Manolo Blahnik: The Hangisi, BB, Maysale and Carolyne, and How Each One Fits

Manolo Blahnik is the London shoe house its founder started in a Chelsea boutique at the start of the 1970s, and it is still run by his family. Four of its styles are the ones to know. The Hangisi is a satin pump with a square crystal buckle. The BB is a plain pointed stiletto pump. The Maysale is a mule with a wide buckle across the toe, and the Carolyne is a slingback. For a first pair, buy the BB at 70 or 90 millimeters in black or navy suede, the most useful of the four. For a wedding, choose the Hangisi. The shoes are sized in Italian sizes and the fit changes from style to style, so read the sizing notes before you order.

This guide covers the house's history, each classic and when it appeared, the heel heights, what the house's own product pages say about fit, wedding shoes, and how to look after satin, suede and crystal buckles.

Manolo Blahnik's history, from a Chelsea shop to Carrie Bradshaw

Blahnik was born in the Canary Islands to a Czech father and a Spanish mother, and studied in Geneva, Paris and London intending to design sets for the theater. The house tells the turning point this way in its own timeline: on his first visit to New York, in the late 1960s, his friend Paloma Picasso arranged for him to meet Diana Vreeland of Vogue. Vreeland looked through his sketches for A Midsummer Night's Dream, singled out Hippolyta's sandal, decorated with ivy and cherries, and told him to concentrate on shoes.

The same timeline dates the label to 1970, when he took over a boutique on Old Church Street in Chelsea. Not every account agrees on those first dates: the British Fashion Council's profile of the designer puts the Vreeland meeting in 1970 and the opening of his first Chelsea shop in 1973. His first runway shoes followed on May 25, 1971, at Ossie Clark's show at the Royal Court. New to shoemaking, he had forgotten to put steel pins in the heels, so they bent and the models swayed down the catwalk; the house still calls the result "a new way of walking." For Clark's 1972 show he turned the shoes from his Midsummer Night's Dream designs into a real style, the Ivy.

In the 1980s, with the support of Anna Wintour at American Vogue, he made runway shoes for designers including Calvin Klein, Bill Blass, Oscar de la Renta, Geoffrey Beene, Carolina Herrera and Isaac Mizrahi, and several classics still in the collection began as those commissions.

It has stayed a family business, and it marked fifty years in 2021. His sister, Evangelina Blahnik, joined as managing director in 1981. Her daughter, Kristina Blahnik, joined in 2009 after a career in architecture and became chief executive in 2013. Speaking at WWD's Women in Power event in September 2026, she described the company as independent, family-run and self-funded, with no outside investment, and explained the thinking behind what she called its 500-year plan: picture what the name should stand for long after anyone working there today, and let that, rather than short-term pivots, guide the decisions made now.

Then came television. The house's timeline says Blahnik's name became bound up with New York, with Sex and the City and with Carrie Bradshaw. As Footwear News recounts, Carrie loses one pair of Manolos at a party and has another taken in a mugging over the series, and in the first film Mr. Big proposes to her with a blue satin Hangisi.

The Manolo Blahnik Hangisi: satin, crystals and seven heel heights

The Hangisi is a satin pump with a square buckle of crystals set in a metal frame across the vamp. Its toe is slim and tapered: most retailers call it pointed, while the house's own product pages describe it as an almond toe and keep "pointed" for the BB. The house dates the Hangisi to its spring-summer 2008 collection, when it first came in pink, black and green, and describes it as a tribute to Josephine Bonaparte and to Marlene Dietrich in Josef von Sternberg's The Scarlet Empress; its page for the style adds that Blahnik designed it with a square crystal buckle he found in Italy. Since then it has been made in more than 100 materials and colors and in seven heel heights, and it has turned into boots, mules, d'Orsays, flats, bags and belts.

On the house's product pages the Hangisi runs from a flat and a 30 mm block heel (about 1.2 inches) through 70 mm (2.75 inches) and 90 mm (3.5 inches) to 105 mm and 115 mm (4.1 and 4.5 inches), and some retailers also carry a 50 mm version. The 70 is the height to stand in through a long evening; keep the 105 and 115 for seated dinners and photographs. Satin shows every mark and every drop of rain, so think of the Hangisi as an evening and event shoe that can come out by day with denim.

• Black tie: black satin at 90 mm with a column gown. The buckle already works as jewelry, so keep your earrings small.
• One strong color: royal blue or emerald satin with a plain black dress and a camel trench. The shoe is the only colored thing you wear.
• Daytime: the 70 mm in black with straight jeans that end at the ankle and a crisp white shirt, the easiest way to get daytime wear from an evening shoe.
• A spring party: fuchsia satin with a navy silk midi dress. Navy steadies the pink, where black would make it look harder.

The Manolo Blahnik BB pump: the pair to buy first

The BB is the house's plain pointed-toe stiletto pump, and the house's BB page says it was first created in 2008 and inspired by Brigitte Bardot. The classic BB stands on a 105 mm heel; the BB 90 and BB 70 are its lower versions, at about 3.5 and 2.75 inches. It comes in suede, calf, patent, satin and seasonal fabrics such as houndstooth wool.

