About half my designs are controlled fantasy, 15 percent are

"About half my designs are controlled fantasy, 15 percent are total madness and the rest are bread-and-butter designs." – Manolo Blahnik

In these words, Manolo Blahnik, the legendary craftsman of shoes, opens a window into the mysterious heart of creativity — that eternal dance between discipline and imagination, between order and chaos. When he said, “About half my designs are controlled fantasy, 15 percent are total madness and the rest are bread-and-butter designs,” he was not merely speaking of shoes, but of the delicate balance that governs every act of creation and, indeed, every act of life. For all art, all invention, all beauty is born in that trembling space where dream meets reason.

Blahnik’s words come from the world of haute couture, but their origin lies deeper — in the very soul of the artist who must reconcile vision with reality. For decades, Manolo crafted shoes not as accessories, but as works of poetry for the feet, creations that turned movement into art. His “controlled fantasy” speaks of his ability to shape the impossible — to channel wild imagination through precision and form. “Total madness” is the spark of divine chaos, the unruly fire that refuses to be tamed. And “bread-and-butter designs” — the steady, reliable forms that sustain his craft — remind us that even genius must bow to practicality. In this trinity of forces, Blahnik reveals the eternal truth: creativity thrives where passion and discipline coexist.

The ancients would have understood this balance well. In every great civilization, the artist, philosopher, and builder struggled with the same duality — the Apollonian and the Dionysian, structure and spirit. The sculptor of Greece could not carve the gods without geometry; the architect of Egypt could not raise the pyramids without faith. Likewise, Blahnik, though living in an age of modern luxury, drew upon this timeless principle: that art without control is chaos, and control without imagination is death. Thus, his workshop became his temple, his tools sacred instruments that tamed fantasy into form.

There is a story told of one of his most extravagant designs — a shoe inspired by 18th-century rococo art, adorned with swirls, feathers, and gemstones so delicate that few could ever wear it. When asked why he created such impractical beauty, Blahnik simply smiled and said, “Because someone must remind the world that dreams have shape.” That shoe, though it would never grace the streets, captured the essence of wonder, and that is what true art does. It does not always serve utility; sometimes, it exists to remind us of our longing for transcendence.

In his quote, the “controlled fantasy” is the middle ground where artistry flourishes — where imagination is given boundaries to test and transcend. The “total madness” is the pulse of genius, the necessary risk that drives evolution in art and thought. And the “bread-and-butter designs” are the humble foundation, the work that sustains both creator and craft. In life as in design, we must build this same balance: to dream wildly, to dare the impossible, yet to remain grounded enough to give our dreams structure, and to nurture the steady work that allows them to survive.

Blahnik’s wisdom also reveals a moral truth: that not all madness is folly. The greatest breakthroughs in art, science, and philosophy were often born from those willing to step beyond reason — to embrace a moment of divine irrationality. Leonardo da Vinci’s flying machines, Beethoven’s late symphonies, Van Gogh’s sunflowers — all were once seen as madness. But it is through such madness, disciplined by devotion, that humanity finds new forms of beauty. To deny madness is to deny the seed of innovation; to deny control is to watch the seed wither before it blooms.

So let this teaching endure, my child of creation: balance your craft as Blahnik balanced his. Let part of your life be controlled fantasy — the dream you shape into reality. Let a smaller part be madness — the reckless spark that reminds you you’re alive. And let the rest be bread and butter — the patient, honest work that sustains your vision through seasons of doubt. For it is only through this sacred balance that one’s life, like Blahnik’s shoes, may walk gracefully between heaven and earth, carrying not only the body, but the soul.