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.
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Pair of Art Noveau Antique Sterling Silver Shoe Buckles c1890 by William KerrLocated in valatie, NYPair of Art Noveau Antique Sterling Silver Shoe Buckles c1890 by William Kerr. The buckles are oval and the fronts have engraved decoration, with a ...Category
Late 19th Century American Shoes
- Miu Miu Python Embossed Vintage Peep Toe Shoes With Chunky Curved Heels 37.5By Miu Miu, Miuccia PradaLocated in Portland, ORGorgeous Miu Miu peep toe shoes with a 4" curved block heel and criss-cross upper. They are marked size 37.5 and were made in Italy. Excellent condition, only a small bit of wear on ...Category
Late 20th Century Italian 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
- Valentino Rockstud Metallic Gold Cage Ankle Strap Low Heel ShoesBy ValentinoLocated in Portland, ORThese Valentino Garavani Rockstud pumps are in a metallic dark gold leather and they feature 3 ankle strap side buckle fastenings, a pointed toe, a branded insole and a low stiletto ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes
- Gianni Versace Vintage Red Shoes with JewelBy Gianni Versace Couture, Gianni VersaceLocated 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