The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2020 - Issue 27

bite exhibition tion was accompanied by talk series featuring luminaries of the fashion and art worlds, including Mary Beard, Victoria Siddall, Manuela Mena Marqués, Stephen Jones, Alexander Fury, and Manolo Blahník himself. Upon hearing of the popularity the exhibition had garnered, Manolo Blahník said, “What a wonderful surprise, I am thrilled the exhibition has been a success; A perfect end to a divine partnership.” An Enquiring Mind: Manolo Blahník at the Wallace Collection featured a personally selected edit of shoe designs from Blahník’s private archives set amongst the masterpieces of the Wallace Collection. The venue juxtaposed an icon from the world of contemporary fashion with its outstanding collection. Manolo Blahník is revered as one of the world’s most influential footwear designers with a career spanning almost 50 years. His shoes have spell- bound an international set of adoring and loyal devotees across the globe. A designer present at every stage of his brand’s production, Blahník still makes trips to the factories in Milan every season for a few weeks to per- sonally bring life to every collection. All the shoes he develops are based on his sketches which are translated into prototypes at the factories. Blahník’s achievements have been recognised by various bodies in many countries over the years. These include the Couture Council of Ameri- ca and as an honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order (CBE) awarded by Her Majesty the Queen. He also published numerous books, the latest being The Art of Shoes with New York publicist Rizzoli in 2017. Most recently the designer was awarded the Luxury Legend Award by the independent luxury body, Walpole. Curated by Wallace Collection Director Dr. Xavier Bray and Mano- lo Blahník himself, the partnership celebrated the renowned designer’s long-held fascination with the Wallace Collection and provided an un- precedented exploration of his creative process. It placed his exquisite designs in the intimate context of the Wallace Collection alongside the paintings, sculpture, and furniture that inspired his enquiring mind which led to a dialogue between the old and the new, the art and the craft, the real and the fantasy. Each room explored a particular theme associated with the designer’s work, demonstrating his thirst for knowledge and the wide-ranging in- fluences upon his designs. Visitors were taken on a journey through Blah- ník’s imagination, spanning the theatre and spectacle of the Commedia dell’arte (Art Comedy), the fashions inspired by Blahník’s native Spain, 18th-century Rococo style, his personal interpretation of Englishness and much more. Items on display included the candy-coloured shoes designed for So- fia Coppola’s award-winning film Marie Antoinette viewed alongside Fragonard’s Swing and Boucher’s Mme de Pompadour paintings. There were also the carefully worked, jewel-encrusted shoes that reflected the diamond-mounted gold boxes and delicately painted miniatures of the Wallace Collection’s Boudoir Cabinet. All in all, it was an exhibition that demonstrated Blahník’s ability to produce shoes of refined quality and elegance. Wallace Collection is open most days but because of the coronavirus cri- sis, it has been temporarily closed until further notice. www.wallacecollection.org Manolo Blahnik Exhibition at TheWallace Collection