Manolo Blahnik Best Women Heels
- Posted by: angeli.krohmal
Manolo Blahnik, a designer from the Canary Islands, became famous for his extremely beautiful shoes in the 90's and thanks to the acclaimed TV series "Sex and the City". Classic stiletto shoes with a signature buckle are a welcome pair for any fashionista. However, in the arsenal of shoe couturier there are other shoes, no less beautiful and comfortable.
How did a boy from the Canary Islands, whose childhood pastime was making shoes out of tinfoil for lizards, become the god of luxury heeled shoes?
Manolo Blahnik and his shoes are now synonymous with the ultimate adornment and enhancement of women's feet. The designer was born in 1942 to a Spanish-Czech family. Spending his childhood in a pleasant climate, surrounded by nature and parental love, the boy was imbued with all the beautiful things created by man and the planet. He liked to look at his mother's fashionable clothing purchases, and was especially interested in shoes; he had excellent artistic abilities and drew beautifully. This interest manifested itself in the fact that instead of playing with the neighborhood children little Manolo made shoes from improvised means for their pets and even caught lizards, making for them miniature shoes from foil. Espadrilles were very popular in Spain, Portugal and the surrounding islands in those days - it was the first real shoe that the boy tried to decorate. In wartime, his mother, unable to travel to big cities for fashionable updates, learned from the natives the art of creating these shoes, and together with her son participated.
In 1954, Manolo's family left the Canary Islands and the boy received a school education in Geneva. His parents wished him a career in law, where the young Manolo initially entered, but for a long time there did not stay - a too creative personality he was. Then there was experience in the study of linguistics and literature, which also did not bring the young man satisfaction - his choice fell on the study of design and art in Paris, he began to think about a career as an artist-decorator. After that Manolo Blahnik moves to London, where he also continues to gain knowledge in his favorite field, and at the same time gets a job as a columnist in Vogue Italia. Not considering himself a very sociable person, Manolo nevertheless makes quite a few acquaintances among the English elite. Paloma Picasso turned out to be one of his friends and at some point with her help another fateful acquaintance takes place: his shoe designs were seen by Diana Vreeland herself, a legendary fashion expert of the time. Diana was impressed by the young creator's unconventional and unusual vision of style for that time, she was amazed by the height of the models' heels and decor. The fashion columnist advised him to start learning the shoe craft as soon as possible, which Manolo did. Thus began a path full of labor and success of the Manolo Blahnik shoe empire.
At first the business was very difficult, as the couturier himself later admits, it took him a long time to grasp the technological subtleties of a truly comfortable shoe, which would be not only pleasant to look at and admire, but also to wear often. He studied with shoe masters, visited various productions. Having got acquainted with a very fashionable designer Ossie Clark, already famous in Britain in the 60s, Manolo created for him the first collection of shoes. In technical terms, not everything went smoothly, but quickly analyzing the mistakes shoe genius began to develop further. Soon he managed to open his first shoe store in a prestigious area of London.
Manolo Blahnik's style was formed almost from the very beginning and he never followed the fashion trends of this or that time. In his eyes, women's shoes should always be very elegant and refined, and therefore the style of the 70s, which was the time of his active development, did not inspire him. Manolo did not like the platform and rough style, so he created models of shoes exclusively on thin soles, emphasizing sharp toes, elegant thin stilettos and romantic decorations - his famous brooch encrusted with stones is known and loved by everyone.
Manolo follows his credo to this day: according to the master, there is no point in making models that will be outdated in a season - nevertheless, it is important to maintain a course in stylization that will not look old-fashioned even in two decades. Remembering his mother's predilections, Manolo reintroduced the textile exterior of the shoes as opposed to leather: it is the use of satin, corduroy, velvet and lace that has become a landmark in the designer's style. Such shoes always look festive, but appropriate, even if it is a basic restrained model.
Manolo became a household name among other fashion designers, and in the 80's he was able to collaborate with John Galliano, Calvin Klein and even Oscar de la Renta. His popularity reached America, where local celebrities immediately appreciated the grace and elegance multiplied by quality. Stars as big as Sarah Jessica Parker, Madonna and Jennifer Lopez began to ask for their perfect pair.
In the 90s, the popularity of Manolo Blahnik shoes reached unprecedented proportions. His shoes were used in the incredibly popular TV series "Sex and the City" - it was the model Hangisi in bright blue color, which was adored by the main character, became iconic.
Princess Diana was also a fan of this incredible footwear brand. She had a warm relationship with Manolo Blahnik - it was Manolo shoes that were used in Diana's "Revenge outfit" with a seductive black dress in 1994.
Manolo's style is so beautiful and literally fabulous that he is often asked to create this or that pair for cinematography. Screen icon Catherine Deneuve in the movie "Hunger" sparkled in Yves Saint Laurent suits and Manolo Blahnik shoes. In 1996, on the wave of popularity of the young star Leonardo DiCaprio, the movie "Romeo + Juliet" was released, for the main character of which the designer created incredible golden sandals. He went on to become the main shoe designer for the incredibly opulent movie about Marie Antoinette - then the costume design for the movie won an Oscar. The wedding shoes for Kristen Stewart's character in the acclaimed teenage Twilight saga were also made by Manolo. The series "Gossip Girl", known for its incredible outfits and passion for fashion and exclusive brands of the main characters also repeatedly turned to the master Manolo for the perfect shoes for the enchanting Leighton Meester, Blake Lively and others. Even in the already iconic picture about the world of fashion "The Devil Wears Prada" were involved Manolo Blahnik shoes to transform the heroine Anne Hathaway.
Despite his commitment to the tradition of making extra-class shoes, Manolo has never been reluctant to try something new, as long as it does not go beyond his personal principles. So in the new millennium he created a collaboration with jewelry brand TOUS, the result of which was a charming collection on the theme of shoes.
Barbadian singer and designer Rihanna is a big fan of Manolo Blahnik shoes. Together they have created more than 3 different shoe collections, the designs of which skillfully combined RiRi's extravagant luxury vibe and Manolo's classic accents.
The most famous model Hangisi Manolo Blahnik is so impressive that the brand Vetements wanted to create an entire collection of shoes under the maestro's direction, based only on it. Thus they received extravagant boots, in which the famous silhouette was guessed, even in spite of the absence of an iconic buckle, which complements a lot of Manolo models.
And last year German brand Birkenstock announced the creation of BLINGY collection - legendary models of orthopedic sandals fully stylized in the glamorous spirit of Manolo Blahnik.
Manolo Blahnik is a nugget - a self-taught genius with a vision of beauty that has appealed to millions of fashion-conscious women around the world. The designer is a true believer in manual labor and believes that this is the only way to put your soul into your products. To this day, he designs his shoes by hand, drawing sketches on canvases rather than using computer programs. The same applies to the production of models at the factories - in one shift less than a hundred pairs of shoes come out of the hands and machines. Manolo controls these processes himself, regularly visiting the workshops: he still regularly demonstrates the nuances of the creation process, from how to sew the insoles to the ways of fixing the heels.
It is for all these qualities that Manolo has been awarded an impressive number of awards for his contribution to the fashion industry, as well as being made an honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
Choosing shoes from Manolo Blahnik you choose to be a part of a truly legendary art of fashionable footwear, in which the soul of the master and his sincere belief in the real eternal feminine beauty are invested.
Let's consider the most interesting and iconic models of Manolo Blahnik.
Manolo Blahnik shoes are a recognized standard of femininity and good taste, which will always add a touch of glamor to your style.