Manolo Blahnik Black Sequin Stretch Thigh High High-Heeled Boots NBW
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 20 in (50.8 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Studio City, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU35711963722
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: Studio City, CA
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Yves Saint Laurent Vintage Black Suede Thigh-High BootsBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Studio City, CAVintage Yves Saint Laurent YSL black suede boots that can be worn as either knee-high or thigh-high. Top of boot is finished with satin ribbon and decorative leather ties at back. Th...Category
1970s French Shoes
- Roger Vivier Black Satin Crystal Encrusted StilettoBy Roger VivierLocated in Studio City, CARoger Vivier black satin crystal encrusted heels with pointed toe and 3" heel height. In excellent condition with several bare areas on the bottom of the sole which are the result of...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Shoes
- Chanel Black Satin Pumps w/Silver Pearl Design MotifBy ChanelLocated in Studio City, CAVintage Chanel black satin pumps with faux silver pearl detail at the ankle and the bridge. Size 37 1/2. In excellent condition - never been worn.Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Shoes
- 1970's Yves Saint Laurent YSL Haute Couture Leather BeltBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Studio City, CA1970's Yves Saint Laurent haute couture white leather belt with black leather design. Belt attaches at either end to a double cord closure. MEASUREMENTS: Length (of only the leather ...Category
1970s French Belts
- Yves Saint Laurent Black & White Butterfly Print Silk Tunic TopBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Studio City, CAYves Saint Laurent iconic butterfly print silk tunic blouse top. In excellent condition. Size tag 38. Made in France. Bust - approx. 38" Length - 29"Category
1970s French Blouses
- Chanel 2006C Black Bodycon Dress w/Lace Cutouts & TrimBy ChanelLocated in Studio City, CAChanel 2006 Cruise collection fitted black ribbed stretchy dress featuring a deep V-neckline and transparent lace cutouts design motif below the bust and at the flounced high-low hem...Category
Early 2000s French Day Dresses
- Christian Dior 2000s Neoprene Lucite Etoile PumpsBy Christian DiorLocated in Scottsdale, AZWe know you're wishing for these Dior pumps! Circa recent 2000s, these pumps are crafted from black neoprene and feature "Dior" at the heel, a pointed toe and a 4" asymmetrical lucite wedge heel with silver...Category
2010s Italian Shoes
- Delman Brown Suede Open-Toe Shoes, c.1950By DelmanLocated in Alford, MASophisticated and elegant late 1940s-early 1950s brown suede pumps featuring an open toe, chunky heel, and large grosgrain bow centering a tortoise ornament. Made by Delman for Bergdorf Goodman. From an estate of European royalty...Category
Mid-20th Century American Shoes
- Alaia Black Plaform Cutout Snakeskin Heel - 40By Azzedine AlaïaLocated in West Palm Beach, FLAlaia Black Plaform Cutout Snakeskin Heel - 40 These Alaia heels are in very good condition with noticeable wear on bottom. These are snakeskin cutout p...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Shoes
- YSL Navy & Brown Deuville Canvas Wedge Sandals - 40.5By Yves Saint LaurentLocated in West Palm Beach, FLYSL Navy & Brown Deuville Canvas Wedge Sandals - 40.5. These sandals are in very good condition with only wear visible on the soles. They featur...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Shoes
- Gianmarco Lorenzi Black Patent Pointed Toe Pumps - NWT - 40By Gianmarco LorenziLocated in West Palm Beach, FLGianmarco Lorenzi Black Patent Pointed Toe Pumps - NWT - 40. These beautiful pumps are new with tags. They feature a slender heel and a uniquely pointed toe. Measurements: Heel...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes
- Marni Size 10 / 40 Early 2000s Black Suede Cut - Out Knee High Wedges BootsBy MarniLocated in San Diego, CAEarly 2000s MARNI black suede leather cut-out knee high wedges boots ! The perfect statements boots that retailed for $1,700 when purchased. Can easily be dressed up or down, day or ...Category
Early 2000s Italian Boots