Manolo Blahnik Vintage Green Velvet Crystal Buckle Regency Pumps
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 39 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3909221915302
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: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Saint Laurent Freja Rose 105 Heels Fall 2017By Hedi Slimane for Yves Saint Laurent, Saint LaurentLocated in London, GBStunning Saint Laurent Freja Rose 105 heels from the Fall 2017 runway. Look 50. Bought for £1455 and are unworn with sticker to base and large, lined layer dustbag. Superbly crafted ...Category
2010s Unknown Shoes
- Alexandre Vauthier Raquel 105 Red Patent Ankle BootsBy Alexandre VauthierLocated in London, GBSuper fierce Alexandre Vauthier Raquel 105 ankle boots. bought for £620 and worn once inside. Come with dustbag. Made from super glossy bright red patent leather, they have pointed t...Category
Early 2000s Unknown Shoes
- Alexandre Vauthier Camo Printed Chain Trim SandalsBy Alexandre VauthierLocated in London, GBSuper fierce Alexandre Vauthier camouflage printed canvas sandals. bought for £575 and unworn with dustbag. Made from camo printed canvas with ring trimmed toe and ankle straps. Have...Category
Early 2000s Unknown Shoes
- Gianvito Rossi leopard calf hair ankle strap pumpsBy Gianvito RossiLocated in London, GBCute and chic Gianvito Rossi leopard calf hair ankle strap pumps - bought for £700 and unworn with dustbag. Made from calf hair with black patent buckles, they have rounded toes and ...Category
2010s Unknown Shoes
- Gianvito Rossi red stretch-lace and suede sock bootsBy Gianvito RossiLocated in London, GBSuper sexy Gianvito Rossi 105 stretch-lace and suede sock boots - bought for £950 and worn once for an hour. come with dustbag. Made from stretchy bri...Category
2010s Unknown Shoes
- Gianvito Rossi Black Suede Over The Knee BootsBy Gianvito RossiLocated in London, GBFabulous Gianvito Rossi over the knee boots - bought for £1250 and worn once with dustbag. Made from soft black suede with silver to...Category
2010s Unknown Shoes
- Black Gucci Suede Peep-Toe Slingbacks Size 37Located in New York, NYPre-owned. Very good. Minimal wear throughout. Slight discoloration at outer soles.Category
2010s Shoes
- Jimmy Choo Black Patent Strappy Sandal Heels - 40By Jimmy ChooLocated in West Palm Beach, FLJimmy Choo Black Patent Strappy Sandal Heels - 40. These adorable Jimmy Choo heels are in excellent condition with only minimal wear to the sole. They feature a simple, but feminin...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes
- Emilio Pucci Black Satin Strappy Sandal Heels w/ Rhinestone Detail - 41By Emilio PucciLocated in West Palm Beach, FLEmilio Pucci Black Satin Strappy Sandal Heels w/ Rhinestone Detail - 41. These beautiful heels are in excellent condition with only minimal wear to the sole from minor use. They fe...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes
- YSL Champagne Colored Satin Strappy Thick Straw Wedges - 41By Yves Saint LaurentLocated in West Palm Beach, FLYSL Champagne Colored Satin Strapped Thick Straw Wedge - 41. These thick, straw, wedges have metallic champagne colored satin straps interweaving on the top of the shoes. They are in...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Shoes
- Salvatore Ferragamo Black Pony Hair Loafers w/ Silver Front Buckle - 7AABy Salvatore FerragamoLocated in West Palm Beach, FLSalvatore Ferragamo Black Pony Hair Loafers w/ Silver Front Buckle - 7AA. These shoes have minor wear at the bottom of the soul and a small piece of the rubber underneath that is mi...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes
- Salvatore Ferragamo Black Woven Leather Pump - 7AABy Salvatore FerragamoLocated in West Palm Beach, FLSalvatore Ferragamo Black Woven Leather Pump - 7AA. These shoes are in excellent condition with only visible wear to the soles. They feature a lovely black leather, an intricate wo...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes