Manolo Blahnik London Vintage Red Shoes Heels 8.5
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor wear to soles and a small smudge on the inside of one heel.
- Seller Location:Portland, OR
- Reference Number:Seller: 72241stDibs: LU22322761713
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: Portland, OR
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- 1980s Walter Steiger Vintage Salmon Pink Suede Shoes W Mirrored Silver Heels 7AABy Walter SteigerLocated in Portland, ORThese are incredible vintage Walter Steiger shoes in a pinkish salmon or pink coral suede. The heel bows out in the back and is made in a refle...Category
1980s Italian Heels
- Vintage Horsebit Gucci Shoes in Black Suede Size 7.5 With BoxBy FerragamoLocated in Portland, ORThese black suede vintage Gucci shoes have the classic silver horse bit buckles and are marked a size 7 and 1/2 B. The calf suede shoes come with ...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Shoes
- Vintage Open Toe Moschino Purple Tweed Shoes with Beaded Bows Rosettes Size 37By MoschinoLocated in Portland, ORThis is a great pair of vintage Moschino purple tweed open toe shoes with beaded suede bows or rosettes and 3.5” purple suede heels. The shoes are l...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Shoes
- Vintage Pink Slingbacks d'Rossana by Charna 1980s Floral Striped Shoes 7NLocated in Portland, ORThese are wonderful striped floral pink slingbacks by d'Rossana by Charna from the 1980's. The shoes have a large flower rosette trimmed in pink leather. There is a small wedge heel ...Category
1980s Italian Shoes
- Jimmy Choo Black Satin Shoes Rhinestones Feathers Heels Size 37By Jimmy ChooLocated in Portland, ORThese black satin Jimmy Choo shoes are perfect for the holidays! These designer heels have pretty black feathers and rhinestones and are labeled a size ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes
- Vintage Issey Miyake Pleats Please Red & Green Wingtip Style ShoesBy Issey MiyakeLocated in Portland, ORThese vintage Issey Miyake Pleats Please shoes are so unique and so comfortable! The shoes are a play on the wingtip shoe and are in a green fabric with red patent leather trim.These...Category
1990s Asian Shoes
- Agent Provocateur Sexy Red Bow Heels Slides Size 36 / 6 Made in Italy Never WornBy Agent ProvocateurLocated in San Diego, CASexy brand new, never worn AGENT PROVOCATEUR red satin heels! 1950s sex appeal, with a modern twist. Features a bow at each side, with red patent leat...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian High Heels
- Red Strappy high heel platform Shoes by Miu MiuBy Miu MiuLocated in Bilbao, ESRed Open Toe Stiletto Shoe by Miu Miu Soles will be set brand new for good and waterproof. Year 2006 The original box is not available. Miu Miu is the most unrestrained portrayal of...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes
- LOUIS VUITTON A/W 2012 "Heroes" Red Suede & Leather High Top Sneaker BootBy Marc Jacobs, Louis VuittonLocated in Thiensville, WIDESCRIPTION: LOUIS VUITTON A/W 2012 "Heroes" Red Suede & Leather High Top Sneaker Boot Brand / Manufacturer: Louis Vuitton Collection: Autumn / Winte...Category
2010s Italian Shoes
- Balenciaga Stretch Knit Knife Boot Red 36 FRBy BalenciagaLocated in DOUBLE BAY, NSWBrand: Balenciaga Product: Stretch Knit Knife Bootie Size: 36 Fr Colour: Red Heel: 11 Cm Material: Stretch Knit: 65% Viscose, 30% Polyammide, 5% Elastan Condition: Prist...Category
2010s Shoes
- LOUIS VUITTON Red Satin Bow Exotic Peep Toe High Heel Sandals Lock Plate 39By Louis VuittonLocated in Switzerland, CHA LOUIS VUITTON signature piece & timeless classic that will last you for years Beautiful peep toe sandal Printed satin bow detail Decorative LV Logo ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes
- New Gucci Stunning Cherry Pop Red Patent Leather Heels Pumps Sz 36.5By GucciLocated in Leesburg, VABrand New Stunning Gucci Patent Leather Heels Cherry Red Extra Shine Patent Size: 36.5 Heel 4.25" Front Platform 1.25" Peep Toe 3 Adjustable...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes