Dear Manolo:
I've been invited on a fabulous two-week trip to Monaco at the end of October, and I need some shoes. Normally, I'm a high-heel girl, but I'm wondering whether I'll end up hobbling around by the end of the trip. Are there any cute (possibly preppy) mid-heels that are comfy? — Katie
MANOLO SAYS, Ayyyyy! Now is the best time to visit the Principality: The weather is quite pleasant, the summer crowds have left for the season, and Prince Albert is still the balding bachelor on the prowl.
Of the course, if you plan on doing any walking in the city, which is the easiest way to see Monte Carlo, you will need the most comfortable of the shoes.
Dear Manolo:
One of my friends is getting married for the second time in October, in what she says will be a "simple wedding" of "only 100 guests." I'm a bridesmaid. The dress (a pumpkin shade) is especially unflattering. The good news is we can buy our own shoes. Help! — Marie
MANOLO SAYS: It is the old story, your best friend is getting married for the more-than first time, and you are supposed to be the bridesmaid (again!), only the dress the bride has chosen for you is unsightly. But you are the good friend, and so you button up your tongue and hold your lips, expressing your discomfort through the passive-aggressive use of quotation marks (including those which you make by wiggling your fingers in the air) and by talking smack behind everyone's back.
Ayyyy! The Manolo suggests that you remember that this is your friend's big day, and that your cheery and supportive demeanor and lack of air quotes are the greatest gifts you can give to her. Besides, you can soothe the pain with beautiful shoes, such as these sandals, the Tantalize from Stuart Weitzman ($315, Zappos.com).
Each week, Manolo the shoeblogger answers your pressing shoe questions. Ask the Manolo a question at manolo@shoeblogs.com. Visit the Manolo at shoeblogs.com.
Photo courtesy Zappos.com
Dear Manolo:
I've been hired by the my alma mater as a fund-raiser, so I'll be traveling a lot this fall. I need a pair of boots that will see me through from the airport to the boardroom. — Lillian
MANOLO SAYS: Ayyyyy! The Manolo's friend has gone over to the dark side, joining the only organization more persistent than the IRS, more tricksy than the CIA, more capable of finding fugitives than the FBI: your college's fund-raising department.
Trust the Manolo, the National Security Administration wishes it had the intelligence-gathering capabilities of the average middle-sized liberal arts college development department, so efficient are the fund-raisers at figuring out where to direct the guilt-inducing letters and politely hectoring phone calls. "Hello, Mr. Gibbletson? This is Clancy Snaffleton from Faber College, and I'm calling to remind you that the Annual Fund needs your contribution. You're in the Federal Witness Protection Program? Well, sir, we have our ways. Now how about the Class of '78 Homecoming Fund?"
Here is the Mango from La Canadienne ($339, Zappos.com) that is both attractive and weatherproof.
Each week, Manolo the shoeblogger answers your pressing shoe questions. Ask the Manolo a question at manolo@shoeblogs.com. Visit the Manolo at shoeblogs.com.
Photo courtesy Zappos.com
Dear Manolo:
I've fallen for a guy who's my opposite. Me: a first-year associate at a white-shoe law firm. Him: the lead singer in a emo-core band. The problem is that I have to emo-up my look so I don't stand out so much when I go to his shows. What would you recommend? — Monica
MANOLO SAYS, the Manolo imagines that if he were the first-year law associate, submerged in the dreary sub-basement of his firm, buried under that mountain of meaningless petty paperwork which is the diet of the new lawyer, the Manolo would, like Keats, also find himself half in love with "easeful death," or perhaps Morrissey, which is the next best thing.
Likewise, at the end of each summer, the festive crowds gather on the boulevards in front of the Manolo's pied-A-terre, waiting for the Manolo to emerge, boutonnière in place, walking stick in hand, to opine on the suitability of white feetwear after the Day of Labor.
Dear Manolo:
Now that the summer is almost over, can you give us your opinion of wearing white shoes after Labor Day? — Julia
MANOLO SAYS, every year at this time the Manolo feels like Punxsutawney Phil, the cute little Pennsylvania groundhog, who must each February emerge from his burrow and announce whether or not the winter will continue.
Likewise, at the end of each summer, the festive crowds gather on the boulevards in front of the Manolo's pied-A-terre, waiting for the Manolo to emerge, boutonnière in place, walking stick in hand, to opine on the suitability of white feetwear after the Day of Labor.
