Manolo Blahnik Embroidered Satin Court Slippers
View Similar Items
Manolo Blahnik Embroidered Satin Court Slippers
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 38.5 (EU)
- Style:baroque (In the Style Of)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Over all very good, a few catches on satin, not seen when worn. Lightly worn. Soles are worn.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU46195104
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.
- Italian Gold Lame Suspended PumpsLocated in New York, NYAmazing Italian Gold Lame Suspended Pumps by Griffi Italy, hand crafted Florentine in italy, Gold lame on leather with pleated bow. Sole 2.75 wide, length in...Category
1950s Italian Shoes
- Italian Mid Century Micromosaic HeelsLocated in New York, NYItalian Mid Century Micromosaic Heels circa 1950's. A hand laid mosaic spray of multicolored flowers is rendered on the black glass base. 1950's Italy. Incredible and stylish handma...Category
1950s Italian Shoes
- Exceptional French Art Deco Gold Kid BootsLocated in New York, NYExceptional and rare French Art Deco Gold Kid Boots. Of fine gold kid leather with high multi strapped instep closed with Tiffany style art glass iridescent shoe...Category
1910s French Shoes
- French Art Deco Guilloche Enamel Shoe BucklesLocated in New York, NYAmazing art deco shoe buckles of the finest guilloche enamel on sterling. Figures represented are happy asian musicians set with a hand set paste surround...Category
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Shoes
- Phillipe Model Suede and Gold Kid PumpsLocated in New York, NYPhillipe Model Suede and Gold Kid Pumps. Unusual square tip pumps in dark chestnut suede with gold soutache abstract embroidery with tiny brown see...Category
1990s French Shoes
- I. Miller Art Deco Flapper Shoes with Pave HeelsLocated in New York, NYElegant I. Miller Art Deco Satin Shoes with Pave Heels from the 1920's flapper period. Rasberry silk satin is accented with a crystal buckle motif and extravagant pave crystal heels....Category
1920s American Shoes
- Giuseppe Zanotti, Metallic sandalsBy Giuseppe ZanottiLocated in AMSTERDAM, NLGiuseppe Zanotti, Metallic sandals with python print. The item is in good condition and comes with box and dustbag. Giuseppe Zanotti, Metallic sandals with python print. The item is...Category
2010s Shoes
- Valentino Brown Red Leayher Heel Shoes Decollete 80sBy Valentino Miss VLocated in Brindisi, BtValentino Garavani Miss V vintage 80s women's shoes. Brown and red decollete, ankle strap closure, 100% leather. Made in Italy. New without tag. Siz...Category
1980s Italian Shoes
- Christian Louboutin Viera Strass Flat Lune Grey Crystal Sneakers Sz 39By Christian LouboutinLocated in Paradise Island, BSAn iconic model, the sneaker Vieira Strass is dressed this season in light-colored suede studded with strass and glitter. Fully lined in nude leather and has a red rubber sole.Category
2010s Italian Shoes
$1,426 Sale Price35% Off - Christian Louboutin Viera Strass Flat Lune Grey Crystal Sneakers Sz 41By Christian LouboutinLocated in Paradise Island, BSAn iconic model, the sneaker Vieira Strass is dressed this season in light-colored suede studded with strass and glitter. Fully lined in nude leather and has a red rubber sole.Category
2010s Italian Shoes
$1,426 Sale Price35% Off - White Chanel Heeled Leather SandalsBy ChanelLocated in New York, NYWhite leather ruched heeled sandals by Chanel. Circa early 2000s. Lacquered heels. 0.5" platform height, 4" heel height. Designer Size: 37 US Recommended Size: 7Category
21st Century and Contemporary European Shoes
- Grey Gianvito Rossi Alina Pointed-Toe Ankle Boots Size 39By Gianvito RossiLocated in New York, NYGrey leather Alina pointed-toe ankle boots by Gianvito Rossi. Zip closures at inner sides. 5.75" shaft height, 3.5" heel height. Designer Size: 39 US Recommended Size: 9Category
21st Century and Contemporary European Shoes
$580 Sale Price20% Off