1990s Manolo Blahnik Bronze Mules With Ankle Strap
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: IT 38.5 (EU)
- Place of Origin:Italy
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Toronto, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU22823874203
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Toronto, Canada
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- 1980's Chanel Red Lady PumpsBy ChanelLocated in Toronto, OntarioChanel 1980's red leather pump with a quilted detail on the almond shaped toe. Leather covered tapered low stack heels. The shoes are in pristine, ne...Category
1980s French Shoes
- 1990's Stubbs and Wootton Honeycomb Pattern Needlepoint SlippersLocated in Toronto, OntarioVery lightly worn early 90's classic Stubbs and Wootton street slippers in wool needlepoint. Timeless and elegant Victorian overall pattern of stars...Category
1990s American Shoes
- 1970s Tan Suede Floral Embroidery BootsLocated in Toronto, OntarioUnique 1970's bohemian look suede boots with colourful embroidered floral motif. Medium heel, neutral tan suede, leather soles, in excellent gently used cond...Category
1970s Italian Shoes
- Early 1990s Stubbs and Wooton Floral Pattern Needlepoint SlippersBy Stubbs & WoottonLocated in Toronto, OntarioA spray of white needlepoint flowers on a golden background make these Stubbs and Wootton slip on shoes an elegant addition for the collector who kn...Category
1990s American Shoes
- 1980's Bottega Veneta Black Velvet Crested Ballet SlippersBy Bottega VenetaLocated in Toronto, OntarioClassic black velvet Bottega Veneta ballet/smoking slippers with gold crest on the toe from the late 1980s. Trimmed in black grosgrain with a rounded toe box. In very good vintage co...Category
1980s Italian Shoes
- 1970's Norma Kamali Sneaker FlatsBy Norma KamaliLocated in Toronto, OntarioVery early pre OMO 1970's Norma Kamali black and white Converse inspired sneaker flats. From the same era as her iconic high heeled sneaker. White r...Category
1970s American Shoes
- Vintage 1890's Cammeyer Couture Gold & Purple Leather Lace-Up Victorian BootsLocated in Beverly Hills, CABreathtaking and incredibly hard-to-find pair of Alfred J. Cammeyer antique couture made boots dating back to the 1890's era of fashion. The shoes can ...Category
1890s American Boots
- New 2000s Costume National Size 36 / 6 Brown Suede Leather Knee High Heel BootsBy Costume NationalLocated in San Diego, CAChic and timeless early 2000s never worn COSTUME NATIONAL Size 36 / US 6 brown suede high heel boots ! The perfect brown color that goes with anything. Great with jeans, a skirt, a d...Category
Early 2000s Italian Boots
- Louboutin Madmonica Madcarina 120 Spiked Raffia GoldBy Christian LouboutinLocated in Paris, FRAmazing heels ! Those Louboutin are crafted from soft taupe suede and raffia. The vertiginous 120mm wedge heel is balanced by a 30 mm platform front. In very good condition. Go for i...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Shoes
- YSL Tan Leather Strappy Platform Heel w/ Slingback Strap - 41By Yves Saint LaurentLocated in West Palm Beach, FLYSL Tan Leather Strappy Platform Heel w/ Slingback Strap - 41. These beautiful sandal heels are in good condition with some noticeable wear to the bottom. Th...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Shoes
- French Art Deco Guilloche Enamel Shoe BucklesLocated in New York, NYAmazing art deco shoe buckles of the finest guilloche enamel on sterling. Figures represented are happy asian musicians set with a hand set paste surround...Category
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Shoes
- Casadei Tan Suede Open-Toe Platform Slingback Heels w/ Swarovski Crystals - 11By CasadeiLocated in West Palm Beach, FLCasadei Tan Suede Open-Toe Platform Slingback Heels w/ Swarovski Crystals - 11. These unique shoes are never worn and all the crystals on the...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes