Manolo Blahnik Drawings by Anna Wintour (2003)

Manolo Blahnik is a very popular Spanish shoe designer. Many actually know of Manolo shoes because of Sex and the City and Cary Bradshaw's character... or better yet, her infatuation with Manolo Blahnik shoes!

Overall, I think the Manolo Blahnik Drawings book is quite good - but it also depends on what you're looking for. I purchased this book last week and went through it very quickly.

The Manolo Blahnik drawings are somewhat cartoonish and sketch-like. They're extremely artistic and give you a great sense for what Manolo Blahnik intended his shoes to be. If you're at all interested in becoming a fashion designer or shoe designer, you may be interested in this book. It provides a great range of shoe styles - and in some cases you better understand where the inspiration came from. Manolo Blahnik is an amazing craftsman and in my opinion, brought art into the stiletto heel. He brings amazing ideas with the use of colors, straps, and accessories (such as rhinestones, bows, etc.) into his shoes. While going through the book, I actually wish some of his ideas were even better translated into what's actually manufactured! If all his shoes were produced just like they appeared in the Manolo Blahnik Drawings book, I think his shoes would be even more popular.

The book doesn't have much content. If you're hoping to understand the history of Manolo Blahnik, and obtain a better understanding of how Manolo Blahnik's shoes are designed, this book may not be the one you're looking for.

That said, I think it's still interesting, helps inspire ideas for designers and may even make a fun coffee table book.