If you've been clamoring to own a pair of Manolo Blahnik shoes but can't afford to drop a cool $1,000 on heels, the next best thing has arrived.
The upcoming biopic/documentary Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes for Lizards premieres in September, and movie tickets are far more affordable than Carrie Bradshaw's favorite shoes.
The film premieres on September 15 in New York City and a wider release will follow. It features interviews with fashion industry bigwigs including Anna Wintour and André Leon Talley, who calls Blahnik a poet “up there with Baudelaire.” Rihanna, David Bailey, John Galliano, Naomi Campbell, and Paloma Picasso also make appearances to discuss their experiences with Blahnik.
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Based on the trailer, Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes For Lizards will strike the perfect balance between humorous moments and in-depth information about his history as a designer.
Check out the trailer. (Spoiler alert: Wintour won't even deign to look at shoes designed by anyone other than Blahnik.)
Although Blahnik is clearly a natural on camera, he's never gone out of his way to seek fame or publicity. In fact, he told WWD last year that he couldn't imagine appearing in a movie. “Oh no, no, no! I love movies desperately, but I have no pretentions or illusions of me being an object of the camera,” the designer said.
When it was time to film Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes For Lizards, he told director Michael Roberts that he would participate under one condition.
“I am a mess in front of the camera. I said to Michael the only condition is that I don’t want to be filmed too much because some days I’m run down or sick," Blahnik explained. "I preferred all the people talking about me — if they want to. This is what the movie is about, it’s like a documentary seen through the eyes of other people, although I’m there, yes.”
The designer describes the film as an intimate portrait of both his life and his work. “It’s about my work, yes, and about who I am. It’s about personal things, although I don’t even know what you call personal anymore," he said. "It’s not a vanity project because it was not my idea and I’m a very private person. But you arrive at a certain age and then, well, everything is OK.”
Blahnik didn't want to spend too much time in front of the camera, but luckily plenty of people were eager to speak out about their experiences with the beloved designer.