Sergio Rossi Platforms for the Day after the Memorial Day

Manolo says, it is the day after Memorial Day and you are back at your desk, complaining to yourself about the system that requires you to be invisibly chained to your means of production.

Yes, you are fairly compensated for your mighty efforts on behalf of InEmTechCoCom, Inc, but still, humans were not meant to spend so much time engaged in concentrated labor.

Hard work was meant to be seasonal, during the planting and the harvesting, when we worked long hours in the fields. The rest of the time we should be free to collect pretty rocks from the mill stream, chase the fireflies, and swap tall tales with the old men of the village. We are creatures made for wholesome work and honest leisure, not beasts of burden to be lured with the paycheck carrot and whipped with the performance report stick.

On the upside, the modern economy allows us, if we are lucky, to purchase beautiful and impractical shoes such as these…

Sergio Rossi Platform Sandals A41720

Sergio Rossi Platform Sandals, perfect for the summer months.

The Manolo predicts, in the future, when the robots have taken over, we will all be free to enjoy life without labor….or, perhaps, be exterminated like vermin. It is 50/50.

MAY
2012
25

Manolo the Columnist: Gladiator Maine from DSquared2

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

Dear Manolo,

At the end of June I’m going to Dubai for a business conference. For the meetings, I’m going to be in strict business attire, but afterwards, I plan on dressing up and hitting the malls and the restaurants. What I need is a pair of sandals that will look great for both shopping and dining out afterwards.

Andrea

Manolo says, what could be better than Dubai in the summer? Where the outside temperature at noon is 615 degrees, Celsius!

Ah, but inside the Dolce-Gabbana-Prada-Gucci-Tiffany mega store, where the richy-rich oil sheikhs pay for their purchases with suitcases of gold bullion, the air is conditioned down to the very lovely 72 degrees, American.

Indeed, who else but the oil sheikhs would build something in the desert as crazy-beautiful as the Ski Dubai, the giant indoor ski resort in the Mall of the Emirates, where the temperature is always just below freezing, and the bunny hill beckons.

Of the course, one must celebrate such ostentatious defiance of Mother Nature with beautiful shoes, although, buying the new shoes to go to Dubai is like building the indoor ski resort in Siberia. The shoe shopping in Dubai is perhaps the best in the world. Everything is available from the most humble sandals, through the best Louboutins, Zanottis, and Blahniks, and even the bespoke shoes can be ordered.

However, if you must have the shoes before you go, the Manolo suggests this DSquared2 platform sandal, the Gladiator Maine in the brick color.

Gladiator Maine from DSquared2

MAY
2012
11

Manolo the Columnist: Nealla from Pour la Victoire

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

Dear Manolo,

After four years of hard work, I’m finally graduating next week with a degree in Renaissance Studies. Happily, I have already managed to find a lovely job that starts three weeks after graduation. (Yeah me!) Can you recommend a pair of shoes for the graduation ceremony, something fun?

Marielle

Manolo says, it is the time of the graduation, when the adult peoples don the ridiculous medieval gown and cap, and listen to the speeches about boldly seizing the future.

“Today, as you go forth from this place to boldly seize the future, remember what you have learned here in this institution, both in the classroom and out of it. Indeed, some of you will never forget what you learned just two weeks ago, during the aftermath of Fraternity Row’s Monster Spring Bash and Riot.

“And now, let me take a moment to give a special welcome to our official guests sitting among you in the audience, the sheriffs deputies, parole officers and bail bonds men, whose recent tireless efforts have made this joyous occasion possible.”

Ayyy! The life of the mind!

As for what shoes to wear, because your graduation outfit will be covered by the black gown of drabness, you will need something that “pops” as you walk across the stage, the statement shoes that that will help you boldly stride into the seizable future.

Here is the Nealla from Pour la Victoire in the bold lilac. It is also available in coral, and taupe for those who may be more timid.

Nealla from Pour la Victoire

APR
2012
18

DSquared2 for the Day After the Tax Day

DSQUARED2 Platform Sandal S12C321303

Manolo says, if you are like the Manolo, undoubtedly you will need to be cheered up on the day after the tax day. And so, what does the Manolo do when he is in the feeling not so special mood? He looks at the shoes!

Here is the wacky, expensive, colorful pair of the platform shoes from the DSqaured2, which will help you forget your recent encounter with the long, pocket-picking arm of the federal government.

$1975?!?

Giuseppe Zanotti Sparkly Heelless Platforms

Manolo asks, $1975? Really?

Sometimes, even the Manolo is astonished.

APR
2012
02

Dior Platform Sandals for the Monday

Manolo says, it is Monday and you are back at your desk working away for the Man, doing that which must be done so that you will not find yourself living in the culvert under the highway out by the dog pound.

