For his Fall ’15 collection, Manolo Blahnik returned to one of his favorite points of inspiration: the ornate design found in Russia.
From rich gold-buckled brocade pumps to fur-festooned booties, the emphasis was on more-is-more opulence. While by less masterful designers, this could easily skew a little heavy handed, there was a delicacy to Blahnik’s interpretation of these eastern codes.
Take the Zarina bootie, which sat on a petit tapered heel and was covered in clusters of dainty gold beadwork almost resembling a Fabergé egg. The wintery chill of northern Russia was evoked with a fur-trimmed pump, featuring the new thicker heel shape for the house and metallic gold speed lacing for added glamour. This may very well be as close as Blahnik gets to a winter boot.
The designer also showed his one-off collaboration styles for the runway collections of Zac Posen, J. Mendel and Wes Gordon.
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