fantasticest shoes possible, as nothing can give as much satisfaction as wearing the pair of beautiful, well-made shoes.

However, the Manolo knows what it is like to be the poor person during the rainy cold season, the poor person who must fashion his own super fantastic winter boots out of plastic soda bottles and bits of home insulation that you have harvested from the abandoned building site near the cave where you keep your Madame Alexander doll collection.

Unfortunately, despite the Manolo’s boundless sympathy, when it comes to the weatherproof boots, unless you are the wizard with the duct tape and the fake fur, you will have to spend some money to get something that will both look good, keep out the weather, and last the long time.

This is why the Manolo is especially fond of the La Canadienne boots. They are made in Montreal, by the French Canadians; people who live in igloos but still care about what is appearing on the runways in Paris.

Here is the Mazy from La Canadienne. It is not cheap, but it is the solid long-term investment in comfort, the sort of handsome weatherproof boot that will be wearable for many winters to come.

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

Dear the Manolo,

I would like to ask for your expert advice and opinion. I bought a pair of tight-fit blue jeans and I need a nice pair of brown or black kneehigh (or a bit lower) walking boots that are comfortable, orthopaedic, and at the same time stylish to wear with them. I want to wear them for years and years and still love them.

Olivia

Manolo says, this word “orthopaedic”, it is to the shoe connoisseur what the garlic-dipped crucifix is to the vampire, the object of loathing and terror.

How could it be otherwise?

To be the devoted lover of the shoes is to invest our emotions in the objects of beauty and impracticality. The Louboutin with the four inch heels can never be orthopaedic. It is simply impossible. They are as water and oil.

And, yet, because we are not the vampires, but merely people of aesthetic discernment, we must sympathize with those who cannot wear the beautiful and impractical shoes.

To have the painful feets is the greater curse, and so the Manolo as the man of feeling and humanity, must master his revulsion for orthopaedia and help these poor peoples in their time of needs.

Yes, it is true, the Manolo is the humanitarian.

Look! Here is the Stefanie from La Canadienne, the knee-high boot that is not only stylish and comfortable (perhaps even orthopaedic) but also weather proof, just in time for the autumn.

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

Dear Manolo,

I love my girlfriend. She is beautiful. Clothes are beautiful because she wears them. And she needs new boots. Hers are all scuffed up beyond what a polish can do. The heel is crumbling.

The problem is that she has very, very particular taste. She wants them to be black, knee high, square toed and with a rectangular/square heel that is no more than 3.5 inches. Here are the difficult restrictions: a) No wedge heels. b) No buckles. c) Nothing with brass or gold, but silver is okay. d) Side zippers are preferable.

Can you help me buy her something for autumn and winter?

D.C.

Manolo says, while the Manolo appreciates the sentiments which would inspire one to purchase the feetwear for the beloved beauty, he must, as always, caution his friends that proper shoe fitting is exceedingly difficult without the presence of the feets in question, the fact which makes the giving of the shoes as gifts problematic.

Of the course, if one purchases from the establishment with the generous return policy, then such concerns are not prohibitive, and happily, it appears that the Manolo’s friend has carefully studied the tastes and feets of his beloved, and knows what she likes and needs, which is the sensible boot for wearing everyday.

Here is the Jenny from La Canadienne, the simple, strikingly unadorned boots which have the advantage of being weather proof.

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

Dear Manolo,

I very much empathize with your intent in posting cute and fun sandals in the middle of winter. Can I make a request, though? DC is on the middle of a massive snowstorm, and my plans for the weekend involve citywide snowball fights and frolics in the snow with a new beau. Can you suggest attractive boots that are still appropriate for Snowmageddon?

Amber

Manolo says, Ayyyyy! It is Snowmageddon! Snowpocalypse! Snowragnarok!

One minute you are having the normal sort of Washington winter, with the little bit of ice, the occasional dusting of snow, and the usual coolish temperatures, and the next, whammo! The Abominable Snow Beast has buried you under three feets of wintery white stuff, with more on the way, bub!

And the District of Columbia, which is not the most efficient governmental entity on the planet, simply throws up its hands and snuggles down by the fire with the warm cup of cocoa, while the citizens are left to their own devices.

Of the course, there is the upside to all of this snow, such as dozens of days off from your job at the Department of Homeland Phrenology, the giant hilarious snow ball fights with your neighbors, and the chance to finally meet Yukon Cornelius.

Look! Here is the Tami from La Canadienne. Perfect!

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

Dear Manolo

I’m off to study abroad in fabulous London for five months beginning this January. My travel books tell me to expect rain, rain, rain, but my beloved Pucci wellies neither fit into my suitcase nor the London fashion scene. Do you have any suggestions for some fab footwear that will get me from my flat to class (then maybe off to Soho for some shopping) and through all of the puddles in between? I’m looking for something under $200…after all, a girl needs a little extra cash for shopping in Paris!

Anna

Manolo says, London? What better place to shop for the new pair of Wellingtons, than in the place where they were invented!

Of the course, given the rapidity with which the American dollar has weakened over the past few months, by the time the Manolo’s friend arrives at Heathrow, two hundred dollars will be just enough to purchase the lamentably English meal of baked beans and strange sausages, with perhaps enough left over for the side dish of Marmite.

As for the matter of stylishness, the Manolo thinks few things are as stylish as the Pucci wellingtons, however, if they must stay behind, then the Manolo suggests the weatherproof Tula from La Canadienne to keep you warm, dry, and well-shod as you trudge through the slushy streets of mid-winter London.

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

Dear Manolo,

I’m going to Toronto in three weeks for a series of important business meetings. I’m worried that my shoes, most of which were purchased in Atlanta, will be unsuitable for the weather. What would you recommend?

Dahlia

Manolo says, ayyyy! You are going to Toronto in December! It will be like the trip to the North Pole, with all of the natives riding on reindeer and drinking maple syrup vodka straight from the tree. Pack your skis!

Actually, the Manolo, who has been in Toronto only once, in February, found that the weather was marginally better than Chicago, meaning that one only wished for death when out of doors.

In such cases of extreme climate, the Manolo recommends boots; stout, warm and weatherproof boots, made of something like walrus skin, or narwhal blubber. Of the course, as this is the business trip, one must not wear something that would cause one to lose face with the natives, who, impervious to the weather, appear in public in their shirt-sleeves until their very breath freezes in the air and tinkles to the snow as ice crystals. At which point they put on the windbreakers.

Look, here is the Devine from La Canadienne, the waterproof boot with the slip-resistant sole made in Canada, by elves! It is perfect!