Polka Dot Perfection
Seemingly on my never-ending quest to become the Carrie Bradshaw of the 21st Century, here we arrive at arguably the most important of all stops: Manolo Blahnik. I recently became the proud owner of my very own pair, bought for a bargain off the amazing luxury resale platform that is Vestiaire Collective, after languishing “in scroll” for years.
To ascribe to this moment the title of “Lifetime Achievement” would be a bit dramatic (and ultimately untrue), but I will say, Carrie, I get it now—I really do. I mean, just look at this shoe, with its perfect marriage of pattern and color, material and architecture. She is timeless elegance, sophisticated class. Nothing short of walking artwork, as I see it. If you ask me, the footwear speaks for itself in an unparalleled fashion, an element that has kept me drawn to the iconic, powerhouse brand since I can remember. How could it not, when each and every design is so tastefully imbued with its own unique “look at me” flair, charisma, and dare I say it, personality.
I owe it all to Bradshaw for enlightening me to this here shoe nirvana, and for teaching me not only the philosophy that the shoe is the most important “make or break” accessory of any outfit, but also how to actually go about hosting the most A-list of parties on my feet—starting with these perfect polka dot pumps, which serve as both prelude to, and poster child of, my new era of style. I find that striking patterns like this inspire a confident fun and venturesome boldness that I aspire to embody as a person on a more daily basis, instead of only tapping into the energy for nights on the town with the girls, or relegating it to the venue confines of holiday soirées and cocktail parties. After all, who says you can’t grocery shop in a faux fur coat paired with sweats and stilettoes? Carrie sure doesn’t, and I think she was onto something all this time.
To add one final thing, as I stare across the room at a recently thrifted piece of artwork by Paul Nzalamba that I absolutely adore (with a title very apropos to the subject matter): I think if we shifted our perspective enough to be able to see every day as some sort of celebration of something, somewhere, we would be dressing more like the partygoers we ought to consider ourselves, and be better for it.
— Diana
