Manolo Blahnik Mocha Leather Short Heel
View Similar Items
Manolo Blahnik Mocha Leather Short Heel
About the Item
- Designer:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Narberth, PA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU42732016943
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.
- New Fendi Karl Lagerfeld Python Heels Platform Pumps Sz 36By FendiLocated in Leesburg, VABrand New Stunning Fendi Python Heels Karl Lagerfeld for Fendi Gold FF Toe 100% Python in Nudes, Greens, Grays Size: 36 Heel 5" Front Platform 2" Leather ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes
- New Eugenia Kim Leather Mink Pointed Toe Flats Shoes Sz 39 U.S. 8.5By Eugenia KimLocated in Leesburg, VAEugenia Kim $875 * Beautiful Deep Burgundy Napa Leather Mink Bow at Toe * Eugenia Kim did a limited collection of stunning shoes * Size: 39 (these run a half size small, so a U.S. ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes
- Dries Van Noten Black Silk with colours sequins PumpsBy Dries van NotenLocated in Sheung Wan, HK- Dries Van Noten black silk pumps. - Featuring rainbow colour sequins at the toe cap. - Silver toned hardware thin heels. - Size 39.Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Low Heels
- NEW Tod's Exotic Crocodile Welted Moccasins Loafers Shoes Flats 8Located in Switzerland, CHAMAZING TOD'S ALLIGATOR CROCODILE SKIN MOCCASINS DETAILS: A signature piece that will last you for years Pure luxury Beautiful exotic skin - real alligator leather...Category
2010s Italian Shoes
- Valentino Blue/Pink Patent and Leather Caged Rockstud Ankle Strap Pumps SizeBy ValentinoLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Instantly recognisable, the Rockstud sandals from Valentino are one of the most iconic styles from the brand. These sandals have been crafted from blue & pink leather & patent leathe...Category
2010s Italian Heels
- Burberry Brown Fabric Scarf Tie Mules Size 40By BurberryLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2The Burberry mules are elegant and luxurious footwear. Crafted with rich brown fabric, they feature a stylish scarf tie detail that adds a touch of sophistication. These mules effort...Category
2010s Italian Heels