Although, sometimes, you think that, compared to the daily grind, the life of the hobo might be preferable. How much easy life would be if it was just you, your battered top hat, your handkerchief bindle, and maybe the scruffy, little Benjy dog for the companion.

You would be the member of the Noble Brotherhood of the Open Road, enjoying rustic possum stew cooked in the old coffee can, shared with people named Stinky Phil, Ollie Jim, and Boxcar Pete. Such simple fellowship, with no bosses, no deadlines, no mortgage payments to worry about.

Unlimited freedom would be yours for the taking, as long as you could avoid the railroad bulls, and not get crushed by the errant grain car.

But, then you think about having to wear the comically down-at-the heels old boots instead of beautiful shoes, and you come to your senses.

Dior Chain-Embellished Tejus-Print Suede Platform Sandal in MelonDior Chain-Embellished Tejus-Print Suede Platform Sandal in Natural

Here is something to make you feel better about your workday, the Dior Chain-Embellished Tejus-Print Suede Platform Sandal.

Diane von Furstenberg for the Spring

Manolo says, it is wet and gloomy today where the Manolo is, but that has not stopped him from thinking about the imminent arrival of the spring. Soon, soon, soon, the weather will break and we will be plunged into the most clement of all seasons, when the birds bloom and the flowers sing, when the young lady’s fancy turns to thoughts of shoes!

Here are three shoes from the Diane von Furstenberg which will help you usher in the new season.

Klee from Diane von Furstenberg

If you are especially brave, maybe you will break out the shorts, in which case you will need the The Klee, the fun toe-ring flat sandal perfect for helping you shiver through until the real spring arrives.

Opal from Diane von Furstenberg

Although, maybe your desire to to show off your wintery legs to good advantage is not as absolute as you first thought, or, perhaps you want to distract viewers downward, away from your holiday remnant thighs, either way the Opal is the sort of snazzy-juicy platform that would look super-fantastic on the first day of the new season.

Botswana from Diane von Furstenberg

Maybe, on careful reconsideration, your legs would be better covered with the seasonalish capri pants, in which case The Botswana, available in eight safari-themed finishes.

FEB
2012
28

Jean-Michel Cazabat Whitney for the Tuesday

Manolo says, it is Tuesday and you are back at your desk contemplating the topic of human folly, to be more specific the folly inherent in the do-it-yourself improvement of the home project.

Back in the January, the repainting of your kitchen seemed like such the good idea, the project of the single weekend: strip the old wallpaper from the walls, paint everything in the moderately neutral color, and be done with it.

Ah, such innocence. Such blissful, happy, youthful innocence.

Now, here it is, nearly March, and the project is still not done. The walls are painted, but the doors of the cabinets languish in the garage, their absence mocking you each morning as you enter the kitchen.

“What were you thinking,” they say, their tiny wooden voices whispering to you, “you’re a loser at home repairs! You can’t even unstop the toilet without soaking the floor.”

You try to ignore them, telling yourself that this weekend you will fix them, but good.

But it is too late, your morning coffee tastes bitter, and you feel the weight of failure heavy upon your soul. Your drive to the office has become the commute of shame and self-loathing, all because it took you three weeks to find exactly the right shade of off-white in glossy finish.

What is needed now are two things, the name of the good handyman, and the super fantastically, good-humored shoes from the interwebs!

Jean-Michel Cazabat Whitney Suede, Leather and Patent Leather Colorblock Sandals

Such as these fun new shoes from the Jean-Michel Cazabat, the Whitney Suede, Leather and Patent Leather Colorblock Sandals

Jerome Rousseau Glitter Platform Pumps for the Monday

Manolo says, it is Monday and you are back at your desk, working to increase the gross national product of your home economy, and you have decided that it amazing how little things can substantially increase the quality of your life.

For the example, the grand nabobs at your office have recently seen fit to replace the old BunnOmatic coffee pot with the new, fancy-lad, single-serving pod machine which brews the perfect cup every time. The old way was fine, as long as you poured your cup from the pot in the first three minutes after it was produced. Later than that, the coffee tasted like the sludge scooped up from the floor of your brother’s garage. And now you must admit, that it is amazing what the good coffee can do for your mood at the place of the office.

Of the course, some of this natural enthusiasm for the fruit of the brown bean has been tempered by the overly bombastic manner in which the corporate panjandrums have introduced the improvement, with grandiloquent pronouncements and frequent reminders that ImInTech Corp “cares for its family of associates.”

This would not be so troublesome, except that over the past year nearly half the “family” has been “right-sized” out of existence, this while your CEO, Mr. Amenhotep, recently spent two millions of the dollars having the seats of his private jet reupholstered in crocodile and hippo leather.

But, at least you still have the job, and the coffee tastes all the sweeter for it.

Here is something else that will undoubtedly make your working day more pleasant…

Beautiful, glittery platform pumps from the Jerome Rousseau

JAN
2012
20

Manolo the Columnist: Daisy Print Platforms from RED Valentino

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

Dear Manolo,

We’re just three weeks into the new year and already I’ve got the doldrums. Maybe it’s the gloomy weather, maybe it’s the let down after the holidays, maybe it’s the fact that I’m stuck in a nowhere job, but whatever the reason, I need a pick me up. Please suggest something fun to get me out of this funk.

Amanda

Manolo says, it is the statistical fact that the third Tuesday in January is the saddest day of the calendar, the single day of the year when you are most likely to be down in the dumps.

It is not just the middle of the winter, but the exact time when the Christmas credit card bills begin to arrive, reminding you of your profligacy in buying your father that gold-plated nose-hair trimmer. $199.95! What were you thinking?

Worse, it is around the beginning of the third week, when your ambitious new year’s resolutions start to fall by the side of the road, like the crumpled receipt for your unused gym membership, blown from the window of your leased Lexus.

“I’ve lost four and a half pounds on the Low Carb, Cabbage Soup, Maple Syrup, Grapefruit Cleansing Diet,” you say to yourself as you step off the scale this morning, “time for a celebratory donut!”

What is required now to ease the pain is shoes; colorful, ridiculous, happy shoes such as these yellow, canvas, daisy-print, platform sandals from RED Valentino. Ayyyy! They are so cheery!

RED Valentino daisy-print canvas platforms

NOV
2011
08

Bette Slingback Platforms from Gucci For the Tuesday

It is Tuesday, and you are back at your place of employment, being gainfully employed, and for that you are thankful.

Thankful….ayyy! Look at the calendar! It is already the second week of November!

There is so much to do in the next two weeks. First you will have to order your free-range, humanely-dispatched, heirloom turkey from the butchers shop, you know, the shop with the hipster butchers who have the tattoos and the ironic handlebar mustaches.

Yes, these young butchers, who ride home each night on their fixed-gear bicycles, are generally well-intentioned, knowledgeable about the meats, and friendly, but still, you miss Stan, the old Polish butcher with the big belly and the twinkling eyes.

Things have not been the same since Stan sold out to these jackanapes and retired. Stan always had time for to flirt with the old ladies, and tell the little jokes, or to give you some beef neck bones for the dog. And the fresh kielbasa he made every Tuesday in the back of the shop was sublime.

These new people, they stock fancy Italian sausages, which they refer to by the pretentious term salume. But… the meat is still good, if more expensive, and you’ve developed the appreciation for the heritage breed animals.

So, you get out the phone and dial up shop to place your order, 15 pounds should be big enough, yes?

“Stanislaw’s Meats,” says the familiar voice on the other end.

“Stan? Stan is that you?”

“Yeah, it’s me, Mrs. G.”

“I thought you retired, Stan.”

“Nah. I got bored sitting around the house. The missus yelling at me all the time. So, I come back to work.”

“Didn’t you sell the shop?”

“I did. I’m just here on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, helping out. These boys, they’re good butchers, Mrs. G., but they don’t know the first thing about sausage, so I’m making some kielbasa today.”

Ayyyy!

Let us give thanks for the small but vital pleasures of life, for good food and good people.

Speaking of the sublime things for which we should give thanks, shoes!

Gucci Bette Slingback Platform Sandals

Such as these Bette Suede and Mesh Slingback Platform Sandals from Gucci. And look, they are also available in the black, for evening wear.

Splash Peep-Toe Pumps from the Christian Louboutin for the Monday

Manolo says, it is Monday and you are back at your desk, and already the Summer of 2011 is fading into the rearview mirror of your life, growing smaller with each passing second.

Of the course, given what the Summer of 2011 was like, this is not necessarily the bad thing.

Indeed, if you could, you would jam your foot down onto the accelerator of the life-mobile, spewing gravel and little chips of asphalt into the face of the Summer of 2011, as you sped away.

But you cannot.

The great tragedy is that life is not the car your can drive from place to place, stopping when the mood strikes you. It is more like the intercity Greyhound that occasionally conveys you through scenes of breath-taking beauty, but more often is stuck for long periods in industrial wastelands, or enormous stretches of poorly made tract homes.

But, you are obliged to do your best while on the trip, by making friends with the fellow passengers, and trying to keep the spirits up.

And, what better way to buoy one spirits than with beautiful shoes, such as these luxurious suede and fox platform peep-toe pumps, the Splash from the Christian Louboutin?

Christian Louboutin Splash Suede and Fox Fur Peep Toe Pumps