A Complete History of Manolo Blahnik

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(Image credit: Rex Features)

Manolo Blahnik has famously etched out a spot in the high-end fashion world, with his designs finding a place in women’s closets all around the globe. He's developed an impressive list of celebrity and fashion-influencer admirers, so it’s no wonder the company has been on top for more than 40 years.

Blahnik grew up traveling around Europe and moved to Paris to study art and fashion. Encouraged by Diana Vreeland, he focused his work on shoe design and released his first piece in collaboration with Ossie Clark. Since then, the company expanded tremendously and Manolo went on to be the only designer for Manolo Blahnik shoes. He then became the first male to grace the cover of Vogue in 1974, and his designs have been iconically worn by everyone from Bianca Jagger during her entrance into Studio 54 via white horse to Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City, and they remain Anna Wintour’s shoe of choice.

Go on to see iconic moments in the history of Manolo Blahnik, and then shop the shoes.

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(Image credit: Getty Images )

Bianca Jagger entering Studio 54 via white horse, 1977. 

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

Princess Diana at a Vanity Fair party in London, 1994. 

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

Sarah Jessica Parker in a photo shoot for Sex and the City, 2002. 

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(Image credit: Rex Features)

Kirsten Dunst as Marie Antoinette, 2006. 

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

Kate Moss marrying Jamie Hince in England, 2011. 

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

Rihanna leaving her apartment in New York, 2016. 

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

Anna Wintour at Fendi during Milan Fashion Week, 2017. 

Associate Director, Special Projects

Kristen Nichols is the Associate Director, Special Projects at Who What Wear with over a decade of experience in fashion, editorial, and publishing. She oversees luxury content and wedding features, and covers fashion within the luxury market, runway reporting, shopping features, trends, and interviews with leading industry experts. She also contributes to podcast recordings, social media, and branded content initiatives. Kristen has worked with brands including Prada, Chanel, MyTheresa, and Luisa Via Roma, and rising designers such as Refine and Tove, and her style has been featured in publications including Vogue.com, Vogue France, WWD, and the CFDA. Before Who What Wear, Kristen began her career at Rodarte, where she worked on assistant styling, photo shoots, and runway shows, and at Allure, where she moved into print and digital editorial. She graduated from the University of Southern California, where she studied art history and business, and currently lives in New York.