Manolo Blahnik Size 41 / 11 Raspberry Pink Patent Leather Strappy High Heels
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 41 / 11 (US)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:San Diego, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU6629169662
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.
- New Ashley Dearborn Size 6 / 36 Gay Pride Pegasus Rainbow High Heel Suede BootsBy Ashley DearbornLocated in San Diego, CAAmazing, rare impossible to find Ashley Dearborn 'Pegasus' taupe rainbow GAY PRIDE suede leather knee high heeled boots! From Dearborn's debut collection in ...Category
Early 2000s Italian Boots
- Salvatore Ferragamo Size 9.5 1990s Vintage Bronze Gold + Navy Blue High HeelsBy Salvatore FerragamoLocated in San Diego, CAStylish vintage 90s SALVATORE FERRAGAMO golden bronze and navy blue Size 9.5 leather high heels! Subtle yet chic logo signature horse shoe down the back of each heel. Subtantial 3 in...Category
1990s Italian High Heels
- New 1990s Salvatore Ferragamo Size 6.5 Light Brown Suede Low Heels Vintage ShoesBy Salvatore FerragamoLocated in San Diego, CAChic brand new, never worn vintage 90s SALVATORE FERRAGAMO light brown / rust suede leather size 6.5 low heels / pumps! Features a faux tortoise shell buckle...Category
1990s Italian Low Heels
- 1990s Salvatore Ferragamo Size 7 Saddle Camel Leather Vintage Oxford 90s BootiesBy Ferragamo, Salvatore FerragamoLocated in San Diego, CAInsanely chic late 1990s SALVATORE FERRAGAMO saddle camel colored leather high heel lace up oxford booties! The perfect color that matches anything, and is great all year. Can easily...Category
1990s Italian Ankle Boots
- New Ashley Dearborn Size 36 / 6 Gay Pride Pegasus Rainbow High Heel Suede BootsBy Ashley DearbornLocated in San Diego, CAAmazing, rare impossible to find Ashley Dearborn 'Pegasus' taupe rainbow GAY PRIDE suede leather knee high heeled boots! From Dearborn's debut collection in ...Category
Early 2000s Italian Boots
- 1990s Michael Kors Collection Brand New Size 8 Brown Suede Ankle Cowboy BootsBy Michael KorsLocated in San Diego, CAChic brand new, never worn vintage 90s MICHAEL KORS COLLECTION brown leather suede cowboy western style ankle boots! Expertly tailored to fit the foot perfectly. SImply slips on, wit...Category
1990s Italian Boots
- Miu Miu Multi Colored Patterned Brocade Open Toe Slingback - 40.5 - SHWBy Miu MiuLocated in West Palm Beach, FLMiu Miu Multi Colored Patterned Brocade Open Toe Slingback - 40.5 - SHW. These fun shoes have a chunky heel and multiple colors such as blue, yellow, and coral done in a metallic bro...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes
- F/W 2004 Yves Saint Laurent by Tom Ford Embroidered Chinoiserie Wedge Size 36By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Tom Ford for Yves Saint LaurentLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting an iconic pair of taupe floral Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche wedge heels, designed by Tom Ford. From the Fall/Winter 2004 collection, these heels debuted on the season's ...Category
Early 2000s Italian Shoes
- F/W 2004 Yves Saint Laurent by Tom Ford Leopard Pony Hair 4.5" WedgeBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Tom Ford for Yves Saint LaurentLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting Tom Ford designed these sultry pony hair and red lacquer wedges for his final collection with Yves Saint Laurent. These shoes were featured on Gemma Ward...Category
Early 2000s Italian Shoes
- Joseph Magnin 1940s Vintage Peep toe Shoes Ankle Strap Silk Leather 4" HeelsBy Joseph Magnin Co.Located in Portland, ORThese are absolutely exceptional vintage 1940's multi colored silk and black leather peep toe shoes with ankle straps that tie. These are some of my personal favorite vintage shoes ...Category
1940s American Shoes
- Rene Caovilla Shoe Lace Slingback Faux Fur Leopard Heel 39.5 / 9.5 NewBy René CaovillaLocated in Miami, FLMightychic ooers Rene Caovilla beautiful nude and black lace slingbacks. Front is piped in leopard fur with a thin bow. Back strap and heel are leopard print fur. Absolutely sexy ...Category
2010s Italian Shoes
- Lanvin Shoe Wedge Bronze Metallic Pump 38.5 / 8.5 NewBy Lanvin ParisLocated in Miami, FLGuranteed authentic Lanvin ballet style pump with a full wedge. The colour is a totally neutral golden bronze with subtle metallic wash. The leather on ...Category
2010s French Shoes