These Are Manolo Blahnik’s 5 Favourite Shoes From His Illustrious Career
Even as a child growing up in the Canary Islands, Manolo Blahnik had a penchant for fashion. “My mother dressed elegantly, and also designed and made her own shoes; we relied on the outside world for our news of fashion, and each month a shipment would arrive [at our family home in Santa Cruz de la Palma] with magazines for her, which I would devour,” he tells Vogue now. “My father was generous and used to present huge boxes of chocolates to us, and I was allowed to choose just one or two. They were covered in beautiful aluminium foil, which I used to savour and fashion into the tiniest shoes for the lizards in our garden.”
It was only after a fateful meeting with Diana Vreeland many years later, though, that Blahnik decided to pursue shoemaking as a career. “My interest in fashion and footwear came at an early age, but it was Mrs Vreeland who advised me to make shoes – so I did,” he says. The rest, as they say, is history, with Blahnik’s creations worn by everyone from Diana, Princess of Wales to Sarah Jessica Parker (both in character as Carrie Bradshaw and out). True to modest form, when asked about his indelible impact on fashion, he just chuckles. “It’s delightful to see people wearing my shoes, but I’m simply a shoe designer, not a brand. I do what I love and will continue to do so.”
To commemorate the launch of The Craft Room within the label’s virtual archives, offering a never-before-seen glimpse into the artistry behind Manolo Blahnik’s creations, Vogue caught up with the fashion legend about his most cherished shoe designs, below.
©Sony Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection1/5The Antonietta
“I am very proud of the shoes I made for Sofia Coppola’s film Marie Antoinette. It was very amusing working with her and costume designer Milena Canonero. The design is based on a historical court shoe but with an elongated heel and tongue to make it modern. It’s what I think Marie Antoinette would wear if she were alive today. Apparently she owned over 3,000 pairs of shoes.”
Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images2/5The BB Pump
“I named this shoe after Brigitte Bardot. I knew this style was destined to appear in multiple collections, so it made sense to name it after someone I admired. Brigitte has always remained a source of inspiration for me. Natural, feminine and beautiful.”
Juergen Teller3/5The Campari
“In the ’90s I designed many baroque shoes, including the Campari, which is one of my favourites. I was inspired by a picture that Corinne Day took of Kate Moss in 1990, which typified the girlish, natural beauty of that era. I’m still captivated by her freckles in that picture. I took the classic Mary Jane and made it sexy; pointed toe, high heel, black patent with grosgrain trim. It’s so funny that Kate ended up wearing the shoes in British Vogue when she’s the one who inspired them in the first place.”
MEGA4/5The Maysale
“This shoe was originally called Salem because it was inspired by the collars and cuffs worn by the pilgrims who travelled to America on the Mayflower. I designed it for Isaac Mizrahi’s spring/summer 1991 collection, and that same year Madonna wore a pair at the Cannes Film Festival. They blew up after that – suddenly everyone wanted a pair. Linda Evangelista ordered them in a range of different colours. Mules are my favourite type of shoes to design. I just love the sound they make when you walk.”
Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images5/5The Carolyne
“I designed this style in 1986. It was inspired by the artist Carolyne Roehm, who was very elegant and very chic, and was worn by Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, who spent a day in the shop, just talking endlessly! It’s a comfortable shoe, a shoe that belongs to no era – it’s what I call an eternal shoe. Always modern. It looks perfect everywhere, and you can put it on in the morning and forget about it.”
