Fashion
Manolo Blahnik's Latest Collection Honors An OG It Girl: Marie Antoinette
Fashion can’t stop eating cake, 232 years on.
Every girl (well, every millennial girl, that is) remembers where she was when she saw Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette for the first time. If you didn’t fall in love with the soundtrack or the wistful glances, you certainly fell in love with the fashion — and the shoes. Manolo Blahnik created shoes based on the 18th-century diva specifically for the film, and now, the brand and the man are recreating some of the styles for your shopping pleasure.
The last queen of France is on fashion mood boards to this very day, so it’s no wonder Mr. Blahnik dipped into his own archives to bring the 2025 costumer some of her Rococo energy. The roster of inspiration from his vast trove, seen below, is an explosion of color, velvet, grosgrain ribbons, and metallic embellishments. While many people remember Kirsten Dunst running in Converse in that infamous scene, Mr. Blahnik’s recreations of Marie Antoinette’s shoes are more historically accurate.
The timing is not coincidental: The Victoria & Albert Museum in London is staging Marie Antoinette Style, an exhibition aimed at capturing just why she’s been an It girl for roughly 250 years. Blahnik’s drawings will be displayed to the public for the first time, giving a glimpse into his working process — and hopefully inspire some shopping with the capsule. The resulting 11 pairs is a love letter to the intricacy and downright girlishness of Marie Antoinette, with Blahnik pulling from jackets she was painted in, her gardens and makeup, and her furniture. The result is shoes that, yes, feel historically inspired, but can also work for the modern-day Marie Antoinette who wants to lounge and go against the grain. The Palissot silhouette feels ready for party-hopping, and the Nattier is black-tie-ready without sacrifing the lushness of being the queen of everything.
The Manolo Blahnik Marie Antoinette capsule is now available on manoloblahnik.com and exclusively in-store at Manolo Blahnik Madison Avenue and Manolo Blahnik Miami Design District.
