How the Manolo Made Famous By Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy Became the Designer’s Most “Eternal” Shoe

Manolo Blahnik is coy about how his Carolyne pump—a sleek slingback featuring an almond toe and a mid-stiletto heel—became what he calls an “eternal shoe.” “It’s a comfortable shoe, a shoe that has no time—no matter what you do, it will always look modern,” he tells British Vogue during the Carolyne’s 35th anniversary year. It is a sentiment that royal family members, First Ladies, and Manolo fans alike agree with wholeheartedly. Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, the Duchess of Sussex, Ashley Olsen, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and Selena Gomez have all worn the ladylike shoes, but Blahnik says he never intended the Carolyne to become a house signature.

“I don’t have feelings about these things, I don’t have a clue—I don’t plan things like that,” says the much-loved shoemaker, who concerns himself with the art of women’s footwear rather than his legacy. “I design shoes and some are more popular than others. With the Carolyne, there is every possible material, every possible color, every possible heel height—and it always sells.”

Inspired by designer, author, and artist Carolyne Roehm and fashion icon Carolina Herrera three and a half decades ago, Blahnik distilled the modernity and impeccable taste of both women into a sophisticated shoe that speaks volumes about the lifestyle of its wearer. “Carolyne Roehm is a very elegant woman and an exquisite customer, who intrigued me into designing a shoe that would remain timeless, like her,” Blahnik says of his career woman muse.