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Let the Shoes do the Talking

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[5]by Cathy Rae Smith
founder of Culture Magazine

Shoes are one of the foremost revelations of a person’s path, whether with an eye for style or just focused on function. To the extent of style, quality looms large in the lexicon of the truly discriminating. Personally, I love that we dwell in an era of such range and diversity. In my considerable collection of shoes, I have old, well-worn (and tremendously comfortable) “Locals” flip-flops. I also have some exquisite black suede Manolo Blahniks. I have knee-high black Italian leather boots with 3″heels and I have knee-high tan suede UGG boots. I guess it reveals the duality of my interests, ranging from west coast surfer girl to international follower of fashion.

As you may have surmised, I adore artists, and I especially adore fashion artists. Blahnik certainly falls within that category. Born of Czech (father) and Spanish (mother) decent and raised in the Canary Islands, he studied art in Paris. Early in his design career, he showed his portfolio of sketches for fashion and set design to fashion designer Diana Vreeland. She pronounced that he should only design shoes. Advice he obviously followed, he has found great, high-end success in fashion and popular culture. The HBO series, “Sex and the City,” mentioned Manolo Blaniks reverentially. The primary character, Carrie, coos to a pair in a showroom window, “Hello lover!” The sitcom series “Will and Grace” referenced Blahniks in season 2 (episode 5) in which Grace chides Karen about her spending, “Karen, I think you can live on this. I mean Spain does, so…” Karen fires back, “Grace, they wear tires on their feet, I wear Manolo Blahniks!”

So, do tell, what do your feet reveal about your personal style? What is the range of your style? Do you have any fanciful tales to tell? Oh, that reminds me, I have yet another shoe story to share – a personal adventure. It is rather fabulous, if I do say so myself. Here’s sneak peek clue, it took place in Paris. Tune in next time…