Continue Reading "Dear Manolo: White Shoes for After Labor Day" »
Dear Manolo:
I am 14 and about to embark on the long and perilous journey of high school. My brother will be a senior, and he has many good-looking friends. I need a cute pair of flats to grab their attention. Please keep in mind that I am but a poor baby sitter with little to spare.
— MARGO
Dear Manolo:
I'm getting married in an informal ceremony on a Hawaiian beach. I'm not going to wear shoes, but for the dinner afterward I'll need a pair of sandals, something affordable that's pretty but not too fussy.
— EMILY
MANOLO SAYS how the Manolo well remembers the single beach wedding he attended, many years ago, in the seaside resort mecca of Panama City, Fla. (Where all of your wildest mini-golf and ribald T-shirt desires may be satisfied!)
It was the beautiful and moving ceremony, the bride in the lovely white sundress-ish thing, the groom so handsome in his tuxedo from the Jimmy Buffett "Margaritaville" collection. The Manolo nearly wept with joy for his friends.
And then the sand fleas came.
Afterward, the fragrance of calamine lotion and domestic beer scented the magic Redneck Riveria night.
Ayyy! Hawaii! You will need the most beautiful shoes possible for your festival of poi, roast pig and lifelong commitment. Here is the Fawn from Lumiani ($140, zappos.com), the simply beautiful and affordable sandal that is available in 14 colors, including this marvelous platinum.
Each week, Manolo the shoeblogger answers your pressing shoe questions. Ask the Manolo a question at manolo@shoeblogs.com. Visit the Manolo at shoeblogs.com.
Photo courtesy zappos.com
Dear Manolo:
I have a 10-year-old granddaughter who is 5 feet, 10 inches tall and wears a size 10.5- or 11-wide shoe. Have any ideas of what we can put on her feet other than sneakers and hiking boots? It would be nice to be able to dress her up.
— ROBIN
MANOLO SAYS, ayyyy!  What are they putting in the milk these days?  Everywhere the Manolo looks there are giant childrens: middle-schoolers who tower over their parents, grade-schoolers who look like all-in wrestlers and pre-schoolers who can kick-start their own Harleys. It is the epidemic of the over-nourished!
The Manolo is still of the same opinion as always: that children, regardless of their size, should be treated like children. The 10-year-old girl with the body of the 20-year-old Gabrielle Reece is still the 10-year-old and should be dressed appropriately to her age.
Happily, this year, the cute and girlish flats and skimmers have been in style, and the big-boned grade-school girl can find the shoes that are dressy and yet not trashy in that annoyingly precocious Bratz way. Look, here is the Suzy, the dressy blue suede skimmer from the Type Z ($95, Zappos.com), available in the size 11W.
The Manolo is indisposed. This column originally appeared Sept. 7, 2007.
Each week, Manolo the shoeblogger answers your pressing shoe questions. Ask the Manolo a question at manolo@shoeblogs.com. Visit the Manolo at shoeblogs.com.
Photo courtesy zappos.com
Dear Manolo:
Now that July is over, I've begun to think about more autumnal shoes. I'm especially eager to find a girly flat with lots of personality. Please help.
— EVA
MANOLO SAYS, August has arrived and, although the weather remains intolerable, the Manolo has also begun to obsess over the shoes for the fall.
What are the perfect shoes to wear while hunting for the pumpkins, or watching the football games, or instructing your lawn minions to rake the leaves under the Japanese maple?
Dear Manolo:
I've noticed a trend for ethnic-theme shoes, mostly African motifs, but also some American-Indian and Latin elements. Can you recommend something that will still look good when the trend is over?
— KELSEY
MANOLO SAYS, the Manolo loves the current incarnation of the periodic mania for the ethnic-themed clothing. This time around, the trend has been expressed in luxurious and mostly subtle ways, with beautiful shoes that feature snakeskin and feathers in African patterns, and sandals with American-Indian leather fringes.
Of course, as always, one must be careful when adopting ethnic motifs for use in personal styling. The danger is that you may go too far and become the caricature. Indeed, one minute you are admiring the leathery fringes on the high street shoe, and the next you are dressing in buckskin and trade beads, and calling yourself Kicking Horse Woman.
Addison Road