“I’ve had this obsession with Marie Antoinette for most of my life,” Manolo Blahnik reveals. It started in his childhood in the Canary Islands, when his mother read him a biography of the queen—describing her picnics, operas, and dinners—which felt like “another world.” That early fascination has only grown over time, and this week it takes shape in a capsule collection of shoes, released to coincide with the Victoria & Albert Museum’s major exhibition, Marie Antoinette Style. This is Blahnik at his most delightfully anachronistic: eleven new designs that play with 18th-century inspiration while landing firmly in 2025.

Blahnik’s connection to Marie Antoinette runs deep. He has kept her close over the years—reading biographies, watching every film and exhibition, and having long conversations with Karl Lagerfeld about the 18th century. So when Sofia Coppola called in 2006, needing shoes for her film Marie Antoinette, he was able to design around forty pairs with instinctive ease. He drew from archives at the V&A and the Musée Carnavalet, as well as textile houses in Lyon, working with pastels and embroidered satins, and even adapting period-appropriate fabrics.

Milena Canonero, the film’s Oscar-winning costume designer, tells Vogue that choosing Blahnik was inevitable. “I wanted special shoes for Marie Antoinette, played by Kirsten Dunst. Beyond the period footwear made by the theatrical workshop in Rome, Manolo’s contribution would be fresh, unusual, and significant. I sent him references of 18th-century shoes I liked, the color palette for Kirsten, and her foot imprint. The rest was up to Manolo. I loved them all.”

Blahnik recalls, “I even used a silk-embroidered textile I found in London—at Claremont in Chelsea—which they told me was a reproduction of a fabric Marie Antoinette owned.” But his designs weren’t strictly historical. “On the phone, Sofia said, ‘Don’t be too academic. Do whatever you want,'” he remembers. He took that approach for the film—and again for this new capsule collection.

Now available is not just a box of frilled shoes in macaron hues. Yes, there are sugary pastels—powder-puff pinks and almond blues—but Blahnik also mixes in moody, modern jewel tones: cherry, olive with scarlet piping, and even a solemn black satin tribute to Antoinette’s final walk to the guillotine.

Each style tells a story. Rohan: a mule with box-pleat fringe, a frayed silk edge, and a pale-green brooch—a sister shoe to the green “Autruchien” from Coppola’s film. Montmédy comes in powder-puff pink with a soft, tufted look, nodding to the queen’s rose garden. Pléneuf laces the vamp like a ballet corset—sweetly Rococo if you let it be, wicked if you don’t. They’re joined by a court of names that roll off the tongue like petits-fours—Nattier, Fontettes, Valoisette, Hebes, Merode, Palissot, Clémentel, Nolhac—each reflecting a different facet of Versailles’ spirit.

Wearing these in 2025 is a double dose of nostalgia. First, for the 2006 cult memory of Coppola’s Marie Antoinette—that pastel-filled film with The Strokes on the soundtrack and champagne in the bath. And second, for the queen herself, who continues to captivate centuries later.

Opening September 20, the V&A’s Marie Antoinette Style is the UK’s first exhibition dedicated to the queen, featuring 250 objects—from her silk slippers and jewels to the last note she wrote—with major loans from Versailles never before seen outside France. The show moves chronologically: her origins (1770–1793); the 19th-century revival inspired by Empress Eugénie; and an Art Nouveau/Deco fantasia of…Illustrators such as Erté and designers like Lanvin are featured, along with modern reinterpretations from fashion houses including Dior, Chanel, Westwood, and Valentino, as well as in film. A key highlight is the first-time exhibition of Manolo Blahnik’s working drawings for Sofia Coppola’s film shoes—a full-circle moment, as his candy-colored designs were originally inspired by studying 18th-century shoes in the V&A’s own archives.

At the ‘Marie Antoinette Style’ exhibition gala dinner at the V&A, Blahnik and Coppola were present, captured in photos by Dave Benett. Reflecting on the queen’s final moments, Blahnik remarked, “Her dignity stays with me even now,” recalling the black satin shoes she reportedly wore to the guillotine and her whispered apology for stepping on the executioner’s foot.

Perhaps we revisit Marie Antoinette because every era needs a heroine of spectacle: a woman who is both observed and self-possessed, both an ornament and an author. The 19th century romanticized her; Art Deco stylized her; Coppola reimagined her as a teen queen; and now Blahnik returns her to us not as costume, but as practical wear for life. The shoes blend historical inspiration with contemporary appeal. They invite wearers to walk across parquet, pavement, and terrazzo, pairing effortlessly with chiffon, jersey, leather, or denim.

If women in the 1930s had Norma Shearer as queen in Adrian’s decadent, pearl-encrusted gowns, and 2000s teens had Coppola’s candy-colored fantasy, then today’s generation may discover Marie Antoinette anew at the V&A. The exhibition presents a queen reimagined for the TikTok era—an ingénue, an icon, a study in spectacle and survival. Best of all, thanks to Blahnik, today’s admirers can quite literally walk in her shoes.

Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of helpful FAQs about the Marie Antoinetteinspired shoe collection for the VA exhibition

General Information

Q What is Let Them Wear Manolos
A Its a special limitededition collection of highheeled shoes designed by Manolo Blahnik inspired by the VAs exhibition on Marie Antoinette

Q Why is Manolo Blahnik making shoes for a Marie Antoinette exhibition
A The VA invited him to create a collection because his opulent artistic and detailed shoe designs perfectly reflect the extravagant style and fashion legacy of Marie Antoinette

Q Where and when can I see this collection
A The shoes will be on display as part of the Marie Antoinette exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London You need an exhibition ticket to see them

Q Can I actually buy these shoes
A Yes but in very limited quantities A select number of the designs will be available for purchase at the Manolo Blahnik boutique on Londons Dover Street and online

The Shoes Design

Q What do the shoes look like
A They are highheeled pumps and sandals featuring 18thcenturyinspired details like silk ribbons elaborate brooches ornate buckles and prints based on Marie Antoinettes actual dresses and wallpapers

Q Are they just replicas of 18thcentury shoes
A No they are not replicas They are modern highfashion interpretations They use historical elements but are designed in Manolo Blahniks iconic contemporary style

Q What materials are used
A You can expect luxurious materials typical of both eras such as silk satin velvet intricate embroidery and delicate jeweled embellishments

Q How many different styles are in the collection
A The collection features 7 unique designs each inspired by a different aspect of Marie Antoinettes life and style

Visiting Viewing

Q Do I need a special ticket just to see the shoes
A No access to the shoe display is included with your general admission ticket to the Marie Antoinette exhibition at the VA