Manolo Blahnik Royal Blue Crocodile Sandals
View Similar Items
Manolo Blahnik Royal Blue Crocodile Sandals
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 9.5 (US)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU14727537391
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.
- Grey Gianvito Rossi Alina Pointed-Toe Ankle Boots Size 39By Gianvito RossiLocated in New York, NYGrey leather Alina pointed-toe ankle boots by Gianvito Rossi. Zip closures at inner sides. 5.75" shaft height, 3.5" heel height. Designer Size: 39 US Recommended Size: 9Category
21st Century and Contemporary European Shoes
$580 Sale Price20% Off - White Chanel Heeled Leather SandalsBy ChanelLocated in New York, NYWhite leather ruched heeled sandals by Chanel. Circa early 2000s. Lacquered heels. 0.5" platform height, 4" heel height. Designer Size: 37 US Recommended Size: 7Category
21st Century and Contemporary European Shoes
- Brown Gucci Leather Horsebit LoafersBy GucciLocated in New York, NYBrown leather Horsebit loafers by Gucci. Gold-tone hardware. 0.5" heel height. Designer Size: 35 US Recommended Size: 5Category
21st Century and Contemporary European Shoes
$316 Sale Price20% Off - Brown & Tan Prada Ponyhair Animal Print Pumps Size 36.5By PradaLocated in New York, NYBrown and tan pointed-toe ponyhair animal print pumps by Prada. Buckle accents at tops. 1.75" heel height.Category
21st Century and Contemporary European Shoes
$200 Sale Price20% Off - White Christian Dior Cannage Heeled SandalsBy Christian DiorLocated in New York, NYWhite Cannage leather heeled sandals by Christian Dior. Bow accents at tops. 0.5" platform height, 4.5" heel height. Designer Size: 37 US Recommended Size: 7Category
21st Century and Contemporary European Shoes
$420 Sale Price20% Off - Gold Prada Pointed-Toe Patent Pumps Size 38By PradaLocated in New York, NYGold pointed-toe patent leather pumps by Prada. Silver-tone buckle adornments at tops. 3" heel height.Category
21st Century and Contemporary European Shoes
$156 Sale Price20% Off
- 1970s Givenchy Vintage Black Leather Fur Loafers Size 8.5 Chaussures Shoes BucklBy GivenchyLocated in Portland, ORThis is a pair of exceptional Givenchy Paris Chaussures vintage ladies shoes from the 1970's. They are a size 8 ½ narrow black leather shoes with ...Category
1970s French Shoes
- Vintage Bally Black and White Striped Pumps W Original Shoe BoxBy BallyLocated in Portland, ORWe love these vintage Bally black and white striped leather pumps with solid black heels. These fun shoes are marked a size 7N and come with their origin...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Heels
- Mint Green Escada Margaretha Ley 1980s Vintage Leather Shoes W Cutout Details 7BBy Escada Margaretha Ley, EscadaLocated in Portland, ORThese fun Escada vintage 1980's shoes have unique cutouts and are in a soft mint green kid leather. The shoes are marked a size 7B and come with their original box and dust bag. The ...Category
1980s Italian Shoes
- Unworn Walter Steiger Vintage Shoes in Purple & Black Suede With 3.5" Heels 7AABy Walter SteigerLocated in Portland, ORWe are obsessed with vintage Walter Steiger footwear! These purple suede heels have dramatic uppers with sharp cutwork and a giraffe or abstrac...Category
1980s Italian Shoes
- Manolo Blahnik Vintage Suede Shoes With Leather Ankle Straps Size 37.5By Manolo BlahnikLocated in Portland, ORThese vintage Manolo Blahnik brownish taupe suede shoes have fabulous leather ankle straps that have wide butterfly shaped suede at the back of...Category
1990s Italian Shoes
- Stuart Weitzman Shoes Vintage Floral Print Fabric Peep-Toe Heels With Bow Size 7By Stuart WeitzmanLocated in Portland, ORThese are the cutest peep-toe Vintage shoes from Stuart Weitzman for Mr. Seymour! These fabulous 1980's shoes are so unique with their bold red, green, blue and yellow floral print f...Category
1980s Italian Shoes