KO JE MANOLO? Manuel Blanik Rodrigez rođen je 1942. u Španiji. Otac mu je bio Čeh, a majka Špankinja, koja je razvila kod njega ljubav prema cipelama. Zavr- šio je Univerzitet u Ženevi. Dobitnik je nagrade National Fashion Award. Objavio je dve knjige: 2011. Manolo Blanik i priča o vilenjacima i obuća - ru – Memoari modne bajke (Mano- lo Blahnik and the Tale of the Elves and the Shoemaker: A Fashion Fairy Tale Memoir), i 2015. Prolazni gesto - vi i opsesije (Manolo Blahnik: Flee- ting Gestures and Obsessions) s ilu- stracijama više od 500 pari cipela. Dokumentarni film o njemu Manolo: kralj cipela (Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes for Lizards) premijerno je prikazan 15. septembra u Njujorku i daje uvid u život i karijeru ovog ve- likog španskog dizajnera. WHO IS MANOLO? Born Manuel Blahnik Rodriguez in Spain in 1942, his father was Czech, while his Spanish mother nurtured his love for shoes. He graduated from the University of Geneva. A winner of the National Fashion Award, he has published two books, ‘Manolo Blahnik and the Tale of the Elves and the Shoemaker: A Fashion Fairy Tale Memoir’ (2011) and ‘Manolo Blah- nik: Fleeting Gestures and Obses- sions’ (2015), featuring illustrations of more than 500 pairs of shoes. A doc- umentary about him, ‘Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes for Lizards’, pre- miered in New York on 15 th Septem- ber this year and provides insight in- to the life and career of this great Spanish designer.
Kažem Manolo zato što se upisao na listu malobrojnih koji su prerasli svoje prezime
I say Manolo because he is listed among the few who have outgrown their surname
it, experience it, touch it, and then adjust it. He spent a long time seeking a way to position the heel so that the shoe will be perfectly comfortable. We know that he succeeded in discovering that an error of just one millimetre changes everything. He criticises today’s designers for work- ing online. And the public isn’t the same either. They buy for the sake of it, and not due to the beauty of things. - Trends manipulate women and com- pel them to think that they must constant- ly spend money on different things in or- der to stay modern. That’s ridiculous! I’d rather see a woman in a little jumper and tweed materials. My favourite fashion is still that of the fifties – says Manolo, add- ing that, among other things, that’s why he likes English women. And while we try to figure it out and find the words to express his aesthetics, he doesn’t even want to try to define his style. For him, there is no philosophy there, only a fusion of enormous knowledge, art history and beauty. The result is handmade shoes, created exclusively according to his sketches in a production process that he personally oversees. His models are recog- nisable for their interesting decorations, clasps, silks, plush and leather in the cra- ziest colours. He draws inspiration from past epochs, like the heels worm by Louis
XIV or antique clasps for shoes.
And while the ladies of the world have recognised him and worn his works since they appeared on the fashion scene, at the time long ago when Madonna said that his shoes are better than sex, he on- ly became a source of silent suffering for the wider population following the launch of the TV series Sex & the City. Carrie Brad- shaw brought him into every home with a TV. People still talk about the episode in which the main character, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, tells an attacker to take everything from her – jewellery and purse - but to show mercy and leave her Manolos! His shoes were worn by Princess Diana and are worn today by Duchess Kate Mid- dleton, Queen Rania and Madonna, while fashion blogger Olivier Palermo chose them for her wedding. He also proved ir- resistible to model Naomi Campbell, just like almost every woman who sticks to style and can afford to set aside more than 700 euros for shoes. And just like great painters who marked the epoch in which they created and who left behind priceless works, Mano- lo has also decided not to leave his brand to anyone. After his death, his shoes will stay behind to speak about him. Nobody else except him will ever make them.
MADAME WINTOUR GOES FOR SAFETY Ana Wintour, editor-in-chief of U.S. Vogue, wears san- dals with his signature and her initials from 1994, with crossed belts, a thin belt at the back and a mid- height heel. She orders a few pairs a year in two shades of leather, and has done so for 23 years. She is as rigid in her choice of shoes as she is extrava- gant in her choice of clothing. And perhaps those re- duced sandals, brought to perfection and made ac- cording to the model of the foot, are the secret of her fashion sinlessness. This world fashion icon actually goes for safety. Alongside Manolo’s sandals, she can wear anything.
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