Manolo Blahnik Gold D'Orsay Heels with Rhinestone Detail - 36.5
About the Item
- Designer:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:West Palm Beach, FL
- 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: West Palm Beach, FL
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- Chanel Denim Heels with Grommets and Ankle Strap - 36.5By ChanelLocated in West Palm Beach, FLChanel Denim Heels with Grommets and Ankle Strap - 36.5. These sandals have a demin fabric look to them. They have bronze colored grommets on the ankle str...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes
- Jimmy Choo Purple and Coral Lizard Woven Slide Heels - 39By Jimmy ChooLocated in West Palm Beach, FLJimmy Choo Purple and Coral Lizard Woven Slides with Heels - 39. These slides are purple lizard-skin with single-woven strips. They are in excellent condition and show only minor wea...Category
21st Century and Contemporary English Shoes
- YSL Champagne Colored Satin Strappy Thick Straw Wedges - 41By Yves Saint LaurentLocated in West Palm Beach, FLYSL Champagne Colored Satin Strapped Thick Straw Wedge - 41. These thick, straw, wedges have metallic champagne colored satin straps interweaving on the top of the shoes. They are in...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Shoes
- Miu Miu Multi Colored Patterned Brocade Open Toe Slingback - 40.5 - SHWBy Miu MiuLocated in West Palm Beach, FLMiu Miu Multi Colored Patterned Brocade Open Toe Slingback - 40.5 - SHW. These fun shoes have a chunky heel and multiple colors such as blue, yellow, and coral done in a metallic bro...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes
- Jimmy Choo Shimmery Silver Slingback Heels with Bedazzlement - 37By Jimmy ChooLocated in West Palm Beach, FLJimmy Choo Shimmery Silver Slingback Heels with Bedazzlement - 37. These heels have a shimmery silver color. On the slingback, there is a rhinestone ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes
- Manolo Blahnik Black Satin Strappy Heels - 36.5By Manolo BlahnikLocated in West Palm Beach, FLManolo Blahnik Black Satin Strappy Heels - 36.5. These beautiful heels black satin with criss-crossed straps. On the ankle strap there is a gold cl...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes
- Rare Nike Shoes Just Don x Air Jordan 2 Retro “Beach”Located in Milano, ITThe Just Don x Air Jordan 2 Retro "Beach" are striking sneakers that combine Just Don's unique design with the legendary Air Jordan silhouette. Made of leathe...Category
2010s American Shoes
- Gianni Versace Vintage Red Shoes with JewelBy Gianni Versace, Gianni Versace CoutureLocated in Milano, ITStunning pair of Gianni Versace decolletè from the 90s. Exceptionally designed and made wonderfully detailed. Gianni Versace's label inside the shoe. The heel measures 7 cm. The shoe...Category
1990s Italian Shoes
- Rene Caovilla Shoe Lace Slingback Faux Fur Leopard Heel 39.5 / 9.5 NewBy René CaovillaLocated in Miami, FLMightychic ooers Rene Caovilla beautiful nude and black lace slingbacks. Front is piped in leopard fur with a thin bow. Back strap and heel are leopard print fur. Absolutely sexy ...Category
2010s Italian Shoes
- A Rare François Pinet Pair of Shoes in Leather French Circa 1935Located in Toulon, FRCirca 1935 England Rare pair of shoes in leather for collection signed François Pinet, famous luxury bootmaker in Paris and London and dating from the 1930s. These shoes were accompanied by a Bordeaux Haute Couture Dress by Nicole Groult...Category
1930s French Shoes
- Dolce & Gabbana Brown and White Houndstooth Pumps w Round Toe & Flared HeelsBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Portland, ORWe love these Dolce & Gabbana shoes! These fabulous pony fur houndstooth heels have round toes and really unique flared heels. These great shoes were...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes
- Vintage Andrea Pfister Couture Red & Blue Abstract Leopard Print Suede ShoesBy Andrea PfisterLocated in Portland, ORThese are really fun vintage Andrea Pfister Couture multicolor suede pumps in a size 6 and 1/2. The shoes come with their original box and dust bag and the box and the style name is ...Category
1990s Italian Shoes