MANOLO BLAHNIK Size 10 Beige Snakeskin Strap Heel Sandals
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 10 (US)
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:San Francisco, CA
- 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: San Francisco, CA
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- BOTTEGA VENETA Size 7 Grey Suede Patent Leather Piping Peep Toe SandalsBy Bottega VenetaLocated in San Francisco, CABOTTEGA VENETA sandals come in taupe gray suede with a covered heel, cutouts, peep toe, and patent leather piping. Made in Italy. Very Good Pre-Owned Condition. Marked: IT 37 ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Sandals
- RAG & BONE Size 10 Black Suede Lace Up ShoesLocated in San Francisco, CARAG & BONE shoes comes in a black suede with a white trim featuring a rubber sole and a lace up closure. Made in Italy. Very Good Pre-Owned Condition. Marked: EU 43Outsole: 11.5 ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Brogues
- ALLSAINTS SPITALFIELDS Size 8 Taupe Suede Lace Up Chukka BootsLocated in San Francisco, CAALLSAINTS SPITALFIELDS boots comes in a taupe suede with a braided rope trim featuring a chukka style and a lace up closure. Good Pre-Owned Condition. Marked: 41Outsole: 11 inche...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Boots
- VISVIM Size 10.5 Navy Mixed Material Lanier High-Top SneakersBy VISVIMLocated in San Francisco, CAVISVIM 'Lanier' sneakers comes in a navy paneled rib knit with a leather and suede trim throughout featuring a high-top style, rubberized to and heel, leather lining, and a lace up c...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Boots
- CHRISTIAN DIOR Size 7.5 Black Tortoise Shell Suede Animal Print Wedge BootsBy Christian DiorLocated in San Francisco, CACHRISTIAN DIOR boots comes in a black suede featuring a pointed toe, stretch panel, and a tortoise shell acrylic heel.Very Good Pre-Owned Condition. Marked: 37.5 Measurements: ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Boots
- GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI Size 5 Silver Leather Ankle BootsBy Giuseppe ZanottiLocated in San Francisco, CAGIUSEPPE ZANOTTI boots in a silver metallic leather featuring an ankle style, chunky heel, and side zipper closure. Comes with box and dust bag.New with Box. Marked: 35 Measure...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Boots
- Versace Black Woven Leather Slip On Loafers Size 40By VersaceLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Exquisite and well-crafted, these Versace loafers are worth owning. They have been crafted from woven leather and they come flaunting a black shade wit...Category
2010s Italian Shoes
- Chanel Brown Suede Midcalf Boots Size 39.5By ChanelLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Chanel is known to deliver styles that are timeless and sophisticated. These mid-calf boots re no different. These stylish mid-calf boots are crafted meticulously from quality suede ...Category
2010s Italian Boots
- Tod's Brown Suede And Leather Lace Up Platform Booties Size 37.5Located in Dubai, Al Qouz 2These booties from Tod's are bearers of a fine mix of shoe craftsmanship and style. They are made from brown suede and leather and styled with almond toes, laces and finely-sculpted ...Category
2010s Italian Boots
- Giuseppe Zanotti Black Suede Platform Sandals Size 41By Giuseppe ZanottiLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Receive plenty of attention when you rock these sky high suede platform sandals from Giuseppe Zanotti. These size 41 comfortable stacked platform sandals are made from black suede th...Category
2010s Italian Sandals
- Charlotte Olympia Green Suede Dolly Platform Pumps Size 40By Charlotte OlympiaLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2These Charlotte Olympia Dolly pumps will brighten up any look. This fun pointed toe shoes are made from green suede and are complemented with red ankle rope strings. The covered plat...Category
2010s Italian Heels
- Sergio Rossi Cherry Platform Sandals Size 38.5By Sergio RossiLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2These Cherry Platform Sandals by Sergio Rossi are stylish with a fun twist! Detailed with lovely orange patent leather cherry t-bar straps, these summery open toe sandals feature acr...Category
2010s Italian Sandals