Because it carries no ornament, the BB goes with more than any other shoe in the collection: tailoring, jeans, a slip dress, a midi skirt. The 70 is the office height, the 90 is the evening height, and the 105 is the tallest, most arched version. Start with black suede, then add navy, or a nude close to your own skin tone to extend the line of a bare leg. If you are deciding between houses for a plain pointed pump, try the BB beside Gianvito Rossi's and Christian Louboutin's; each house cuts its pump on its own last, so the length of the toe, the pitch of the heel and the width across the ball of the foot vary, and only trying them on shows which suits yours.

• The office: the 70 in navy suede with gray flannel trousers that just touch the top of the foot.
• Evening: the 90 in black suede with a bias-cut slip dress and a tailored coat over the shoulders.
• Weekend: tan suede with straight jeans and a cream cashmere crewneck.

Browse all designer pumps.

The Manolo Blahnik Maysale mule

The Maysale began as a commission. The house says it was created for Isaac Mizrahi's 1991 runway collection, when he asked Blahnik for a kitten-heel mule with a buckle, and that it was first called the Salem and made in patent nappa. Today it is a pointed mule with a wide buckle, covered in the same suede or leather, across the toe, on a 50 mm heel (about 2 inches) or a 70 mm one, and the house has since made it as a pump, a slingback, a flat and a bridal shoe.

The upper comes well up the foot, which helps a backless shoe stay on. The 50 mm heel is the one for walking; the 70 mm reads dressier. For the finer points of wearing a backless shoe, see our guide to the best designer mules, and browse more designer mules.

• Summer office: a dusty rose 50 mm Maysale with cropped white trousers and a navy cotton knit.
• Dinner: burgundy suede at 70 mm with a black silk skirt and a fine black turtleneck.
• Weekend: the flat ballerina Maysale with jeans rolled once at the ankle and a striped shirt.

The Carolyne: the slingback that stays put

The Carolyne is the house's slingback: a low-cut pump with a thin strap behind the heel. The house's page for the style describes a pointed toe, although its product pages list most of the suede and nappa Carolynes with a slightly softer almond toe and keep "pointed" for the satin ones. It is named for, and inspired by, the designer Carolyne Roehm. The house's page for the style says it was created in 1986, while its timeline files the Roehm commission under 1989 and says the slingback quickly became a bestseller; either way, it is a design of the second half of the 1980s. It comes on a 50 mm heel and a 70 mm one, and several versions have an elasticated strap, which keeps it up without a buckle.

Of the four classics, this is the one to choose if you walk a lot in heels or your heel slides out of pumps, because the strap holds the back of the foot. The 50 mm is low enough for a full day; the 70 mm is the dressier line. Browse more designer slingbacks.

• Workday: a 50 mm Carolyne in black leather with a knee-length pencil skirt and a silk blouse.
• Spring evenings: bronze or gold metallic at 70 mm with a pale trouser suit.
• Travel: navy suede with dark straight jeans and a trench, for a day that mixes meetings and walking.

Which Manolo Blahnik to buy first

If a buckle is what draws you, compare the Hangisi and the Maysale with the buckled pumps from Roger Vivier before you decide. For flats beyond Manolo's, see our guide to the best designer ballet flats.

Manolo Blahnik sizing: how the shoes fit

Manolo Blahnik uses Italian sizes, and every product page on the house's site carries a size guide and a fit note. The house's conversion table, which it describes as approximate, puts an Italian 37 at a US 7. On that chart the US size is the Italian size minus 30.

The fit note on each product page matters more than the chart. The house gives its advice pair by pair, and it changes from style to style and sometimes from one material to the next. On the house's product pages for these four styles, it runs like this:

• BB: the house marks its BB pumps true to size and advises ordering your usual size.
• Hangisi: the pumps, at every heel height, and the heeled Hangisi mule are marked true to size. The satin Hangisi flat and the Hangisli slingback are marked half a size small, and the house advises ordering half a size up.
• Maysale: the Maysli slingback and the 70 and 90 mm pumps are marked true to size, while several of the 50 mm mules and pumps are marked half a size small.
• Carolyne: most of the 50 mm versions, the satin Carolyne Bride among them, are marked half a size small, and most of the 70 mm ones true to size.
• Two exceptions the other way: the flat Maysale pump and the Chilanghi, a flat crystal-buckle mule, are marked half a size large, with the advice to order half a size down.

The house revises these notes, so treat the list as a guide to how much the fit moves and read the note on the pair you order. Retailers sometimes add advice of their own that does not match: some department-store listings say the Hangisi pump runs small, where the house marks it true to size. If you are between sizes in a style you have never worn, order both and keep the pair that fits.

Two more notes from the house. Its shoes mold to the shape of your foot and can stretch further with long wear, according to its care guide. And it suggests trying a new pair on a clean, dry, carpeted floor, because the leather soles mark easily and a pair with worn soles may not be accepted as a return.

