Manolo Blahnik Pointed Toe Snakeskin Pattern Slingback Shoes
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 36.5 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor sole scuffs.
- 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
- 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 Walter Steiger Sculpted Avant Garde Blue Leather Shoes w HeelsBy Walter SteigerLocated in Portland, ORThese incredible avant garde vintage Walter Steiger shoes make such a great fashion statement! They are in a wonderful royal blue leather and th...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Shoes
- Chanel Autumn Winter 2000 Black Suede Leather Pumps w Round Block Heels 6.5By ChanelLocated in Portland, ORThese vintage Chanel Autumn Winter 2000 black suede pumps have fabulous cylindrical block heels with Chanel marked silver metal bands. There are two horizontal patent leather bands a...Category
Early 2000s Italian Block Heel
- Stuart Weitzman Vintage Evening Black Shoes With Jeweled Heels Spain 7BBy Stuart WeitzmanLocated in Portland, ORThese incredible vintage Stuart Weitzman black shoes were only worn once, if at all! The shoes have amazing 3 and 1/4" jeweled heels and leathe...Category
1980s Spanish Shoes
- Charles Jourdan 1970s Vintage Green Suede Tie Heeled Loafer PumpsBy Charles JourdanLocated in Portland, ORThese vintage late 1970's Charles Jourdan Paris shoes were made during the most important and popular time for the brand. Charles Jourdan himself died in 1976, but when his son Roland Jourdan took over as head designer, the brand became ultra successful. This shoe is a perfect example of how Roland changed the style of a classic pump by lengthening the toe and adding details, in this case ties, to make them unique. His innovative designs were the most memorable ones of Charles Jourdan and we are lucky to have these! These green suede shoes...Category
1970s European Block Heel
- 2006 Chanel Spring Collection Leather BootsBy ChanelLocated in Toronto, OntarioBlack leather Chanel kitten heel leather boots from the 2006 Spring RTW collection. Featured prominently on the runway, these black tone on t...Category
Early 2000s French Shoes
- 1980s Mario Valentino Black Suede Knee BootsBy Mario ValentinoLocated in Toronto, Ontario1980s Mario Valentino black suede knee high boots with whipstitch detail. The boots have an almond shaped toe box and a low to mid height block heel. Pirate inspired, the gorgeous bo...Category
1980s Italian Shoes
- S/S 2001 Yves Saint Laurent by Tom Ford Feather Black Satin Pointed Toe PumpBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Tom Ford for Yves Saint LaurentLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a stunning pair of Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche pointed pumps with feather details, designed by Tom Ford. This pair of heels were created for the Spring/Summer 2001 coll...Category
Early 2000s Italian Shoes
- S/S 1997 Gucci By Tom Ford Purple Metallic Python Ankle Strap Pump Ad CampaignBy Tom Ford for Gucci, GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a stunning pair of metallic python Gucci heels, designed by Tom Ford. This pair of pointed toe pumps feature an ankle strap and are constructed entirely of a purple metall...Category
1990s Italian Shoes
- F/W 1997 Gucci by Tom Ford GG Monogram Black Pony Hair Metal 4.5" Heel Boots 37CBy Tom Ford for Gucci, GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a pair of pony hair 'GG' monogram steel heel boots designed by Tom Ford for Gucci's Fall/Winter 1997 collection. The red velvet and black patent leather version of these h...Category
1990s Italian Shoes
- S/S 2004 Gucci by Tom Ford Purple Alligator Bamboo Sandal 4" HeelsBy Gucci, Tom FordLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a stunning pair of crocodile Gucci heel slides, designed by Tom Ford. This beautiful pair of heels are constructed of purple crocodile skin ...Category
Early 2000s Italian Shoes