Manolo Blahnik Releases Fanciful Capsule Collection Informed by Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette
The shoes reimagine the fashion codes of Rococo-era France in elegant mules, pumps, and sandals made with textured silk, linen, and velvet
When the much-anticipated “Marie Antoinette Style” exhibition officially opens this week at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, a visit to the V&A shop—to devour the accompanying merch—might be the perfect grace note to the show’s spectacle of Rococo-era fashion, jewelry and furnishings.
But Manolo Blahnik, the exhibition’s sponsor, has just released a “souvenir” far more delicious than toile tote bags, tea towels and notebooks. The red carpet, high-fashion stalwart has unveiled a capsule collection of ten shoe styles that embrace the Marie Antoinette aesthetic. The best part: You don’t have to jump on a plane to access to them.
The limited-edition collection draws inspiration from the shoes Blahnik created for Milena Canonero’s Oscar-winning costumes in Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film, Marie Antoinette. (V&A curator Sarah Grant has included an edit of these beribboned “bonbons” in the exhibition along with a selection of the designer’s original sketches.)
Creating the capsule came naturally to Blahnik, who has held a longstanding fascination with the French queen, according to the London-based design house. As a child, his mother would read him Stefan Zweig’s 1932 biography as an unconventional bedtime story. And the footwear maestro’s archives suggest that the fantasy and fairytale of Marie Antoinette’s enduring style—sky-high hairstyles, pastel silks, and endless lace, frills and bows—have influenced his designs on several occasions.
“For this collection, almost twenty years after the film came out (can you imagine!) I wanted to bring depth, and a touch of drama,” the designer recently told W. “I added richer hues like midnight blues and deep maroons to explore another side of Marie Antoinette with more intensity and even the melancholy she experienced in her wild and fascinating life.”
The capsule reimagines the design codes of Rococo-era France in elegant mules, pumps and sandals made with textured silk, linen and velvet; hand-applied embellishments such as ornate pleating, corset-inspired ribbons, and lampas patterns transform each style into an emblem of Marie Antoinette maximalism.
Valoisette, a tribute to Marie Antoinette’s love of fine jewelry, steps out in textured rose silk, with frayed edges, delicate box pleats, a grosgrain bow and a sparkling brooch appliqué. Rohan’s silhouette echoes that of an evening sipper showcased in the V&A exhibition that belonged to the queen herself; its cotton candy pink hue nods to the queen’s love of makeup and her famous rose garden at Trianon. Other styles take cues from her elaborate wardrobe, as seen in various portraits, pairing lustrous fabrics with meticulous piping and handmade satin rosettes.
The Marie Antoinette capsule collection will be sold exclusively on the Manolo Blahnik website and in select Manolo Blahnik stores. And while they won’t be available in the V&A shop, this might be the next best thing.
“Marie Antoinette Style,” is on view September 20 through March 22, 2026