Manolo's Shoe Blog

FEB
2015 13

The Manolo in Chile

Manolo says, for those friends of the Manolo who still sometimes cry out in the night, “why are we no longer being shown the shoes of super fantasticness,” who occasionally in the odd moment wonder what is happening with their old internet friend the Manolo, well, here is update. For the next few months, the Manolo has forsaken his usual haunts for the muy dramático landscapes and muy dinámico cityscapes of Santiago de Chile. And, sadly, he must again report that the Chilenos are no more stylish than the last time the Manolo was here. The Chilenos, they are increasing…

JUL
2013 26

Manolo’s Late Night Bargain: Prada Gold-Tone Logo Loafer

Manolo says, yes, this magnificent specimen of Park Avenue Prada-tude is the little bit old ladyish, but the Manolo should not have to remind you that, according to the Times of the New York, this is the year of the frump. Which means that if you cannot wear these handsome shoes now, when can you? When you are the dowager countess? And look! They are on the sale, more than $470 off of the usual price!

SEP
2012 17

Prada Crisscross Platform Sandal for the Monday

Manolo says, it is Monday and you are back at your desk doing that thing that you do to make that money that you need to keep you from living beneath that bridge alongside the road. “When did it become so difficult,” you ask yourself, perhaps rhetorically, “to eke out the living?” And then you feel sorry for yourself, because all of your first-world problems are weighing you down: For the example, you need the new washer and dryer, because the old set is seven years old, and does not feature the latest next generation, electronic time-delay cycle technology, which…

APR
2012 16

Cadillac, Cadillac, Long and Dark, Shiny and Black

Manolo says, Ayyyy! it is the hot-rodding Prada Tail Fin Wedge sandals! Clearly our muse Miuccia has had the very specific influence: the 1959 Cadillac, with the bullet taillights! The Apotheosis of Tail Fin!

MAR
2011 18

Getting the ‘Drille

N.B. Today, our dear friend, the always amusing Miss Cavendish, talks the espadrilles. I became intrigued by espadrilles when I visited Cuba, a number of years ago. There to experience the island’s university system, I spent an evening at the Hotel Armadores de Santander, a grand hotel in old Havana.  In the morning, I opened the French doors that led to a pink-tiled deck overlooking the Malecón.  A previous guest had forgotten—or left behind—her sky-blue espadrilles; they sat contentedly under a table, all sun-and-salt-water bleached beauty. What was so appealing about this humble mix of cotton canvas and jute?  Exactly that: the…

MAR
2011 04

Prada Wingtip Espadrilles…for the Men?

Manolo says, apparently, today is unusual men’s wingtip day. From the Iz Andrew’s Blog comes news of the Prada Wingtip Espadrilles. On the one of the hands, if you were the woman, these shoes would be the fun, funky, fabulous thing. On the other of the hands, if you were the man, you would be better off investing your 500 Euros in the new combination Forever Lazy Home Brewing System. P.S. Many thanks to the Manolo’s friend, the Nancy

JAN
2011 13

Mais où sont les chaussures d’antan?

Manolo says, one of the Manolo’s internet friends has asked him the question… Love your column! I went to Starbucks for coffee today and the woman in front of me in line was wearing the perfect shoes. I couldn’t take my eyes off of them and memorized everything I could about them! A quick search on the internet brought them up – Prada, but apparently from long ago. The pair I found online is not my size. Is there any way to find something comparable? Are square toes completely gone? They really were gorgeous. It was the color that was…

JAN
2011 03

Prada Red Leather Driving Loafers For the Monday

Manolo says, it is Monday and you are back at your desk, and already you have broken the first of your twenty dozen resolutions of the new year’s. Last week, as you were enjoying the mug of brandy egg nog and gobbling the final bit of your Great Aunt Jemminy Cricket’s (née Jeanette Crick) most delicious and rum-intensive fruitcake, when you decided to write out the list of resolutions for the New Year. By the time you were finished, following the third helping of the nog, your list had grown to nearly 200 items, and included such things as “write…

NOV
2010 22

Prada Suede Platform Sandals for the Monday

Manolo says, it is Monday and you are frankly stressing out over the impending Thanksgiving-o-pocalypse which is now barreling toward you like the runaway trainload of the free-range heirloom turkeys. Normally, Thanksgiving does not cause such excessive stress, but then, normally, you do the Thanksgiving at your home. Normally, you do not agree to get on the plane and travel to your in-laws on the other side of the country for the long weekend of family togetherness. Of the course, you are not worried about the weekend, as it will undoubtedly be pleasant enough, filled with turkey, football, and the…

FEB
2010 03

Prada Cutout Espadrille Wedge for the Wednesday

Manolo says, the espadrilles they have returned to fashionability, and this one, the Prada Cutout Espadrille Wedge has the modern edge that lifts it beyond the usual espadrillic baggage (such as rum-based drinks, peasant skirts, and vacation trysts gone awry).

OCT
2009 19

Prada Tall Wedge Boots For the Monday

Manolo says, one of the saddest mathematical formulas of all… Monday + You + Desk = The End of Yet Another Weekend. Sigh. Remember when you were the little girl and you dreamed of growing up to be the prima ballerina/big animal veterinarian who was married to David Cassidy (or Merrill Osmand) and lived on the fifty acre horse ranch located in Central Park? (Actually, you lived in the Plaza, like Eloise. The ranch was across the street.) And then you wonder…whatever happened to David Cassidy? And so you Google him up and there he is! With the horses and…

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…