New Y2K Manolo Blahnik Brown Snake Skin Python Sz 40.5 US 10 High Heel Sandals
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 10.5 (US)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:San Diego, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU6623813163
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 Diego, CA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Brand New Nmbr Nine Size 9 Python Pink Snakeskin Platform Wedges Heels SandalsLocated in San Diego, CARare limited edition NMBR NINE (from their 2009 debut collection) genuine python snakeskin stacked wedges! Features hand painted pink throughout. Super comfortable, with a platform f...Category
Early 2000s Italian Sandals
- Roger Vivier Size 37 / 7 Pale Blue and Yellow Low Heel Buckle Shoes / PumpsBy Roger VivierLocated in San Diego, CAChic and classic ROGER VIVIER baby blue and yellow color lock leather heels! Features a sensible and comfortable low heel, that is just shy of a kitten heel. Signature Vivier oversiz...Category
2010s Italian Low Heels
- Giuseppe Zanotti Size 39 / 9 Gold Bronze and Brown Rhinestone Studded High HeelsBy Giuseppe ZanottiLocated in San Diego, CAGorgeous GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI bronze leather and brown rhinestone and stud encrusted high heel peep toe shoes! Features sparkly rhinestones on the front, and bronze round studs on the he...Category
2010s Italian High Heels
- Dolce & Gabbana New Men's 1990s Size US 8 / 8.5 EU 41.5 Espadrilles 90s ShoesBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in San Diego, CABrand new rare, never worn men's DOLCE AND GABBANA grey and ivory checkered espadrille lace-up shoes! Features an allover gray and white gingham / checker print, with ivory cotton la...Category
1990s Italian Shoes
- 1990s Manolo Blahnik Rare Size 35.5 / 5.5 Brown + Ivory Zebra Kitten Heel MulesBy Manolo BlahnikLocated in San Diego, CARare musuem worthy vintage early 90s MANOLO BLAHNIK zebra print brown and ivory Irish linen and leather kitten heel mules! Signature Blahnik silho...Category
1990s Italian Low Heels
- Agent Provocateur Sexy Red Bow Heels Slides Size 36 / 6 Made in Italy Never WornBy Agent ProvocateurLocated in San Diego, CASexy brand new, never worn AGENT PROVOCATEUR red satin heels! 1950s sex appeal, with a modern twist. Features a bow at each side, with red patent leat...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian High Heels
- Manolo Blahnik Vintage Open Toe Beaded Slide Sandals W Pink Embroidered FlowersBy Manolo BlahnikLocated in Portland, ORThese pretty gray Manolo Blahnik shoes have beautiful embroidered pink flowers with cream centers and embroidered green leaves that are embellished with beading. These open toe slid...Category
Early 2000s Italian Sandals
- 1970s Givenchy Vintage Black Leather Fur Loafers Size 8.5 Chaussures Shoes BucklBy GivenchyLocated in Portland, ORThis is a pair of exceptional Givenchy Paris Chaussures vintage ladies shoes from the 1970's. They are a size 8 ½ narrow black leather shoes with ...Category
1970s French Shoes
- Unworn Walter Steiger Vintage Shoes in Purple & Black Suede With 3.5" Heels 7AABy Walter SteigerLocated in Portland, ORWe are obsessed with vintage Walter Steiger footwear! These purple suede heels have dramatic uppers with sharp cutwork and a giraffe or abstrac...Category
1980s Italian Shoes
- Manolo Blahnik Vintage Suede Shoes With Leather Ankle Straps Size 37.5By Manolo BlahnikLocated in Portland, ORThese vintage Manolo Blahnik brownish taupe suede shoes have fabulous leather ankle straps that have wide butterfly shaped suede at the back of...Category
1990s Italian Shoes
- Rare Nike Jordan 1 Retro High OG Pro "Prototype"Located in Milano, ITStyle and fashion lovers these days are no longer limited to just finding the latest trend. Nike Jordan 1 Retro High OG were created for all fans o...Category
2010s American Shoes
- Mint Green Escada Margaretha Ley 1980s Vintage Leather Shoes W Cutout Details 7BBy Escada, Escada Margaretha LeyLocated in Portland, ORThese fun Escada vintage 1980's shoes have unique cutouts and are in a soft mint green kid leather. The shoes are marked a size 7B and come with their original box and dust bag. The ...Category
1980s Italian Shoes