It's difficult to over-state how much we love Manolo Blahnik. He's candid, funny, and genuinely seems uninterested in the cult of fame, having stated his dislike for celebrities and "pointless girls," as well as feeling "sick" when people talk to him about "Sex and the City." All that, and the man makes a pretty unbeatable pair of pumps.
So when we arrived at the J.Crew Fall 2012 presentation earlier this month to find that the designer had collaborated on some killer heels for the label's collection, we were thrilled. As it turns out, however, Blahnik himself was a bit surprised. In an interview with Vogue UK, he revealed that he didn't actually know it was all a formal collaboration until afterwards:
"I have been approached so many times to do one, but I don't want to work for a big company where I'll have to have lots of meetings where I'm told what I can and can't do," he said. "My niece, Kristina, handles that sort of thing for me - it's just not for me. I was recently contacted by J Crew to do something with them, so I sent them over 45 pairs of shoes, and they announced we were doing a collaboration. I had no idea about it!"
Well, Mr. Blahnik, if you were going to work on a collection with anyone, J.Crew is a pretty darn good choice -- especially since the brand would likely be selling the shoes at full price (read: about $600), and as more than a few folks have pointed out, Jenna Lyons has had her eye on you for quite some time.
