Manolo Blahnik Black Satin Strappy Heels - 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.
- Salvatore Ferragamo Brown Patent and Green Snake Loafers - 5By Salvatore FerragamoLocated in West Palm Beach, FLThese Salvatore Ferragamo loafers are brown patent leather with green snake skin. They have brown stitching and are a size 5. They are in excellent c...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes
- Fendi Denim Slides with Multi-Colored Embroidered and Beaded Design - 7MBy FendiLocated in West Palm Beach, FLFendi Denim Slides with Multi-Colored Embroidered and Beaded Design - 7M. These slides have a square toe shape and a band over the top of the foot. The band is denim colored and has ...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
- Alexandre Birman Ivory and Gray Python Flats - 36By Alexandre BirmanLocated in West Palm Beach, FLThese Alexandre Birman flats are gray and ivory python. The back is stretchy and the toe is rounded. They are in very good condition with some of the scales being lifted and minor bo...Category
21st Century and Contemporary 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
- Louis VuittonGold/ Brown Monogram Canvas EpadrilleBy Louis VuittonLocated in Bilbao, ESLouis Vuitton Gold/ Brown Monogram Canvas and Patent Leather Bahamas T Strap Espadrille Made In: Italy Color: Brown Size: 39 The espadrilles wedges are fin...Category
Early 2000s French Shoes
- Platform Sandals Stella McCartney Cotton and Patent Leather Sandals with WoodenBy Stella McCartneyLocated in Bilbao, ESPlatform Sandals Stella McCartney Cotton and Patent Leather Sandals with Wooden Heel Made In: Italy Color: Black Materials: Cotton and Patent Leather Marked Size: 39,5 Europe Heel ...Category
Early 2000s Italian Shoes
- Prada Embroidered Shoes in Dark Brown Leather Size 37.5 W 3" HeelsBy PradaLocated in Portland, ORWe adore these pointed toe Prada Milano heels in shiny brown leather. The shoes are embroidered with dark brown thread in swirling flowers and vines. These beautiful pumps were made ...Category
Early 2000s Italian Shoes
- Jimmy Choo Black Satin Shoes Rhinestones Feathers Heels Size 37By Jimmy ChooLocated in Portland, ORThese black satin Jimmy Choo shoes are perfect for the holidays! These designer heels have pretty black feathers and rhinestones and are labeled a size ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes
- Christian Lacroix Vintage Black Heels Slingback Strappy Shoes W/ Rhinestones 8.5By Christian LacroixLocated in Portland, ORChristian Lacroix is incredible and we have always loved his pieces, so we are also happy whenever we find and of his vintage shoes! This pair of Christian Lacroix black satin sling back shoes are open toe with rhinestone encrusted balls. The strappy shoes...Category
1990s Italian Heels
- Vintage Walter Steiger Sculpted Avant Garde Blue Leather Shoes w HeelsBy Walter SteigerLocated in Portland, ORThese incredible avant garde vintage Walter Steiger shoes make such a great fashion statement! They are in a wonderful royal blue leather and th...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Shoes