Manolo Blahnik, the man and the shoes that bear his name, is the antidote to Crocs. His surname alone could be a synonym for refinement and sophistication. “Manolo Blahnik’s shoes are as good as sex,” Madonna once said. “And they last longer.”
In a world drowning in sneakers, he’s fighting vulgarity and ordinariness with a stiletto as his weapon. “I love etiquette and all the proper things,” he says, as I sit up a little straighter.
His career ignited when Diana Vreeland issued one of her characteristic declarations: “Young man, stick to the extremities and make shoes!” Fortunately for us, he did. Now, with his 21st boutique opening in Milan and his shoes on display in “Marie Antoinette Style” at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the 82-year-old is as passionate and uncompromising as ever. He draws every new shoe design, and each pair is made by hand. “Happiness,” he adds, “starts on your feet.”
WAKE-UP CALL: I wake up when one of my ten Labradors wakes me up. My favorite dog comes close to me, just touching, touching, touching until I get up and give him some biscuits.
BREAKFAST: I have coffee in the mornings, and if I’m hungry, I have papaya and maybe two toasts. My favorite thing in the world is orange juice, but it has a lot of sugar, and I’m completely forbidden to have sugar. It could be dangerous to my heart or something. As you age, you have to do all the things they tell you.
VITAMINS & SUPPLEMENTS: Good Lord, yes, I take at least 12 vitamins.
SNACK: My goodness, I eat non-sugar chocolate, nonstop. I love chocolate!
COCKTAIL: I hate beer—hate—but I love cocktails like the Black Forest. It was made at the Savoy Hotel in the 1930s, and all the old men would get really tipsy drinking them. Everything was so divine back then!
WORKOUT: I do minimal exercise.
ENERGY SAVIOR: B12.
SPA TREATMENT: I like a huge exfoliation with a massage. I don’t go that often because I’m not mad about spas.
MOOD LIFTER: I read Flaubert and 19th-century writers, of course! Madame Bovary is my favorite, and I reread it often. Oh, it is wonderful! I am completely mad about Balzac, too. Reading is where I get my crazy ideas for shoes. Sometimes the shoes look somewhat period, theatrical, or ostentatious, and that’s inspired by books.
TIME TRAVEL: I would have loved to live in the 18th century, surrounded by the ladies of the era, like Marie Antoinette. I love etiquette and all the proper things. I wouldn’t love life at the royal court because it must have been a horror, but I would’ve loved to be in the countryside at that period. I have nostalgia for the lovely manners that don’t seem to exist anymore.
GUILTY PLEASURE: Every night I have a huge thermos of hot chocolate without sugar, but it’s still wonderful. You must have a guilty pleasure!
WORST VICE: I get hooked watching divine movies. I sometimes watch the same movie three times in a row when I should be sleeping. My favorite film, without a doubt, is The Leopard. It’s a divine book and movie, and one of my all-time favorites.
SKIN CARE MVP: I use La Prairie Skin Caviar. I have a big blue bottle, and it lasts forever.
FIRST BEAUTY PRODUCT: I was in the sun all the time and used Hawaiian Tropic.
SCENT: I wear the same scent that my grandfather and father wore, called Knize Ten. It reminds me of my past, of moments of happiness, and my family. Even my sister, Sue, smelled like Knize Ten!
ON THE SNEAKER TREND: I don’t like the horrible, terrible sports shoes. I hate them. People are wearing casual sneakers instead of an actual shoe.
FOOT EXPOSURE: If you have a wonderful foot, then yes, it’s a pleasure to see, but if you have a horrible foot, then please cover them up. American women take beautiful care of their feet and have extraordinary pedicures.
ON TOE CLEAVAGE: I thought it was so sexy to show the beginning, just the beginning of the toes.
THE MAGIC OF A GOOD SHOE: It’s kind of an illusion, but a beautiful shoe makes you walk differently, more graciously. In Milan, even in the morning, women are wearing high heels.
DAILY UNIFORM: I wear linen all the time. I like very simple clothes, but I need color to make myself happy. In winter, I wear this beautifully cut, classic suit, but it’s in a vile red, yellow, and blue plaid. I love it and I don’t know why.
PAST STYLE REGRETS: I cringe about so many things that I wore in the past!
IF YOU COULD CHANGE ANYTHING ABOUT YOUR APPEARANCE, WHAT WOULD IT BE? I would love to have my brown-blonde hair from when I was 20. Now I have the same hair, but it’s white and it’s horrid. I hate white hair, but I would hate to dye it even more. That’s horrible. It’s a no-no!
PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE YOUR YOUNGER SELF: To slow down. Everything I did was quick, quick, quick, and I made decisions like yes, yes, yes. I moved too fast, and I regret that.
ON RETIRING: I love to work! Sometimes I think, My God, people are going to get bored of me, but I’ve been going for over 50 years, and it’s still exciting.
WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION? Everywhere, but on planes most of the time. I can concentrate like mad and then come up with ideas. I think it’s because I’m in a place that nobody can reach me.
WHO SPARKED YOUR CREATIVITY? My mother had an extraordinary, wonderful eye. On the last day of her life, I brought her to the National Gallery with a friend. When I picked her up, she told me she had been immersed in a painting by Goya. I said, “Mommy, you’ve seen that painting a million times!” And she said, “Every single time I see something different.” She was the sweetest and most tender person that I ever knew. I could go on for days talking about my mother, so I’d better stop!
BATHING RITUALS: It’s a wonderful, simple thing, but every night before bed, I have a huge bath and I’m very happy there. I have all the dogs around me, and I’m content. And I love a cold shower. In the Paris, London, and New York shops, we have showers, and I think I’m in them more than I’m in the shops.
LIFE MOTTO: The Duchess of Alba sent me a note, saying, “You are a very happy man, and your life starts on your feet.” Can you imagine? Happiness starts on your feet.
WHERE ARE YOU HAPPIEST? When I am with all ten of my dogs. My dog Achilles adores me. He’s with me all the time, and when I am away, I talk to him on the telephone to make me happy. It’s crazy, but it’s the truth!
BEST THING ABOUT GROWING OLDER? People say it’s becoming wise, but I don’t think so. And people say it’s great being old, but I don’t think so either. I do like being able to just rest and spend time with my favorite people and dogs.
Holly Parmelee, formerly an associate publisher at Little, Brown and Company, is an editor and writer at Serendipity magazine
