Manolo Blahnik Pewter Leather Strappy Sandals Sz 37.5
View Similar Items
Manolo Blahnik Pewter Leather Strappy Sandals Sz 37.5
About the Item
- Designer:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: 10051-4481stDibs: LU2045239981
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.
- Jacquemus Beige Leather Les Novio 95 Sandals sz 36 rt. $750By JacquemusLocated in New York, NYJacquemus Beige Les Novio 95 Sandals sz 36 Made In: Portugal Color: Beige Hardware: Pale goldtone Materials: Leather, canvas Closure/Opening: Two adjustable ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Sandals
- Yves Saint Laurent Tribtoo 80 Brown Leather Pumps sz 36By Yves Saint LaurentLocated in New York, NYYves Saint Laurent Tribtoo 80 Brown Leather Pumps sz 36 Made In: Italy Color: Brown Materials: Leather Closure/Opening: Slip-on Overall Condition:...Category
21st Century and Contemporary High Heels
- Cult Gaia Brown Eden Leather Sandals sz 36Located in New York, NYCult Gaia Brown Eden Leather Sandals sz 36 Made In: Brazil Hardware: Pale goldtone Materials: Leather & wood Closure/Opening: Adjustable buckle strap Overal...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Strap Sandals
- Hermes NEW IN BOX Beige Dore Dune Leather Studded Sandals sz 39By HermèsLocated in New York, NYHermes NEW Beige Doré Dune Sandals sz 39. Please note, first photo is not of actual sandals, it is to show what the shoes look like without the protective blue plastic. Made In: It...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Sandals
- Lanvin Black Suede Wedge Boots sz 36By Lanvin ParisLocated in New York, NYLanvin Black Suede Wedge Boots sz 36 Made In: Italy Year of Production: Color: Black Materials: Suede Closure/Opening: Slip on Overall Condition: ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Boots
- Chanel 2019 Printed PVC CC Logo Slides sz 40CBy ChanelLocated in New York, NYChanel 2019 Printed PVC CC Logo Slides sz 40C. Features beach theme print Made In: Italy Color: Black, white, beige Materials: Leather and PVC Closure/Opening: Slide on Overall Con...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Sandals
- Dolce & Gabbana Graffiti Portofino Embellished Logo Sneakers DG-S0208N-0001By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Downey, CADolce & Gabbana Graffiti Portofino Embellished Logo Sneakers DG-S0208N-0001 Mediterranean-inspired prints and luxe silhouettes are mainstays of the Italia...Category
2010s Italian Shoes
- Christian Louboutin Dispo Club 85 White Leather Sandals Sz 39 NWTBy Christian LouboutinLocated in Paradise Island, BSChristian Louboutin's 'Dispo' mules are crafted from leather with a round-toe silhouette that's secured with double straps. The 85mm heel offers a flash of the label's signature red....Category
2010s Italian Sandals
$549 Sale Price35% Off - Alaïa Suede Ankle Boots in GreyLocated in Carnate, ITAlaïa Suede Ankle Boots in Grey Alaia Trocchetti. In gray suede leather with application of small studs. Italian number 38.5. The heel measures 13 cm. ...Category
Late 20th Century Ankle Boots
- DRIES VAN NOTEN Pump Wool Plaid Check Leather Crystal Square Toe Sz 39.5 NEWLocated in Hollywood, FLGUARANTEED AUTHENTIC DRIES VAN NOTEN WOOL PLAID PUMP WITH CRYSTAL HEEL EMBELLISHMENT Retail excluding tax $985 Design: - Plaid check pattern wool uppers in grey, brown and blue col...Category
2010s High Heels
- Comme Des Garçons X Nike Black Presto Tent Green Nylon Sneakers ShoesBy Comme des GarçonsLocated in Downey, CAComme Des Garçons X Nike Black Presto Tent Green Nylon Sneakers Shoes Nike collab with Japanese brand Comme Des Garcons Homme Plus, to give t...Category
2010s Chinese Shoes
- Balenciaga White Symmetric Two Tone Elastic Leather High Heels Boots/bootiesBy BalenciagaLocated in Downey, CABalenciaga White Symmetric Two Tone Elastic Leather High Heels Boots/booties Hello, ladies here is another rare creation by the world famous fashion h...Category
2010s Italian Heels