Vogue On Manolo Blahnik

Fashion’s leading shoemaker, Manolo Blahnik is one of the handful of designers whose name is synonymous with their product. His success has lasted from setting up as a shoe designer in a Chelsea boutique in the 1970s to the present day, with American Vogue’s Anna Wintour declaring ‘The truth is, I wear no other shoes except his’. Blahnik has collaborated with many leading fashion designers – from Ossie Clark at the start of his career and John Galliano at Dior at its height – but Blahnik’s greatest achievement is to have made footwear, previously subservient to the overall concept of a look, the most important of all accessories. His many covers and features in the pages of Vogue reveal that wearing a pair of ‘Manolos’ is to be utterly transformed; in Blahnik’s dreamy, handmade creations, a woman can reinvent her personality. She is a Lolita in his Mary-Janes and a red carpet diva in his satin mules. Or as Madonna once put it, with characteristic bluntness: ‘His shoes are wonderful, and they last longer than sex.’

Now available at a new price, this is the first comprehensive volume dedicated to documenting the influences and life work of Manolo Blahnik, one of the most influential and talked-about icons in contemporary fashion. Featuring more than forty years of shoe design, this is the definitive monograph of the work of Manolo Blahnik, one of the titans of contemporary fashion. Drawing inspiration from the worlds of architecture, art, film, and literature, Blahnik is a master of the art of the shoe. His exciting use of color, unprecedented designs, and exquisitely sculpted heels make his shoes some of the most coveted in the world. Featuring more than 250 iconic designs from his archive, the book reveals for the very first time the inspirations behind his singular artistic vision. This book is conceived as a comprehensive survey of Blahnik’s work and provides access to never- before-seen photography of his designs. With insightful chapters devoted to Blahnik’s most powerful relationships and inspirations—including Marie Antoinette, Diana Vreeland, Cecil Beaton, Spanish and Italian film, the works of Goya and Velázquez and the Prado Museum—this book is a personal look into the man behind the shoes. Beautiful photography and thoughtful essays and conversations by fashion writers, curators, and colleagues give readers a unique opportunity to access Blahnik’s vivid and creative world.

Shoes fascinate women of all ages and have the power to crystallize a moment in fashion. In Vogue: The Shoe, Harriet Quick has curated more than 300 fabulous images from a century of British Vogue, featuring remarkable styles that range from the humble clog to exquisite hand-embroidered haute couture stilettoes via fetishistic cuissardes and outrageous statement heels. The images are grouped into five thematic chapters devoted to dazzling Cinderella heels; Town & Country classics; Cult Style inspiration; the escapism of Summer Dreaming and the extreme heels of Fetish & Fantasia. The images include pivotal work from Hoyningen-Huene, Irving Penn, Corinne Day, Norman Parkinson and Nick Knight. Vogue: The Shoe is the latest title in the prestigious Vogue portfolio series, which launched in autumn 2014 with Vogue: The Gown, followed by Vogue: The Jewellery in autumn 2015.

This book is organised thematically to express Manolo Blahnik's interests and passions - art history, architecture, film, including his renowned designs for Sofia Coppola's film Marie Antoinette, theatre and flora and fauna.

Now available at a new price, this is the first comprehensive volume dedicated to documenting the influences and life work of Manolo Blahnik, one of the most influential and talked-about icons in contemporary fashion. Featuring more than forty years of shoe design, this is the definitive monograph of the work of Manolo Blahnik, one of the titans of contemporary fashion. Drawing inspiration from the worlds of architecture, art, film, and literature, Blahnik is a master of the art of the shoe. His exciting use of color, unprecedented designs, and exquisitely sculpted heels make his shoes some of the most coveted in the world. Featuring more than 250 iconic designs from his archive, the book reveals for the very first time the inspirations behind his singular artistic vision. This book is conceived as a comprehensive survey of Blahnik’s work and provides access to never- before-seen photography of his designs. With insightful chapters devoted to Blahnik’s most powerful relationships and inspirations—including Marie Antoinette, Diana Vreeland, Cecil Beaton, Spanish and Italian film, the works of Goya and Velázquez and the Prado Museum—this book is a personal look into the man behind the shoes. Beautiful photography and thoughtful essays and conversations by fashion writers, curators, and colleagues give readers a unique opportunity to access Blahnik’s vivid and creative world.

Shoes fascinate women of all ages and have the power to crystallize a moment in fashion. In Vogue: The Shoe, Harriet Quick has curated more than 300 fabulous images from a century of British Vogue, featuring remarkable styles that range from the humble clog to exquisite hand-embroidered haute couture stilettoes via fetishistic cuissardes and outrageous statement heels. The images are grouped into five thematic chapters devoted to dazzling Cinderella heels; Town & Country classics; Cult Style inspiration; the escapism of Summer Dreaming and the extreme heels of Fetish & Fantasia. The images include pivotal work from Hoyningen-Huene, Irving Penn, Corinne Day, Norman Parkinson and Nick Knight. Vogue: The Shoe is the latest title in the prestigious Vogue portfolio series, which launched in autumn 2014 with Vogue: The Gown, followed by Vogue: The Jewellery in autumn 2015.

Collects together over 120 of the exquisite drawings Manolo Blahniks makes at the outset of the design process.

Through a playful series of alphabetical vignettes, Manolo Blahník reveals his ideas and inspirations in newly photographed examples of shoes and whimsical drawings. The shoes of Manolo Blahník have been called “magical totems of success and femininity” (The Guardian) and boast a cult following of devotees the world over. With their sleek elegance and distinctive fashion edge, “Manolos” are at once fascinating and timeless, their design a beautiful combination of chic, playfulness, and flair. This book explores the creativity and influences of this modern master through an alphabetical chronicle of the designer’s loves and inspiration. Blahník’s alphabet gives insight into the art and craftsmanship of shoemaking and includes whimsical musings on his relationships with figures such as Anna Piaggi, Loulou de la Falaise, and Diana Vreeland; the inspiration he draws from works by Goya, Zurbarán, Picasso, Barbara Hepworth, and Zaha Hadid; and his admiration for fellow designers such as Azzedine Alaïa, Balenciaga, and Yves Saint Laurent. These highly personal anecdotes—drawn from conversations between Blahník and the author and accompanied by original sketches and new photography—offer the reader a rare opportunity to learn the vision behind the shoes as told by a fashion legend. The book— which will accompany a traveling global exhibition— is introduced by an illustrated essay, which describes the designer’s illustrious forty-five-year career in the fashion industry.