Manolo Blahnik Suede Pumps EU 38 UK 5 US 8
View Similar Items
Manolo Blahnik Suede Pumps EU 38 UK 5 US 8
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 9.7 in (24.64 cm)
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:Seller: MON1973451stDibs: LU736314774322
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.
- Stark Brilliance Embellished Suede Box ClutchLocated in London, GBStark's clutch has a sleek, streamlined shape that will fit easily in your hand or under the arm, made from suede and gold metal, it's embellished with crystals throughout and is lin...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Clutches
- Fendi T-Letter Pompom Fox-Fur Bag CharmBy FendiLocated in London, GBThis version is made from fuzzy orange fox fur with a black T-letter feature, and is finished with an orange leather strap and palladium key ring. Orange, fox fur. Contrast black fox-fur T-letter feature. Orange leather strap, logo-engraved palladium-metal key ring...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Wallets and Small Accessories
- Fendi Linda Selleria Large Metallic Textured Leather Shoulder BagBy FendiLocated in London, GBThis 'Linda Selleria' Large shoulder bag by Fendi comes with two sturdy shoulder straps, so it works for day, made in Italy from metallic-pink textured-leather, it's finished with th...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Top Handle Bags
- Gucci Vintage Horsebit Silver Tone AshtrayBy GucciLocated in London, GBThis vintage ashtray by Gucci is made in Italy from silver-tone metal in horsebit form with gold-tone metal GG embellishment on the hand. Does not come with box or dustbag. Dimension...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Miscellaneous
- Fendi Metallic Leather And Canvas Bag StrapBy FendiLocated in London, GBFendi metallic leather and canvas bag strap. Made from blue and brown striped canvas with gold leather and gold-tone clasps. L: 34.5 in. W: 1.5 inCategory
21st Century and Contemporary Miscellaneous
- Shay 18K Yellow Gold And Open Mixed Diamond Ring 16 MMLocated in London, GBSHAY 18k yellow gold and open mixed diamond ring. Made from 18k yellow-gold with 28 pave diamonds and 8 baguette diamonds and 5 additional diamonds weighing 1...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Miscellaneous
- Vintage 1890's Cammeyer Couture Gold & Purple Leather Lace-Up Victorian BootsLocated in Beverly Hills, CABreathtaking and incredibly hard-to-find pair of Alfred J. Cammeyer antique couture made boots dating back to the 1890's era of fashion. The shoes can ...Category
1890s American Boots
- New 2000s Costume National Size 36 / 6 Brown Suede Leather Knee High Heel BootsBy Costume NationalLocated in San Diego, CAChic and timeless early 2000s never worn COSTUME NATIONAL Size 36 / US 6 brown suede high heel boots ! The perfect brown color that goes with anything. Great with jeans, a skirt, a d...Category
Early 2000s Italian Boots
- Louboutin Madmonica Madcarina 120 Spiked Raffia GoldBy Christian LouboutinLocated in Paris, FRAmazing heels ! Those Louboutin are crafted from soft taupe suede and raffia. The vertiginous 120mm wedge heel is balanced by a 30 mm platform front. In very good condition. Go for i...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Shoes
- YSL Tan Leather Strappy Platform Heel w/ Slingback Strap - 41By Yves Saint LaurentLocated in West Palm Beach, FLYSL Tan Leather Strappy Platform Heel w/ Slingback Strap - 41. These beautiful sandal heels are in good condition with some noticeable wear to the bottom. Th...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Shoes
$400 Sale Price20% Off - 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
- Casadei Tan Suede Open-Toe Platform Slingback Heels w/ Swarovski Crystals - 11By CasadeiLocated in West Palm Beach, FLCasadei Tan Suede Open-Toe Platform Slingback Heels w/ Swarovski Crystals - 11. These unique shoes are never worn and all the crystals on the...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes