Manolo Blahnik
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Manolo Blahnik CBE (born 27 November 1942) is a Spanish fashion designer and an eponymous fashion label, one of the world's most prominent in women's shoes.
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[edit] Biography
Born in Santa Cruz de La Palma in the Canary Islands to a Czech father and a Spanish mother and raised on a banana plantation, Blahnik graduated from the University of Geneva with a degree in literature in 1965 and went on to study art in Paris. He moved to London in 1970 and opened his first shop in 1973 by buying out an existing shop called Zapata in Chelsea.
Blahnik's shoes, sold around the world, range in price from hundreds to thousands of dollars. They often come with stiletto heels, which can reach as high as five and a half inches, and embellishments with beads, laces, or ribbons. The television show Sex and the City mentioned his shoes so often that it helped cement his place in pop culture, and he was said to be the "fifth star" of the show after the show's four lead actresses. The Sex and the City episode titled " A Vogue Idea" centers around the black patent mary jane style that Manolo Blahnik calls 'Campari'. The price of the Campari shoe as of the year 2007 is $555 at Neiman Marcus which has been raised from its $495 price of 2002-03.
Blahnik also designed the shoes worn by the title character in the 2006 biopic Marie Antoinette.
He was awarded an honorary title of Commander of the British Empire in the Queen's 2007 Birthday Honours List, for services to the British fashion industry.
[edit] Outlets
The Manolo Blahnik International flagship store is the original London store, the store is located on Old Church Street in Chelsea, this being the largest of the stores, also houses the head office, and design house.
The Manolo Blahnik web site lists two boutiques in the United States:
- New York, New York (31 West 54th Street)
- Las Vegas, Nevada (3131 Las Vegas Blvd South at the Wynn)
Boutiques are also located in Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, Russia, Spain, Turkey, Kuwait, and Dubai.
Department stores in the United States that carry Manolo Blahnik shoes online include Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and Barneys. Saks Fifth Avenue online does not carry Manolo Blahnik, although some of their brick-and-mortar retail stores sell Manolos.
