Tan Manolo Blahnik Woven T-Strap Pumps
View Similar Items
Tan Manolo Blahnik Woven T-Strap Pumps
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 11.5 (US)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU14724559233
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.
- Beige Christian Louboutin Python Pointed-Toe PumpsBy Christian LouboutinLocated in New York, NYBeige python pointed-toe pumps by Christian Louboutin. 4.25" heel height.Category
21st Century and Contemporary European Shoes
$380 Sale Price20% Off - Stuart Weitzman Beige Suede Cork Wedge SandalsBy Stuart WeitzmanLocated in New York, NYProduct Details: Beige suede and cork wedge sandals by Stuart Weitzman. Gold-tone buckle closures at ankle straps. 1.5" platform height, 5" heel hei...Category
2010s American Shoes
$172 Sale Price20% Off - Black Manolo Blahnik Embellished Heeled Sandals Size 40By Manolo BlahnikLocated in New York, NYBlack satin heeled sandals by Manolo Blahnik. Gemstone-embellished buckle adornments at tops. 4.25" heel height. Designer Size: 40 US Recommended Size: 10Category
21st Century and Contemporary Shoes
- Black Giuseppe Zanotti High-Top Shearling-Trimmed Sneakers Size 36By Giuseppe ZanottiLocated in New York, NYBlack leather shearling-trimmed high-top sneakers by Giuseppe Zanotti. Rubber soles. Lace-up detailing at tops. Zip closures at sides. 1" platform height, 1" heel height. Designer S...Category
21st Century and Contemporary European Shoes
$116 Sale Price20% Off - Coral & Copper Sergio Rossi Pointed-Toe Slingback Flats Size 37By Sergio RossiLocated in New York, NYCoral and copper patent leather pointed-toe slingback flats by Sergio Rossi. Buckle closures at slingback straps. 0.75" heel height. Designer Size: 37 US Recommended Size: 7Category
21st Century and Contemporary European Shoes
$148 Sale Price20% Off - Black Chanel Patent Leather Pumps Size 36.5By ChanelLocated in New York, NYBlack patent leather low block heel pumps by Chanel. 1.25" heel height. Designer Size: 36.5 US Recommended Size: 6.5Category
21st Century and Contemporary European Shoes
- Unworn Hand-Painted Persian Toe Flat Thong Sandals - US 9, 1950sBy Exotica FootwearLocated in Tucson, AZAn immaculate pair of vintage gold sandals in a wearable modern size? With a Persian toe?! Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. Gold leather fla...Category
1950s Indian Sandals
- Marc Jacobs Nude Patent Spherical Heel Pointy Mary Jane Pumps – Eu 39, 2012By Marc JacobsLocated in Tucson, AZAs only Marc Jacobs can, these Mary Janes include all the hallmarks of the classic shoe with a “left of center” slant. Featuring an extra-long pointed toe and rounded--almost-spheric...Category
2010s Italian Shoes
- Vintage Escada Red & White Striped Shoes With Black Patent Leather HeelsBy EscadaLocated in Portland, ORThese are really fun vintage Escada Red and White striped pumps with black patent leather heels! The insoles are gold and the shoes are marked a siz...Category
1980s Italian Shoes
- Miss Maud Paris Vintage Shoes Maud Frizon Pink Leather Black Peep Toe 37.5By Maud FrizonLocated in Portland, ORI absolutely love these adorable pale pink leather vintage peep toe sling back shoes from Maud Frizon. These Miss Maud shoes have black leather roses on the...Category
1980s French Low Heels
- Unworn Walter Steiger Vintage Silver Metallic Shoes W 3 Inch Heels Size 7By Walter SteigerLocated in Portland, ORThis is such a fun pair of Walter Steiger shoes in a fabulous metallic silver. Perfect for the holidays, these silver gently pointed toe heels have leather soles and uppers. These shoes have never been worn and other than a few very minor slight surface scratches on the heel from storage, they are in excellent condition! We think these would also make beautiful wedding shoes...Category
1980s Italian Heels
- Dolce & Gabbana Shoes Raffia & Fruit Snakeskin Slingback Sandals Heels 37.5By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Portland, ORWe adore these Dolce & Gabbana gray/silver snakeskin sandals with a silver sole and great natural layered raffia "baskets" holding little multi colored fruits on each upper! These sl...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Heels