Manolo the Columnist: Camelia from Taryn Rose

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

Dear Manolo,

I was recently promoted to a fairly important job, one that requires I be presentable for the public and the press. Because I work in a place with long, long hallways, can you recommend a pair of shoes that will allow me to walk about comfortably while still looking professional?

Allison

Manolo says, oh how well the Manolo remembers that day at the shoe shop of the Mercurio Albornoz y Bahamonde when he was finally allowed to interact with the public.

The Manolo had begun his career in the backroom of the shop, as the Second Assistant to the Associate Boot Black, working diligently, ten hours each day, keeping the shoeshine rags in good order. But after only seven months of this hard work the Manolo was promoted to management, as the Sub-Director of Tissue Paper, responsible for helping the Director of the Boxing and Re-Boxing oversee the placement of the shoes into the boxes. It was in this role, that the Manolo finally encountered the customers.

Happily, the Manolo felt confident as he carried the bundles of fresh tissue paper to the stock boys in the front, because he knew that all of the customers were admiring the beautiful two-tone, black-and-white spectator oxfords that the Manolo wore on that first day in his new position.

Such is the power of handsome and appropriate shoes!

Look, here is the Camelia from the Taryn Rose, the smart, comfortable pump with the little flowery cutout details.

Camelia from Taryn Rose

FEB
2011
24

The Convertible High Heels Case Study

Manolo says, one of the Manolo’s internet friends has asked him the question.

Dear Manolo,

As a passionate shoe-lover, I have recently been asked by a group of entrepreneur students at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business to help them out to devise a business plan to create an adjustable height high heel shoe. The heel within the shoe would have the ability to elongate in order to create the first comfortable, all-purpose shoe for women.

While I think that is a very unique idea, I am not quite sure about its feasibility. You would need to design a flexible sole and the heel itself would probably require a clunky design. All in all, I feel like a heel/flat
2-in-1 shoe would be innovative, but it loses the elegance and sophistication of a heel. Women choose to wear heels for a reason to begin with, and if they know they want to switch out of those heels while out, they may also toss a pair of flats in their purse.

I wanted to get your perspective on this 2-in-1 shoe idea. What do you think in terms of feasibility? Attractiveness? After all, you are Manolo, master of shoes!

Thank you and best regards,

Lisa

Ayyyy! The Manolo’s first response is that this shoe, it is has already been made! Twice!

One version of such the shoe is called the Camileon Heel...

Camileon Heels Convertible Heels

Camileon Heels

And, yet another is called the iloh adjustable heel.

Of the course, to the Manolo, neither solution is especially elegant or desirable, and one naturally wonders about the durability of the mechanism, and about whether or not it is stable enough for the long periods of use.

And, from what the Manolo can tell, neither of the companies cited above have had overwhelming success with their products. If one takes the closer look at these two companies, especially the shops whom it is claimed stock these shoes, one will likely find that the shoes have not been the best sellers.

The problem here is as exactly as the Manolo’s friend Lisa has said. It is not that such ideas are not clever, for they are very clever, but rather that they ignore the fundamental reasons that the high heeled shoes are purchased: to make us more appealing and sexy.

The most desirable high-heeled shoes are items of fantasy and wish. They appeal to us because they promise us so much. These shoes are often so desirable that they cause us to relegate the matters of comfort and practicality to the status of tertiary considerations.

And so the Manolo would say, that unless one can make the convertible shoe that is intrinsically beautiful and desirable, and much less goofy and gimmicky, one would have little chance success in the shoe business.

The much, much better idea for the business would be to design the line of handsome and beautiful shoes that deliver great comfort. As the enormous success of the Taryn Rose proves, if you can achieve this, you will make yourself very rich.

Of the course, this is the wickedly difficult undertaking, and in some respects the Holy Grail of the shoe business, which is why it has so rarely been achieved.

Taryn Rose on the Sale

Manolo says, February is usually one of the best months for the shoe sales, as it is the end of one season, and the beginning of the other. And now, here is the perfect opportunity for the Manolo’s internet friends who love the muy comfortable shoes of the Taryn Rose to purchase them at the discount.

Here are four of the Manolo’s favorite current bargains.

Harmony from Taryn by Taryn Rose

Above is the Harmony, the shoe the Manolo recommended exactly one year ago in his newspaper column. They remain the handsome and fun shoe, but now they are selling at the unbelievably ridiculous price of only $75! Hurry!

Camora from Taryn Rose

The red satin Camore slingback pump catches the eye with its shiny heel, making it the perfect feetwear for the cocktail party of moderate swankiness. And it is nearly half off the usual price!

Tyra Sandal by Taryn Rose

The Tyra from Taryn Rose looks smashing in the disco silver and black. And, it is greatly reduced in price!

And, saving the best bargain for last…

Calypso by Taryn Rose

This is the Calypso from Taryn Rose, the simple, elegant, evening sandal which will never go out of style, selling for only $135 of the American dollars! This is
the savings of nearly 70%! 70%!!!!!! Seventy Percent!!!!

Hurry! Before they are all gone!

Boots on the Sale

Manolo says, perhaps it is because it is fall here in the upside down part of the world, but the Manolo has been thinking about the boots these past few weeks.

Happily for many of the Manolo’s internet friends, it is spring in the northern hemisphere, which means that many of the most handsome and wonderful boots are deeply discounted in the price.

What is that you say, “But Manolo, the summer is coming and the boots, they are hot on my feets when it is hot outside!”

To which the Manolo replies, trust the Manolo, the cold, it will return quickly enough so as to make buying the boots now seem the wise decision later.

Here are three deeply discounted boots that would work well in almost any super fantastic girl’s wardrobe.

Sierra Tall Boot by Cole Haan    Manolo Likes!  Click!
Above is the Sierra Air Tall Boot from Cole Haan, the classically stylish boot with the modern Nike technology that reputedly makes them super comfortable for the working and walking girl. Mira! They are 46% off of the usual price, the savings of more than $230 American dollars!

Danya by Taryn Rose    Manolo Likes!  Click!
Here is the Danya from Taryn Rose, the handsomely practical, everyday sort of boot that can be worn almost anytime of the year. It is on the sale, 35% off of the regular price, the savings of almost $200 of the American dollars.

Ava from Michael Kors
Finally, here from Micheal Kors is the super sexy, super sleek, Ava, the boot which is on sale for more than 50% off of the regular price, the savings of nearly $470 of the American dollars!

Three Cheers for the Red, White, and Blue!!!

Red from Sigerson Morrison    Manolo Likes!  Click!
Orbit from Taryn Rose    Manolo Likes!  Click!
Blue from Marc Jacobs   Manolo Likes!  Click!

Manolo says, it is Election Day, and all super fantastic American peoples must now go and do their civic duty with regard to the red, white and blue.

Here in the spirit of gentle patriotism, the Manolo gives you the American designers for this most American of days: Red from Sigerson Morrison, White from Taryn Rose, and Blue from Marc Jacobs.

Advice for the Big Leg Lady

Manolo says, Furlagirl, one of the the Manolo’s dear internet friends, has asked the Manolo for advice.

Suppose you are a woman born in the same year as Isabella Rossellini, i.e. no long in the first glow of youth, but still prowling the halls of Harvey Nicks and Barney’s when in New York for the superfantastic everything. Now imagine that you emerged (by caesarian section) from your mother’s womb at 9 lbs, 10 oz. a big baby with big bones, prone to building big muscles. Suppose, even when you were the US size 4 (now the US size 10, trying to get back to US size 8) you always had terrible legs By this I mean: wide feet that many shoes do not fit; thick ankles so that ankle straps often will not do up; calves that no conventional bootmaker can fit; dimpled knees – and for the sake of the Manolo I will draw a veil over what lies above, but it’s not any better.

Here is my question: such a woman might have spent all her life thus far drawing the attention AWAY from the legs. Buying the shoes that were not superfantastic because she did not want anyone to notice the feet. Not, I hasten to say, buying the cheap, ugly shoes, but the shoes that do not make anyone say WOW! Yet here she is in these days post-Sex in the City, when everyone else she knows is crying shoes shoes shoes! Has this woman made a big mistake and she must start paying hundreds and hundreds of the British pounds for the Manolo Blahniks and Jimmy Choos, (which are often too narrow) or should she trust her instincts and stick with the tactic of spending the money on handbags and jewelry?

The short answer of the Manolo is that you must never! Not ever? No never! Give up on the shoes. There are beautiful and alluring shoes for every sort of the foot, even those feets which are perhaps not perfect.

The longer answer it is that these sorts of the questions are so difficult to answer; difficult because the Manolo can sense the emotional anguish behind them. Worse, such questions are depressingly common, as perhaps the majority of the womens believe that their lower extremities are not what they should be.

One must remember that there are always the ways to minimize the physical flaws while still wearing the stylish clothes and shoes.

As the Manolo has noted in the past, if you are the big leg professional woman of the certain age, you may take as one of your stylistic models the Hillary Clinton, whose own flaws are not dissimilar. The Hillary she wears the pants suits with the flowing legs, and she is not, to the mind of the Manolo, unstylish.

As for the shoes, the Manolo is certain that the Furlagirl already knows the sensible advice for the women with the thick ankles: no flats, no ankle straps, no stiletto heels. However, what she perhaps does not know is that increasingly, super fantastic shoes are being made for the thick ankled, wide-feeted women, and that there is now the hope for those who’ve had to in the past suffer.

For the example…

Marcia by the Taryn Rose     Manolo Likes!  Click!
This glamorous shoe from the Taryn Rose has the wide foot bed for the bigger foot and the metallic color and the flowery detail that the Manolo believes are of the moment.

Many times in the past the Manolo has mentioned the shoes of the Taryn Rose, as being suitable for the super fantastic girl with the large feets, and many times in the past some of the friends of the Manolo have complained about them not looking super fantastic, however, it has been the hard won experience of the Manolo that the Taryn Rose are the rare shoes that look much better on the feets than they do in the pictures.

Finally, and as always, the Manolo reminds you that you the proper attitude accounts for perhaps 75% of the mystical quality of attractiveness.

DEC
2005
20

Boots for the Strike

Manolo says, if like the Manolo, because of the circumstances beyond your control, you are having to walk everywhere today, then you will need the boot that is not only both comfortable and warm, but also something that expresses your toughness in the face of the urban adversity.

John Fleuvog Bev   Manolo Likes!  Click!

Manolo shouts, Fluevog Today! This it is the perfect boot for striding downtown, in the fact, it is the downtown boot.

Paul Green Nirvana   Manolo Likes! Click!

Here is the boot from the Paul Green that captures the grittiness of the urban life, without actually being gritty.

Taryn Rose Palma    Manolo Likes!  Click!

And finally, but not the least, here is the boot from the Taryn Rose, one that is not gritty or tough at all, but in the stead it is more winter wonderlandy. It is also on the sale, 50% off of the usual price.

FEB
2005
09

The Sore-Footed Mama

Manolo says, one of the Manolo’s many internet friends has asked the Manolo the question.

After decades standing on her feet for hours on end at a retail job, my mother’s feet are a disaster. She cannot find any nice shoes that don’t pinch or hurt her poor abused feet after an hour of wear. Can you please recommend any particular brands or low-heeled styles that would be age-appropriate (50s) and extremely comfortable?

Manolo says, this question it is easily answered with the three words: the Taryn Rose.

The shoes of the Taryn Rose, they were desinged by the lady doctor, the orthopedic surgeon, who like the mother of the Manolo’s friend had the feet of soreness from the prolonged standing. So they are made with the comfort of the foot in the mind.

In the general these shoes they are very conservative in the style, but a few, like this one, the Manolo likes very much,(although the heels, they are perhaps to high for the wearing by the mother).

If the Manolo, he were to recommend the low-heeled shoe from the Taryn Rose, he would suggest the something like this one.
Taryn Rose - Rumba (Black Cherry Nappa) Manolo Likes!  Click!

Manolo says, yes, this shoe it is indeed the “sensible” shoe, yet it is still stylish enough so that the mother of the Manolo’s internet friend she will like the wearing of it.