Blahnik by Boman: Shoes, Photographs, Conversation

Long before their supporting role in Sex and the City, Manolo Blahniks shoes were legendaryexquisitely 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 Blahniks 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 Blahniks recurring botanical themes. The straps of a sandal echo the strands of spaghetti in which it lays entwined. Bomans unerring eye and oddly keen understanding of Blahniks creations make for spellbinding pictures, full of wit, playfulness, and sole. Elegant allusions to Blahniks eclectic influences aboundfrom 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.