Manolo for the Men » Doings of the Manolo

Church’s and State

Izzy — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 15:51:04 +0000

The Manolo has noted outgoing Prime Minister Tony Blair’s revelation that

he had worn the same pair of shoes to his weekly question-and-answer session in parliament since he became the country’s leader.

The shoes in question — an 18-year-old pair of hand-made leather Brogues that have only been re-soled once — were made by Church’s in Northampton, central England.

“I know it’s ridiculous, but I’ve worn them for every PMQs (Prime Minister’s Questions) … I’ve actually had them for 18 years,” Blair told The Times in an interview, adding that “cheap shoes are a false economy.”

As the wise adage has it: Women brag about their newest clothing purchase, men their oldest.

In constrast to Ralph Nader, who has worn the same pair of army boots for decades, Blair’s choice of footwear is beyond reproach, and certainly not evidence of an unhealthy asceticism (so common among self-proclaimed saviors).

The Prime Minister has come along way sartorially since his Oxford days.

For the story behind this bowdlerized photograph, as well as the full original image, which is an incredible depiction of the aristocracy at play, go here.

Big Shoes to Fill

Izzy — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 03:55:12 +0000

Believe it or not, dear readers, but these feet are those of none other than the Manolo himself! He says he is wearing

the size eleven Clydes by the Taryn Rose, the pair of double-buckle, monk-strap shoes of which the Manolo has been especially fond this last year or so.

Who knew the Manolo was so tall? And who would have guessed he was such a fan of the gabardine?

For those who wish to follow the maestro’s taste in footwear, Zappos offers a similar, if more outre style from the same cordwainer.

Truth in Advertising

Izzy — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 17:44:40 +0000

Indeed, Ms. Westwood.

English as She Is Spoke

Izzy — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 02:58:30 +0000

Having learned that The Manolo’s unique patois may have been ripped off by the folks at Neiman Marcus, Izzy wishes to inform fans of his master’s voice of a book they will definitely enjoy: the unintentionally hilarious nineteenth-century classic English as She Is Spoke. Intended as a Portuguese-English phrasebook, its Portuguese authors suffered from just one minor problem: they knew no actual English. Instead, they relied on literal dictionary definitions when translating, which caused them to pen some of the funniest English of all time.

Here are some sample phrases from the book, which are followed by the correct English:

Sentence in Portuguese	Given translation	Idiomatic translation
As paredes t�m ouvidos.	The walls have hearsay.	The walls have ears.
Anda de gatinhas.	He go to four feet.	He crawls. / Crawl. (imperative)
A estrada � segura?	Is sure the road?	Is the road safe?
Sabe montar a cavalo.	He know ride horse.	He knows how to ride a horse.
Que horas s�o?	What o’clock is it?	What time is it?
Quem cala consente.	That not says a word, consent.	He who doesn’t object, consents.
Que faz ele?	What do him?	What does he do? / What is he doing?
Tenho vontade de vomitar.	I have mind to vomit.	I feel like vomiting.
Este lago parece-me bem piscoso. Vamos pescar para nos divertirmos.	That pond it seems me many multiplied of fishes. Let us amuse rather to the fishing.	This lake seems like it’s full of fish. Let’s have some fun fishing.
Bem sei o que devo fazer ou me compete.	I know well who I have to make.	I know very well what I have to do and what my responsibilities are.

Pizza and Fashion Were Not Made for Each Other

Izzy — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 15:04:19 +0000

The Manolo thinks that the runway Pizza Boy was a bad idea during Fashion Week. Lord knows what he’d say if he had encountered the Pizza Pirate.

Toe Fetish

Izzy — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 15:26:46 +0000

The Manolo has kindly brought to his readers’ attention these shoes shaped like feet.

Izzy would like to offer a pair of socks to go with these wearable footprints.

Apparently such toe socks are popular in Japan.

Perfidious Hackery

Izzy — Thu, 25 May 2006 14:43:18 +0000

The Manolo has some important news:

It appears that the blogs of the Manolo have been hacked into by the persons unknown to the Manolo, who have installed the trojan download onto the front page of all of the Manolo�s blogs.

The Manolo belives that he has taken care of this problem, however, you if you visited the blogs of the Manolo during the preceeding day, you may wish to examine your computers for the trojan progams.

It is perhaps the virus described at this link that you may wish to look for. It is the virus the TROJ_WMFCRASH.C or perhaps one of its variations.

Izzy hopes none of his devoted readers were harmed by such knavery.� He has already unleashed the hounds…

The Pullet Surprise

Izzy — Wed, 19 Apr 2006 14:39:46 +0000

Robin Givhan, the Washington Post’s style columnist, was just awarded the Pulitzer Prize for criticism. If her commentary on the Vice-President’s parka and pink tie, the Secretary of State’s boots, and the Chief Justice’s too perfect family was indeed prize-worthy, then the Manolo’s far superior musings should be a shoo-in next year. Start your write-in campaign now.

Beware the Fools of April

Izzy — Sat, 01 Apr 2006 20:14:12 +0000

The Manolo has been most cruelly sabotaged by the (one assumes) accident-prone Lagerfeld.

ManoloMen.Com!

Manolo — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 02:41:02 +0000

Manolo says, the Manolo he has relaunched the Manolo for the Men Blog!

It is new! It is improved! And the Manolo he will again be posting at this blog regularly, dispensing the fashion, grooming, and etiquette advice to the mens.