Manolo Blahnik wedding shoes

The house's own wedding edit is built around the Hangisi, the Carolyne and the Camparinew Mary Jane in white and ivory, and for the something blue it offers its satin pumps, slingbacks and mules in cobalt, pastel and navy. Two of the house's bridal styles carry details worth knowing about: the Hangisi Bride sets its square buckle with blue crystals, a something blue built into the shoe, and the Carolyne Bride has an elasticated insert in its slingback strap.

Choose the heel by the shape of the day rather than by the photographs alone. For a ceremony followed by hours of standing, a 70 mm Hangisi or a 50 mm Carolyne will see you through. For a short ceremony and a seated dinner, the 90 or 105 mm Hangisi gives the longest line under a long skirt. For dancing, change into a flat Hangisi or the 30 mm block-heeled version. Have the hem of your dress set while you wear the shoes you will be married in, and wear them around the house on carpet for a few evenings beforehand.

Plan for the ground, too. The house advises against walking its leather-soled shoes over wet surfaces and asks owners to keep them away from water, so for a lawn or beach ceremony bring a second pair and keep an eye on the forecast. The house also suggests booking an appointment at one of its boutiques to see the wedding collection in person. If you are dressing for someone else's wedding, our guides to spring wedding guest dresses and summer wedding guest dresses cover the dress codes, and for the parties before the day, see what to wear to a bridal shower and rehearsal dinner outfits. Browse more wedding and bridal party dresses.

Weddings, whether as a guest or on the bride's side, come up often with our AI stylist. Ask our AI stylist to build the rehearsal dinner and reception looks around the shoes you choose.

How to care for satin, suede and crystal buckles

The house publishes a care guide for its shoes, and a few of its points are worth knowing before the first wear:

• Water, oils and alcohol: keep the shoes away from all of them, rain included. If a pair gets wet, let it dry naturally, away from direct heat.
• The soles will mark: the leather soles are smooth and delicate and mark on first wear, which the house treats as normal. It does not recommend replacing the soles, because that can change the structure of the shoe.
• Heel tips: have a good cobbler replace them as soon as they start to wear, before the inner heel shows, because an unstable heel strains the whole shoe.
• Shape: stuff each shoe with uncolored tissue paper or use a shoe tree between wears.
• Crystal buckles: store each shoe in its own care bag so the crystals never rub against the satin, which can snag or tear it, and pat the hardware dry if it gets wet.
• Suede: brush it with a soft suede brush; a waterproofing spray can help against light water contact, but test it on a hidden spot first.
• Metallic and patent leather: use no leather care products on metallic leather, and store patent away from other leathers, which can transfer color.

How we chose

This is a single-house guide, so the choices are about range within each classic rather than across labels. For each style we looked for the heel heights and materials that change how it wears, from the flat to the 105 mm and from suede and leather to satin, organza and metallic leather, and kept only pairs offered in several sizes. The bridal edit sticks to ivory satin and organza, with one blue pair for the something blue. We looked at every product photograph before choosing, because retailers' color names were wrong on several pairs we considered: Hangisi pumps listed as blue and red, and a Hangisi flat listed as blue, are all black, as is a BB described as cream. Heel heights, toe shapes and fit advice come from the house's own product pages, and the conversions to inches are ours, at 25.4 millimeters to the inch. If a pair in an edit sells out, it is replaced by the same Manolo Blahnik style at a similar price.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most famous Manolo Blahnik shoe?

The Hangisi, the satin pump with the square crystal buckle, which the house introduced in its spring-summer 2008 collection. It is the shoe Mr. Big proposes with in the first Sex and the City film.

Do Manolo Blahnik shoes run small?

It depends on the style. Sizes are Italian, so subtract 30 to get the US size. On the house's product pages, the BB and the Hangisi pumps are marked true to size, while the satin Hangisi flat and the Hangisli slingback are marked half a size small. The Maysale and the Carolyne vary by version, and most 50 mm Carolynes are marked half a size small, so read the note for the pair you want.

What heel height is the Manolo Blahnik BB?

The standard BB is 105 mm, about 4.1 inches. The BB 90 is about 3.5 inches and the BB 70 about 2.75 inches.

What is the difference between the Maysale and the Carolyne?

The Maysale is a backless mule with a wide buckle across the toe, created for Isaac Mizrahi's 1991 runway collection. The Carolyne is a slingback pump with a strap behind the heel, named for Carolyne Roehm, and it is the more secure of the two for walking.

Are Manolo Blahniks good wedding shoes?

Yes. The house has a wedding collection built around the Hangisi, the Carolyne and the Camparinew Mary Jane in white and ivory, plus blue satin versions for the something blue. Choose a 70 mm heel or the strapped Carolyne for a long day, and bring a flat for dancing.

Where are Manolo Blahnik shoes made?

In Italy. Every style we checked for this guide is listed as made in Italy on the house's product pages.

Keep reading

• The best designer mules, from flat slippers to kitten heels
• Spring wedding guest dresses by dress code
• The best designer ballet flats
• Rehearsal dinner outfits for guests, the bride and both mothers