Next stop for your Christmas Shopping… Liberty, of course! And as you probably already know, Manolo Blahnik has been occupying his own proper store-in-store, The World of Manolo Blahnik, on the ground floor, for three months already. Shoes, but also silk scarves, ties, umbrellas, fabrics, cushions, notebooks and even candles, all inspired by Liberty prints.
Manolo Blahnik went through decades of Liberty print archives to create this wonderful collection. “Initially I was supposed to design only one print », he confided in an interview given to Jo Gowans-Ellington (Liberty), « but then we came up with so many great ideas for other items. Shoes in Liberty fabrics are not new to me, I used to have a shoe in Liberty print in almost every collection, however this time I chose prints from the archives for the shoes. It is unbelievable the amount of beautiful prints Liberty have created through the decades! I couldn’t choose – I felt like a child in a sweet shop! Liberty also created my own prints from my drawings which are being used for the umbrellas, scarves, ties and other items.”
Shoes can be browsed online but are only available to buy at the Regent Street store. Whether you want to buy a pair, or just admire/worship/pay homage to them, it is definitely worth the trip – and there are so many great accessories with exquisite prints made from Manolo Blahnik’s drawings. The World of Manolo Blahnik will be closed for good after Christmas – yes, all good things must end, they say…
Laurie Guillem
The World of Manolo Blahnik at Liberty, Regent Street, London W1B 5AH
Top image taken from the upcoming book “Manolo’s New Shoes” – a collection of drawings published by Thames and Hudson