Manolo Blahnik Shoes

During the platform renaissance that’s taken place over the last five years, it looked like things were a little bleak at Manolo Blahnik. The shoe maven still had his traditional customers, of course, but Blahnik’s stance on platforms (he hated them and refused to make them) alienated him from the shoe-buying public of the time. It felt like it had been years since he had created something that “mattered,” in the fashion sense of the word.

Shoe shape trends are hardly immutable, though. Even those that last for the better part of a decade are sure to come to an end eventually – the pendulum of public taste always swings back in the other direction. Now that everyone’s sick of platforms and ladylike pumps rule the industry (for now), shoes like the Manolo Blahnik Fonden Spectator Sandal seem fresh and chic.

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Manolo Blahnik Swan Pumps, $1295 via Neiman Marcus

Despite the fact that I’m not a fan of any of the Twilight books or movies, the vampire romance has created a cultural juggernaut that’s impossible to miss, no matter how much I’ve tried. (And believe me, I’ve tried.) I don’t mind the ubiquitousness at all, though, as long as the end result is a pretty pair of shoes to stare at. With the impending release of Breaking Dawn, it looks as though that’s exactly what the movie has brought us.

If you’ve read the final book in the Twilight series, you know that it (apparently) contains a very important wedding. During that scene in the movie, Bella wears the aptly named Manolo Blahnik Swan Pumps, which Blahnik designed especially for the occasion.

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Another week, another fabulous peek at what’s to come from upcoming footwear documentary God Save My Shoes. Releasing these small clips before the premiere was genius on the part of the film’s producers – not long ago, I hadn’t heard about this film at all, and now I can’t wait to see it.

In this clip, we get some closeup shots of Manolo Blahniks and then take a seat to chat with Manolo himself, during which he gives one of his famous anti-platform screeds. And, well, see for yourself.

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I’ve done much hand-wringing over the future of the Manolo Blahnik brand since we started TalkShoes – would the one-time king be on top again? Had Blahnik lost his magical touch that made his footwear the fifth cast member of Sex and the City? Would the advent of non-platform trends hasten his return to design supremacy? Is this thing on?

Manolo Blahnik Fall 2011 is perhaps not a once-and-for-all definitive answer, but it is a strong indication that Blahnik intends to take full advantage of the fashionable return flat soles and pointy-toed pumps. This collection of shoes has a wit and irreverence about many of its designs that has been lacking for the brand over the past few collections, and although not all the shoes are winners, there are enough positive indicators (not to mention covetable shoes) to make me optimistic about the rest of the collection when it debuts.

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As we’ve spoken about several times in the space, the thin-heeled, high-platformed shoes of the past several seasons are started to feel not-so-fresh. Chunky heels and platformless pumps have made a very strong comeback for 2011, so what does that mean for famous platform-hater Manolo Blahnik?

Shoes like the Manolo Blahnik Irie Quilted Slingbacks are starting to feel more current than they have in quite a while, but has spending some time outside of the spotlight affected Blahnik’s shoes? Does the old master still have the touch, or will you be looking elsewhere for your trendy shoes this year?

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Try as I might, I’m not quite sure where to go with these preview pictures of some of the styles from Manolo Blahnik Spring 2011. We all know that Blahnik famously regards platforms as demode, which means that he has been on the outs with the rest of the fashion industry for a couple of years now. But now that trend leaders like Prada are starting to swing back toward the pointed-toe, platformless pumps that made Blahnik famous during the heady days of Sex and the City, does the old master still have it?

These pictures don’t go a long way toward answering that question. Although Blahnik has proved himself occasionally brilliant in the interim (who can forget the blue silk shoe from the first SATC move?), some of the flights of fantasy in these designs make me wish that someone as irreverent as Christian Louboutin or whimsical as Brian Atwood had been at the helm of this ship instead. Hopefully the entirety of the collection will outshine what we see here.

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When I think of Sex and the City, I think of one pair of shoes in particular – the black Manolo Blahnik Mary Janes that Carrie finds in the Vogue accessories closet right before her editor drops trou and hits on her in perhaps the most splendidly awkward way possible. (Seriously, what man removes his pants before gauging interest?) Whatever your opinion of the show itself, the power it had to make a fashion moment memorable is more or less unrivaled in pop culture.

As we all know by now, those Mary Janes weren’t (and aren’t) the “urban shoe myth” that Carrie thought they were. In fact, the Manolo Blahnik Campy Mary Jane is here to make all of your early-2000s shoe dreams come true, this time in a perfect shade of creamy beige patent and with a slightly more rounded toe than the originals.

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I mean.

Where do I even start?

I thought it was bad when Mou did flat, Ugg-like Chewbacca boots, but this situation is far worse, for several reasons. First, the Manolo Plahnik Blehnha Faux Fur Boots have a heel. And a point toe. At least the Mous could be shrugged off as silly, but these boots seem to aim to be taken seriously.

Secondly, there’s more of them. Instead of midcalf, these boots push their way further up the leg and take up more visual space than they rightly deserve (since they don’t deserve any). Furry boots of any type will overpower an outfit, but these don’t even give the rest of your clothes the chance to get a word in edgewise.

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Do these shoes not have a total Moulin Rouge vibe? But the kind of vibe where it is not pushing it, but pairing sultry, sexy, and sassy perfectly. I have shared my iffy feelings about Manolo Blahnik shoes, as I feel the shoes are too tame. Not this pair.

Are these Manolo Blahnik Lace-Overlay d’Orsay entirely gorgeous or what?

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I truly do love a little camo in my life. When I am looking for camo, I always opt for accessories. Right now brands like Prada are embracing camo handbags are embracing the trend and now shoe brands are as well.

While this look for less does not provide a large difference in price, it is large enough of a difference to cover it. Both Tory Burch and Manolo Blahnik created Camo Ballerina Flats to take a stab at the trend.

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