Manolo Blahnik Shoes Lizard Roccia Vintage Ankle Strap Pumps in Size 37.5
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Material Notes:Lizard and Kid Leather
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Very good to excellent condition - There is a minor rub on tips of toes and one at one heel and there are the usual sole scuffs.
- Seller Location:Portland, OR
- Reference Number:
Manolo Blahnik
There may be no designer with as wide a breadth of references as the fashion and footwear icon Manolo Blahnik, whose stated sources of inspiration for the creation of his sublime shoes include — but are not limited to — Diana Vreeland, ancient Greece, 21st-century architecture, Spanish cinema and Piet Mondrian.
It’s a fittingly robust list for someone who has spent a lifetime in the self-described “pursuit of beauty.”
Born in 1942 in Spain’s Canary Islands, Blahnik had an early exposure to shoemaking: During World War II, his designer-shoe-loving mother enlisted a local cobbler to teach her to make her own footwear from available materials. The young Blahnik was intrigued.
After briefly studying law in Switzerland with the intention of becoming a diplomat, Blahnik moved to Paris, where he took a job in a vintage clothing shop while studying art at École des Beaux-Arts as well as set design at the art school of the Louvre. It wasn’t until years later, however, that he would realize his calling as a shoe designer. In the late 1960s, Blahnik relocated to London, where he worked for both the Sunday Times and Vogue. In the early 1970s, the renowned American Vogue editor Diana Vreeland saw his sketches and urged him to pursue footwear.
After a debut collection for celebrated fashion designer Ossie Clark — featuring models that Blahnik had gotten to know through his work in the fashion industry, among them Twiggy — received acclaim, he created footwear for illustrious dressmaker Jean Muir and apprenticed with professional shoemakers in London to perfect his craft. By 1973 he had bought out the shoe boutique Zapata and made it his own. Bloomingdale’s introduced him to the American market with a collection a few years later.
Vintage Manolo Blahnik shoes are famous for their theatricality, as the designer is well known for the whimsical, fantastical elements he brings to footwear, often in an explosive palette. “I have always approached color in a bold way, from all angles and variations,” he once said. “Always searching for the poetry of an impossible color.” Tack on teetering height as a trademark that took shape from early on.
“Those poor girls couldn’t walk properly, but people loved it,” the designer recalled of his early models. “Sir Cecil Beaton said to me, ‘Is this a new way of walking?’” To take it from pop culture, it indeed might have been: People are still talking about the night that Bianca Jagger dazzled, horseback, at Studio 54 in a Halston dress and Blahnik shoes on her 30th birthday, and, decades later, the footwear icon was rendered a household name during the long-running television series Sex and the City.
Today, Manolo Blahnik remains a virtual synonym for luxury shoes. Find a range of his footwear and handbags on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Portland, OR
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- Unworn Walter Steiger Vintage Silver Metallic Shoes W 3 Inch Heels Size 7By Walter SteigerLocated in Portland, ORThis is such a fun pair of Walter Steiger shoes in a fabulous metallic silver. Perfect for the holidays, these silver gently pointed toe heels have leather soles and uppers. These shoes have never been worn and other than a few very minor slight surface scratches on the heel from storage, they are in excellent condition! We think these would also make beautiful wedding shoes...Category
1980s Italian Heels
- Valentino Rockstud Shoes Army Green & Ecru Leather Ankle Strap Caged Heels 36.5By ValentinoLocated in Portland, ORThese fab Valentino rockstud pumps are in an army green and ecru leather with black matte heel. These heels feature side buckle fastenings, a ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Heels
- Christian Louboutin Souris 70 Pony Fur Cheetah Lace Zipper Bow Kitten Heel ShoesBy Christian LouboutinLocated in Portland, ORThese incredible Souris 70 leopard print pony hair pointed toe pumps by Christian Louboutin have a really unique black lace mesh detail. The toe box has a fabulous zipper bow with th...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Heels
- Alaia Shoes Snakeskin Pointed Toe Pumps w Black Trim w Original Box & Dust BagsBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Portland, ORThese Alaïa snakeskin pumps are in a beautiful cream color with brown suede leather heels and trim. The style number for these shoes is: AAP434-6PT Tejus 80mm Pump. These shoes come ...Category
Early 2000s French Shoes
- Dolce & Gabbana Pink White & Floral Slingback Pointed Toe Shoes w/ Box & DustbagBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Portland, ORThese fabulous Dolce & Gabbana slingback heels are in a beautiful floral print with a branded gold tone engraved heel detail. The slingback has an elastic back for easy entry and th...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes
- Prada Calzature Donna Roccia Snakeskin Wavy Ankle Strap Heeled SandalsBy PradaLocated in Portland, ORThese are great Prada snakeskin ankle strap heeled sandals with scalloped straps and zippers on the heels. These strappy sandals are marked a European ...Category
2010s Italian Heels
- Chanel 36 Fr Flat Slip-ons Sequins EmbroidedBy ChanelLocated in Paris, FRLovely pair of Chanel slippers, covered with sequins and adorned with the iconic CC symbol. Gently worn, in good condition. Size 35.5 French, made in Italy.Category
21st Century and Contemporary Shoes
- Beige heeled sandals with sequins by Bruno MagliBy Bruno MagliLocated in Bilbao, ESBeige heeled sandals with sequins by Bruno Magli and brown leather peep toe Bruno Magli has been producing quality Italian leather goods since 1936. These ultra feminine peep toe p...Category
1990s Italian Shoes
- Light Blue metallic heeled sandals with with black silk lace by ChloéBy Bruno Magli, ChloéLocated in Bilbao, ESLight Metallic blue heeled sandals with Black silk lace buckle fastening These ultra feminine night sandal is perfect for striking an elegant pose...Category
1990s Italian Shoes
- NEW Chanel Turquoise Cork Camellia Straw Details Slide Sandals Heels CC Logo 37By ChanelLocated in Switzerland, CHThis impressive pair of leather sandals are a style statement in itself. Keep it simple yet gorgeous in these sandals from the house of Chanel. Stay comfortable and effortlessly luxurious and stylish while you step out wearing those beautiful Chanel Camellia slides...Category
2010s Italian Shoes
- NEW Gucci Embroidered Floral Suede Horsebit Platform Wedge Sandals High Heels 8By GucciLocated in Switzerland, CHStunning pair of Gucci suede platform wedge sandals high heels with beautiful hand-embroidered details on heels Gucci Signature horsebit on front...Category
2010s Italian Shoes
- Marc Jacobs Nude Patent Spherical Heel Pointy Mary Jane Pumps – Eu 39, 2012By Marc JacobsLocated in Tucson, AZAs only Marc Jacobs can, these Mary Janes include all the hallmarks of the classic shoe with a “left of center” slant. Featuring an extra-long pointed toe and rounded--almost-spheric...Category
2010s Italian Shoes