Our Love Affair with Manolo Blahnik
"You can take my Fendi baguette. You can take my ring and watch but you can't take my Manolo Blahniks."
When you think of Manolo Blahnik, the chances are that you picture Carrie Bradshaw in your head. Whether she is leaving behind her famous blue pair in Sex and the City (2008), discovering a pair of Mary Janes in the confines of the Vogue accessories closet in Season Six, or getting robbed in Season Three, where she begs the thief to take all but her Manolos (he takes them), she and the Sex and the City universe began our love affair with Manolo Blahnik that has outlasted decades.
Background
Blahnik was born in the Spanish Canary Islands to a Spanish mother and Czech father. He was homeschooled and once recalled, in his later years, his childhood activity of using foil chocolate candy wrappers to make shoes for the lizards around him.
It was not until a conversation with Diana Vreeland, future Vogue Editor-in-Chief, years later, that he would think about creating shoes.
He was studying art and set design in Paris when, in 1969, he was introduced to Vreeland, then director of the Met Costume Institute. She was enthralled by his sketches for A Midsummer Night's Dream, particularly his drawing for Hippolyta's high-heeled sandal decorated with ivy and cherries.
She then said one sentence to him that changed the course of his life and many others: "Young man, stick to the extremities and make shoes."
Advice Taken
Blahnik took her advice and began visiting Italian shoe factories, learning about their craft. By 1971, he had developed his first shoe for a runway show by Ossie Clark. It was so well received that he soon opened his first boutique in Chelsea.
This boutique was famously where he spent his early days. Celebrities and socialites such as Bianca Jagger, Anna Wintour, and David Hockney were drawn to the atmosphere of his creativity, which helped him along the way to the reach the designer still has today. Jagger even wore a pair during her famous entrance into Studio 54 on a white horse.
In 1983, Blahnik arrived in the United States with the opening of his New York shop on West 54th Street, distributing to retailers such as Barneys, Bergdorf Goodman, and Neiman Marcus. Soon after, Wintour, one of his longest supporters, helped him create collections for Calvin Klein, Isaac Mizrahi, and Oscar de la Renta, among others.
The Artist
During the 1970s, when platforms and wedges were all the rage, Blahnik favored heels. He believed the former were "boorish and inelegant" and thus encouraged his customers to embrace a subtle sense of femininity through heels.
This is perhaps why his passion for women and their femininity is evident in his shoes, which feature delicate elements and embellishments that cater to many tastes.
He considers himself an artisan rather than an artist. He does not limit himself to conceptualizing and designing but is equally involved in the whole process of bringing that design to reality. Every prototype of the shoe is made by him and is afterward copied precisely by the factory craftspeople he selects.
Sex and the City
However, one could say that it was the HBO series Sex and the City that saw Blahnik's brand gain widespread popularity after his designs were beloved by both Carrie Bradshaw and costume designer Pat Field.
The shoes have since become synonymous with Bradshaw, who expressed her love for her Manolos throughout the series. With this, women everywhere did the same, thanks to the show bringing luxury to a whole new audience.
Naturally, her famous line, "You can take my Fendi baguette. You can take my ring and watch but you can't take my Manolo Blahniks." from the episode 'What Goes Around Comes Around' has become etched in the minds of women who have perhaps uttered something similar when in New York.
The 2008 film also delivered Blahnik his most popular design: the Hangisi. It was introduced in the Spring/Summer collection of 2008 but was introduced to the world on a broad scale by Bradshaw as she took to the streets of New York once more with her beloved shoe. The blue pair adorned with a sparkly embellished buckle on the pointed toes has proven perfect for both formal events and day-to-day gatherings with your girls.
This love extended to Sarah Jessica Parker in real life, who not only is often seen in Manolos herself but went on to create SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker, a footwear project alongside Manolo Blahnik's George Malkemus, until his death in 2021.
Other Pop Culture Influence
The popularity did not just stop with SATC. Movies such as The Devil Wears Prada, Moulin Rouge!, Romeo + Juliet, and Marie Antoinette all have Manolo moments that are unforgettable.
Today
Blahnik still designs shoes in England, the country he calls home, either at his office in Marylebone or his home in Bath. His designs are still widely loved and used both in real life and in the SATC reboot And Just Like That.
Conclusion
It is natural to say that Manolo Blahnik is one of the greatest shoe designers of our time. He epitomizes femininity and craftsmanship to die for, which has led to his shoes becoming every woman's dream.
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