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by: Colin McDowell
Amazon.com's Price: $37.18 Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 2 to 4 weeks
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 746
EAN: 9781841881331
ISBN: 1841881333
Label: Weidenfeld Nicolson Illustrated
Manufacturer: Weidenfeld Nicolson Illustrated
Number Of Pages: 199
Publication Date: April 17, 2003
Publisher: Weidenfeld Nicolson Illustrated
Sales Rank: 834004
Studio: Weidenfeld Nicolson Illustrated
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
For many years Manolo Blahnik was the open secret of the fashion world, his shoes de rigueur for any stylish woman. Then, with Absolutely Fabulous and Sex in the City, he became world-famous to millions. In this fully authorized book, Colin McDowell uncovers the man behind the label. Blahnik claims that his decision to be a shoemaker was 'one of those accidents of life. I could just as well have been a milliner or a fashion designer'. His choices were wide but he chose shoemaking and started his highly successful business in 1972. From the beginning Blahnik's shoes reflected his style, wit and flair. He draws shoes with a verve that is uniquely his own, capturing their spirit and mood in a few deft lines. As a total perfectionist, Manolo Blahnik controls every process in the production of his shoes and still makes the last of every shoe in a collection with his own hands. He has made shoes for everyone from Bianca Jagger, Jerry Hall and Diana Ross to Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Victoria Beckham. His designs have been described by Madonna as 'wonderful - they last longer than sex'. He also creates shoes for many designers including John Galliano at Christian Dior and Oscar de la Renta. It is therefore of no surprise that the word 'Manolos' has become synonymous with the finest footwear in the world. Through his informative text Colin McDowell takes us into Blahnik's factory and homes to show us his life and his work and, combined with a stunning selection of photographs reveals this ultimate fashion icon as never seen before.
Amazon.com Review:
The Spanish designer Manolo Blahnik creates the most sought-after shoes in the world. On a supermodel, a Manolo Blahnik shoe completes the perfect ensemble; placed on a pedestal, it becomes a minor art object. Colin McDowell's Manolo Blahnik attempts to capture the genuine excitement generated by Blahnik's creations. It is only partly successful. The breathy writing style never rises above fashion-magazine gossip, though the shoes themselves extend beyond fashion into art and sculpture--even metaphysical meaning. The maestro never puts a foot wrong. The finest materials, gorgeous color, and a sense of the theatrical combine in elegant originals that consistently surprise. We are told that, besides their whimsicality and sexiness, his shoes are extremely comfortable and well made.
Blahnik, 'sculptor and engineer,' carves each wooden last himself, normally from beech, and supervises the Italian workshops that turn his designs into treasures. His originality may be explained by his lack of formal training, but it is also clear that Blahnik's success is founded on hard work, eccentricity, and boundless energy. The book's photographs and the designer's drawings (especially effective) present the shoes as formal objects in settings replete with rose petals and fashion-photographer textures. As a glimpse into the mechanics of the world of high fashion, Manolo Blahnik works well. Readers interested in contemporary culture, celebrities, and the master's thoughts on toe cleavage and other mysteries will rave about it. --John Stevenson
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Picture Pages for the Moden Girl
For the Carrie Bradshaw in all of us! Carrie taught the world how to say Manolo and now we are all obssesed it's a great keepsake for the shoe attict in all of us women!
Rating:  - Boring with a Capital "B"
... I bought this book. I have a foot fetish, shoe fascination. I make shoes. I love this man. I came away from this book feeling that this man was very shallow.
The photos were disappointing. Those of us with shoe obsessions won't be satisfied with this book. The shoes shown aren't original; the manner in which they are shown isn't either.
Perhaps I was too hungry for something as original as Manolo.
Rating: - deeply disappointed
as a long time manolo aficionado, i was deeply disappointed in colin mc dowell's tribute to one of the greatest artistic geniuses of our time, manolo blanhnik. as geniuses go, blahnik's a very complicated man, and i feel that mc dowell doesn't begin to do him justice. i came away from the book wanting to know more. besides that, i don't feel the photographs and sketches were necessarily indicative of blahnik's best work.
Rating: - Feed Your Manolo Obsession....
As a woman and a fan of shoes, I'm here to tell you that you can't get any better than Manolo Blahnik. His creations are sexy, stylish, and comfortable. And thanks to Sarah Jessica Parker and "Sex & the City", they are all the rage. But there is one tiny problem...they are also VERY expensive. For those of us that can't afford to run down to Neiman Marcus and slap down $600.00 for these sexy stiletto's, there's "Manolo Blahnik" by Colin McDowell. The pictures in this book will take your breathe ... Read More
Rating: - Exquisite
A terrific book, depicting one of the world's greatest shoe designers and creators, Manolo Blahnik. Makes a wondeful coffee table book, which is filled with entising photographs. A fabulous book darlings!
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