1980's Manolo Blahnik Gray Flannel Loafers - Size 36
View Similar Items
1980's Manolo Blahnik Gray Flannel Loafers - Size 36
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 36 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:NICE.
- Seller Location:Boca Raton, FL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU346656042
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.
- Versace Jeans Couture White Baroque Print Gold Sneakers SZ 36 New in BoxBy Versace, Versace Jeans CoutureLocated in PUTNEY, NSWLow top, lace-up sneakers with a chunky sole. The design from the Stargaze line boasts the Regalia Baroque print. Regalia Baroque print Low top lace-up Chunky sole Outer fabric: 70%...Category
2010s European Heels
$204 Sale Price20% Off - Balenciaga Printed Leather Pumps 40 FRBy BalenciagaLocated in DOUBLE BAY, NSWBrand: Balenciaga Product: Printed Leather Pumps Size: 40 Fr Colour: Grey & Multi-Tone Print Heel: 11.5 Cm Material: Smooth Leather Condition: Pristine; Never Worn Acco...Category
2010s Shoes
- New Nike x Louis Vuitton "Air Force 1" Sneakers by V. Abloh in white and blueBy Louis VuittonLocated in Paris, IDFUltra Limited Series / Nike x Louis Vuitton collaboration by Virgil Abloh Originally designed by Nike in 1982, the Louis Vuitton "Air Force 1" are the first sneakers made outside the Nike factory. Coming from the streetwear community, Men's Artistic Director Virgil Abloh (1980-2021) considered the Nike Air Force 1 as a cultural symbol in its own right. Today, two icons merge to create the most authentic high-end sneakers. A cultural symbol in its own right, the Air Force 1 is elevated to an art object by Virgil Abloh. For the Spring-Summer 2022 collection, Virgil Abloh has imagined a collaboration between Louis Vuitton and Nike to create 9 exclusive editions of "Air Force 1" sneakers. Each model embodies the synthesis between classic codes of the original shoe, noble materials and signature emblems of the House. The Louis Vuitton x Nike...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Boots
- Gianni Versace snakeskin and Persian lamb platform sandals, fw 1999By Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GB▪ Gianni Versace platform sandals ▪ White snakeskin heel, platform and ankle straps ▪ Grey Persian lamb strap ▪ Size European 37 ▪ Fall-Winte...Category
1990s Italian Shoes
- Balenciaga Grey/Silver Leather And Fabric Race Runner Low Top Sneakers Size 37By BalenciagaLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Let your latest shoe addition be this pair of Race Runner sneakers from Balenciaga. These silver sneakers have been crafted from leather And fabric and...Category
2010s Italian Shoes
- Fendi Multicolor Zucca Canvas and Leather Bow Slide Sandals Size 37.5By FendiLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2From the house of Fendi, these sandals are tastefully designed. This classic pair in Zucca coated canvas and leather will match well with almost all your outfits. The slide sandals f...Category
2010s Italian Sandals