Blahnik by Boman: Shoes, Photographs, Conversation [Hardcover]

Eric Boman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 13, 2005

Long before their supporting role in Sex and the City, Manolo Blahnik's shoes were legendary—exquisitely detailed, unabashedly luxurious, and impossibly sexy. The epitome of sophistication and taste, they have graced the feet of royalty, supermodels, and movie stars. In these breathtaking pictures by Blahnik's longtime friend, photographer Eric Boman, the shoes take center stage in a dazzling array of intriguing and often lighthearted scenes and settings. A white leather stiletto plays an incriminating role in a suggested crime worthy of Hitchcock. A pale green mule nestles among ferns in homage to Blahnik's recurring botanical themes. The straps of a sandal echo the strands of spaghetti in which it lays entwined. Boman's unerring eye and oddly keen understanding of Blahnik's creations make for spellbinding pictures, full of wit, playfulness, and sole. Elegant allusions to Blahnik's eclectic influences abound—from the cinema to history, from the natural world to art and literature. As covetable as a pair of Manolos, this is a book of consummate creativity, addictive power, and unrivaled individuality: a cult object on a cult designer.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Manolo Blahnik was born in the Canary Islands. He studied at the University of Geneva before moving to Paris and then London to work as a set designer. On a trip to New York in 1971, Blahnik was sent to show his sketches to legendary fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who famously suggested, "You should do shoes." He lives in England.

Eric Boman, originally from Sweden, has worked in London, Paris, and New York for, among others, Vogue , Marie-Claire , Yves Saint-Laurent, Vanity Fair , The World of Interiors , and House & Garden . Since 1988, he has increasingly explored art photography

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (October 13, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811851168
• ISBN-13: 978-0811851169
• Product Dimensions: 13.8 x 11.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #203,686 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wacky, Wonderful, Weird World!, December 22, 2005

By 

A. Wilson "swirleez" (San Francisco, California United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blahnik by Boman: Shoes, Photographs, Conversation (Hardcover)

I have a huge collection of fashion books - both artistic and historical. A friend just gave this to me for our holiday gift-exchange at work, and I am absolutely overwhelmed!

The images are completely striking - strange, beautiful, odd, a little disturbing, and usually quite witty. Some have made me laugh out loud, while others send a chill down my spine.

Of course, Blahnik's shoes speak from themselves as works of art, however the way that Boman has juxtaposed them will the different set-ups or mise-en-scene is truly wonderful. If only we could have such still lifes in the odd spaces of our homes! This book will be a great addition for any fashionista/art lover, and will be the most talked-about *objet* at your next gathering...ENJOY!!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!!!!, February 23, 2006

By 

Salvatore Ruggiero "Fashion Savvy" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blahnik by Boman: Shoes, Photographs, Conversation (Hardcover)

The genius design combined with amazing photography and styling make for a journey of beauty.A must have for the collector of fashion and photgraphy books.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blahnik by Boman, July 17, 2006

By 

Frances Lynn "Author, Crushed and Frantic" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blahnik by Boman: Shoes, Photographs, Conversation (Hardcover)

I just happened to be in Selfridges/London last year, coinciding with Eric Boman and Manolo Blahnik's book launch. There were queues and queues of eager fans lining up to get their newly purchased books autographed by the fashionable duo. It was all very civilised, even though security guards were holding back the frenzied mob, while Boman and Blahnik relentlessly signed with tireless good humour and charm.

Blahnik has been the ultimate cobbler to the stars since the Seventies, and Boman is a veteran, top photographer who's been photographing beautiful women for years (his most recent book, "Dames" show-cases his portrait-photogaphy). It's fortunate for Manolo that Eric came up with the novel idea of photographing his old friend's shoes. It was also conducive for the book that he supplied the witty 'photographic conversation,' for although Manolo's shoes are the most exquisite in the world, a book would have been pretty one dimensional with pedestrian sole snap-shots of his pumps without Eric's creative input.

Boman has not only managed to produce imaginative photographs of the beautiful shoes, but has elevated Manolo's footwear to museum status. Thanks to his original and highly imaginative photographic compositions, the elegant pumps have been transformed into classical portraits.

Boman and Blahnik's old friend Paloma Picasso has supplied the foreword, helping make this beautifully produced book a must have gift, especially for people with tasteful shoe fetishes and aficionados of superior glossy art books, the kind which are too exquisite to grace coffee tables.