Manolo Blahnik launches his book “Fleeting Gestures and Obsessions” in Italy

By

Francelia Rodriguez Ceballos

Published
Oct 27, 2015

The Spanish footwear designer and fashion icon presented last Tuesday his new book “Fleeting Gestures and Obsessions” in the Rizzoli bookstore in Milan.

“Manolo Blahnik: Fleeting Gestures and Obsessions” includes illustrations of more than 500 pairs of shoes, documenting the career and work of the footwear designer since he was discovered by Diana Vreeland in 1971. “It’s funny, because in my life I got carried away by the coincidences and circumstances,” he told WWD. “Initially I dreamed of becoming a mason or sculptor and I never imagined that I would become this today.”

“This book is the outcome of a desperate way of looking at beauty, understood as a way of looking at a woman, as her way of moving and walking,” said Blahnik. “Every woman is unique and for that every shoe is an object with a different shape, with a different inspiration, each different from the other one,” he added.

He also highlighted the importance of Italian style, which is a source of inspiration for him. “The peculiarities of Italian style is its uniqueness, its sensuality, its ability to always tell a story,” he told the fashion platform, adding that he also takes inspiration from movies, art, architecture and literature.

“Fleeting Gestures and Obsessions”, priced at $150, was written by Blahnik and features thoughtful essays and contributions by the likes of film director Pedro Almodóvar, fashion journalist Michael Roberts, and screenwriter and director Sofia Coppola.