Manolo Blahnik Turquoise Crocodile Strappy Sandals - Size 39.5
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Material Notes:Leather insole, The rest of the sandal is made of crocodile
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:West Palm Beach, FL
- Reference Number:
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: West Palm Beach, FL
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- Valentino Black Leather Strappy Platform Heels - 37By ValentinoLocated in West Palm Beach, FLValentino Black Leather Strappy Platform Heels - 37. These heels are in excellent condition with very minor wear on the bottom. Measurements: Platform: 0.5" Heel: 4.5"Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian High Heels
- Manolo Blahnik New Metallic Eggplant Leather Pumps w/ Rhinestone Pendant - 40.5By Manolo BlahnikLocated in West Palm Beach, FLManolo Blahnik Metallic Eggplant Leather Pumps w/ Rhinestone Pendant - 40.5 - New. These lovely Blahnik pumps are in new condition having never been ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Heels
- 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
- Christian Louboutin Nude Leather Wooden Pumps - 37.5By Christian LouboutinLocated in West Palm Beach, FLChristian Louboutin Nude Leather Wooden Pumps - 37.5. These pumps are in fair condition with some wear to the leather and more visible wear se...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Heels
- Ferragamo Black Leather Ballet Flats with Velvet Trim - 7AABy FerragamoLocated in West Palm Beach, FLFerragamo Black Leather Ballet Flats with Velvet Trim - 7AA. These beautiful flats are in excellent condition with minor wear to the leather and some wear on the sole. The shoes feat...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes
- Jimmy Choo Black Leather Booties - 36By Jimmy ChooLocated in West Palm Beach, FLJimmy Choo Black Leather Booties - 36. These shoes are in excellent condition with no visible markings and visible wear on the bottom.Category
21st Century and Contemporary English Boots
- Hermes Vert Embrun Oran Sandal Epsom Leather Flat Shoes 35By HermèsLocated in Miami, FLMightychic offers Hermes Oran flat sandals featured in Vert Embrun. This stunning limited edition Hermes Oran slide sandal is in the softest sea foam hue - stunning. The iconic H cut...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Sandals
- Hermes Vert Embrun Oran Sandal Epsom Leather Flat Shoes 35.5By HermèsLocated in Miami, FLMightychic offers Hermes Oran flat sandals featured in Vert Embrun. This stunning limited edition Hermes Oran slide sandal is in the softest sea foam hue - stunning. The iconic H cut...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Sandals
- Hermes Vert Embrun Oran Sandal Epsom Leather Flat Shoes 37By HermèsLocated in Miami, FLMightychic offers Hermes Oran flat sandals featured in Vert Embrun. This stunning limited edition Hermes Oran slide sandal is in the softest sea foam hue - stunning. The iconic H cut...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Sandals
- PRADA petrol blue suede CLASSIC Pointed Toe Pumps Shoes 40.5By PradaLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Prada classic pointed-toe pumps in light petrol suede. Have been worn once inside and are in virtually new condition. Measurements Impri...Category
2010s Shoes
- RENE CAOVILLA cobalt blue suede ILLUSION LASER-CUT Pumps Shoes 38.5By René CaovillaLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic René Caovilla Illusion laser-cut pointed-toe pumps in cobalt blue suede and nude mesh. Brand new. Measurements Imprinted Size 38.5 Shoe Size 38.5 Inside Sole 25.5cm ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Shoes
- CHANEL blue & black leather Espadrilles Flats Shoes 37By ChanelLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Chanel CC Espadrilles in blue and black lambskin and a classic beige raffia and rubber sole. The design features a scalloped cut-o...Category
2010s Shoes