Manolo Blahnik Black Basket Weave Leather Carolyne Slingback Pointed Toe Shoes
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 36 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Very minor wear to outer soles - only worn once.
- Seller Location:Portland, OR
- 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: Beaverton, OR
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- 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
- Jimmy Choo Shoes D'Orsay Pumps in Glitter Champagne Size 37.5 W/ Box & BagBy Jimmy ChooLocated in Portland, ORThese are beautiful Jimmy Choo Logan Shoes in size 37.5 with peep toes. These d'orsay peep toe pumps come with their original dust bag and box. ...Category
2010s Italian Heels
- 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