Manolo Blahnik Black & Multicolor Jacquard Slingbacks
View Similar Items
Manolo Blahnik Black & Multicolor Jacquard Slingbacks
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 10 (US)
- Place of Origin:United Kingdom
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU147212276122
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.
- Black Gucci Pointed-Toe Suede Knee-High BootsBy GucciLocated in New York, NYBlack suede knee-high pointed-toe boots by Gucci. Pull-on style. 19" shaft height, 3" heel height. Black suede knee-high pointed-toe boots by Gucci. Pull-on style. 19" shaft height,...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Boots
$236 Sale Price20% Off - Black Saint Laurent Studded Leather Ankle Boots size 38By Saint LaurentLocated in New York, NYBlack leather studded ankle boots by Saint Laurent. Silver-tone hardware. Block heels. Zip closures at inner sides. 5" shaft height, 1.5" heel height.Category
21st Century and Contemporary European Ankle Boots
$340 Sale Price20% Off - Black & Silver Christian Louboutin Pointed-Toe Pumps size 38By Christian LouboutinLocated in New York, NYBlack and silver metallic pointed-toe heels by Christian Louboutin. 3" heel height.Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Heels
$260 Sale Price20% Off - Rick Owens Black Suede Bootie PumpsBy Rick OwensLocated in New York, NYProduct Details: Black suede bootie pumps by Rick Owens. Stacked platforms. 3.75" shaft height, 3.75" heel height, 0.875" platform height. Designer Size: 35 US Recommended Size: 5 ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Central American Heels
$196 Sale Price20% Off - Isabel Marant Black Suede & Leather Wedge SneakersLocated in New York, NYProduct Details: Black suede and leather wedge sneakers by Isabel Marant. Rubber soles. Lace-up tie closures at tops. 0.5 platform height, 1" heel height...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Shoes
$180 Sale Price20% Off - Hermes Black Leather Knee-High Riding BootsBy HermèsLocated in New York, NYProduct details: Black leather knee-high riding boots by Hermes. Stacked heels. Zip closures at outer sides. Designer size 36. 1.25" heel height, 14" shaft height. Condition: Pre-own...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Shoes
$660 Sale Price20% Off
- Atelier Versace Black Satin High Heels, Never Worn Size 7By Atelier VersaceLocated in Buchanan, MIAtelier Versace Black Satin High Heels, Never Worn Size 7Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian High Heels
- Dolce & Gabbana Exotic Leathers Heels in BlackBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Carnate, ITDolce & Gabbana Exotic Leathers Heels in Black Dolce and Gabbana décolleté heel. In black Astrakhan. Size 36 and a half. The insole measures 2...Category
Late 20th Century Heels
- Dolce & Gabbana Leather Heels in BeigeBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Carnate, ITDolce & Gabbana Leather Heels in Beige Dolce & Gabbana heel. In fabric and leather. Gold hardware. Issue 40 it. Measuring 27 cm of inner sole and 11 cm of heel. Good general condi...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Heels
- Moschino Love 4.7 in Heels in BlackLocated in Carnate, ITMoschino Love 4.7 in Heels in Black Love Moschino heeled shoe. Suede size 39. Gold metal detail on the toe. Good general condition, shows only small ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Heels
- Yves Saint Laurent Leather Heels in BrownBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Carnate, ITYves Saint Laurent Leather Heels in Brown Yves Saint Laurent pump. In brown leather. Number 39 and a half. The inner sole measures 27 cm and...Category
Late 20th Century Heels
- Sergio Rossi Leather Heels in BrownBy Sergio RossiLocated in Carnate, ITSergio Rossi Leather Heels in Brown Sergio Rossi heel shoe. Brown leather shoe with strap detail with double silver buckle. Heel 8 cm. Size 39....Category
21st Century and Contemporary Heels