Photo: Getty Images
Dressed in a purple double breasted suit, navy silk bow tie, violet suede shoes and tortoise rim glasses, on the face of it, Manolo Blahnik is not a man you would expect to cause women to swoon. Charming, affable and adorable, yes, just not swoon-worthy.
But looks are deceiving, as the collective hysteria exhibited during his recent visit to Liberty proved. Blahnik describes his pop-up boutique within the historic department store as "the very best of fits". Pun or not, the boutique is crammed with female fans.
His delicate creations might have slipped in and out of style (he publicly derided the chunky platforms of recent years), but it's clear that Mr Blahnik is well and truly back in fashion.
As hundreds of women clamour to get him to sign their shoeboxes, notepads, legs and elbows, MyDaily had a quick chat with the unlikely matinee idol of footwear about his fashion loves and loathes.
Where do you love to shop?
I know you'll say I'm biased but truly it's Liberty's anytime – I love the place, I love the building, I love the architecture - and no other store has that kind of history; creative like Oscar Wilde, Morris, all these people that fascinated me since childhood came to the store.
Who is your style icon?
Real or living? Isabella Blow I love and I adore her memory, and all those exciting girls like Lucy Birley, Amanda Harlech – there are just to many that I love to be with and I love to create for!
What does great style mean to you?
It has nothing to do with chicness, it's the way you carry yourself; it's nothing to do with what you wear but how you wear it. Style is something you just have and are born with. You can be stylish wearing a torn T-shirt and you can be stylish wearing nothing at all.
What's your favourite city?
London without any shadow of a doubt- It simply is the most deliciously stylish of cities! I've chosen London as my home and it's the place I love to come back to.
What makes you happy in life?
Things well made, things well done, things the way they should; beauty and craftsmanship should not be forgotten.
What makes you sad?
I hate this new conglomerate culture, everything getting bigger and bigger. Maybe I'm just out of time but I like small things, small companies and small places.