Mention his name to any urban woman the world over and they’ll probably recall the disdain of Sex in the City’s Carrie Bradshaw after her prize sandals were nicked at a Manhattan house party where guests were told to remove their “unhygienic” shoes before crossing the threshold. But for all his repute in women’s footwear, Manolo Blahnik actually started out designing men’s shoes – and it’s a genre where he still holds his own.

Blahnik trained in Northampton – the home of English shoemaking – learning the time-honoured disciplines of men’s cordwaining and made his foray into footwear when he started making shoes for his artsy pals, including David Hockney and Peter Schlesinger, before founding his eponymous maison in London in 1971.

Blahnik has always maintained that he became a cordwainer by accident, after his friend Paloma Picasso – the daughter of the revered artist – showed the legendary late editor of US Vogue, Diana Vreeland some of his sketches and decided he should ‘focus on the extremities… become a shoe designer!’. But in reality, he had a fascination with footwear since childhood, when he would create shoes from sweet wrappers for the lizards that scuttled around the garden of the family home on the Canary Island of La Palma.

After decades of focusing on women’s shoes, the time was ripe for Blahnik to revisit his roots and the men’s collection was relaunched in 2018 for the opening of the brand’s first men’s store in London’s Burlington Arcade. The designs incorporated many of Blahnik’s trademark techniques such as intricate patchwork, fine topstitching and broguing as well as the solid construction methods that make his shoes go the distance. ‘The signs of an expertly crafted pair of shoes are high-quality leathers with smooth finishes and precise stitching. Manolo Blahnik shows attention to detail to every pair of shoes, using skilled construction methods and exquisite leathers and fabrications,’ explains David Morris, head buyer at men’s luxury e-tailer, Mr Porter.

Now, he’s revisiting some of his greatest men’s hits with the Manolo’s Silhouettes collection, which as the name suggests, emphasises clean lines and elegant shapes. Slip-on shoes, which have become increasingly popular among men in recent years as the lines between casual and formal dressing continue to blur (who has time to service laces?) are a strong feature of the collection. 

The Mario loafer, which was Blahnik’s signature slip-on in the 1980s, brought a streamlined Italianate flavour to the prevailing trend at the time for chunky shoes – and it’s a design that’s still unmistakably Blahnik today. ‘He has successfully developed luxury shoe silhouettes that are instantly recognisable for the brand, such as the Mario loafer with its classic slipper shape, and the Perry loafer with its array of colourways and fabrications,’ says Morris.

Hollywood legend Gary Cooper’s innate sense of casual elegance inspired the Perry loafer, and its clean-cut profile makes it a wear-anywhere option that works with everything from selvedge denim to tailored trousers and seersucker shorts in summer.

The Carlton shoe, made from plush velvet and embellished with natty baroque buckles, takes its cue from 19^th-century dandy Beau Brummell, who was notoriously fussy about what he’d put on his back – and his feet. They’ll definitely make a statement at your next black-tie shindig.   

If you’re wedded to your Oxfords, there’s the Witney, which has just enough contemporary flair with a fine suede or calf-skin upper in hues ranging from cobalt blue to black to stand out for all the right reasons. 

The boots from the wider collection also have style versatility in spades. ‘The Sapele boots are a favourite – the with understated perforations and rubber-lugged outsoles, they are hardwearing yet elegant enough to see you through winter and can be worn with a wide range of looks,’ says Morris. 

And if you’re the sort that gets his kicks from amassing box-fresh sneakers, Blahnik has got that covered with the Semanado sneaker, which are made from buttery-soft calf leather and tactile suede in poppy hues – a considerable step up from your bog-standard New Balance.

There’s an old adage that says you can tell a lot about a man by looking at his shoes – and you’re bound to make a lasting impression with these on your feet. 

Manolo Blahnik, 34 Burlington Arcade, London W1J 0PZ; manoloblahnik.com