Manolo Blahnik’s CEO Wants Women to Feel Like Carrie Bradshaw and Marie Antoinette

“The way we get dressed every morning is as personal as it gets. There are outfit repeaters, vintage treasure hunters, and even emotional dressers. But while everyone loves a good fashion trend, here it is InStyle, we’re interested in the deeper stuff, too: the way jewelry makes us feel, the way a beloved coat can spark joy on a cold day, the way a pair of shoes can pull a whole look together. How I Get Dressed unpacks fashion routines, rituals, and go-tos—straight from the fashion tastemakers we love.“

“Please, sir, you can take my Fendi baguette, you can take my ring and watch, but you can’t take my Manolo Blahniks!” These are the famous words of Carrie Bradshaw as she’s about to be mugged on Sex and the City. As absurd as that line may sound, it captures the true obsession many of the brand’s most loyal clients feel towards their Manolos.

If there’s anyone who understands that intense love of shoes—and how to nurture it—it’s the niece of the brand’s founder, Kristina Blahnik. While the original founder, Mr. Blahnik, still remains very much a part of the brand, Kristina is the mastermind who melds creativity and business savvy to ensure that her family’s enterprise remains relevant, inspirational, and above all, successful.

Even though style and fashion run in the family, Kristina actually started her career as an architect. During her time in the design world, Kristina was able to hone her imaginative vision, problem-solving abilities, and high level of attention to detail. So, when she eventually did enter the family business—first in 2009 and then as CEO in 2013—she was able not only to tackle the day-to-day challenges but also to build a long-term roadmap for what Manolo Blahnik could become as a brand.

“At any business, there are all these different professions and skillsets that may not be able to visualize the end result, but having trained in architecture, you have the clarity on how to get there,” Kristina Blahnik tells InStyle. “I help pull everyone together with this end vision in mind and tell them, this is how we’re going to get there, and over time, bringing them closer and closer and closer.”

With that creative clarity, Blahnik has helped expand the business beyond expectations. Before she joined, there were only two boutiques; now there are 20 standalone boutiques globally, along with over 300 total points of sale across 40 countries. She has also maintained Manolo Blahnik’s most faithful footwear fans while garnering new ones by capitalizing on the brand’s cultural currency with collections dedicated to SATC and its most recent, which celebrates the timeless allure of Marie Antoinette.

InStyle spoke with Kristina to learn more about her plans for the brand and how she looks chic for the C-suite. Ahead is Kristina Blahnik’s How I Get Dressed.

Her Style Muse

My mother was (and still is) an incredibly refined woman. Even the simplest thing looks elegant on her because she doesn’t over-accessorize. In fact, only a couple of years ago, she gave me a whole section of her wardrobe that she doesn’t wear, so I’m now starting to wear those as well. That’s kind of a testament to one of our values. That timelessness, investment, and longevity in objects are really important parts of our journey on a responsibility front. The whole transient world of fashion is not one that we feel we reside in.

Her Thoughts On Buying Into Trends

To me, it’s about buying an object that is a piece of art, a sculpture, or just the perfect silhouette—the perfect comfort—something you can pick up again in 10 years’ time and not have to ask yourself, “Is this out of fashion?” I’ve got shoes that are 30 years old, and I still wear them because they’re still relevant. They were never meant to be of a moment.

Why She Loves Her LL Bean Tote

I don’t gravitate towards bags personally. I don’t shop for bags; they just don’t excite me. So you’ll always see me with my LL Bean tote bag everywhere, and it’s probably usually about 20 kilos. I don’t know what I’ve got in it, but I’ve probably got some strange attachment to everything that’s in there.

The Clothing She Invests In

Coats are these objects that last forever. I have this French jacket that I got in high school, and I still wear it every season.

Her Shoe Collection

I don’t have as many shoes as people think I do. I still have a lot of my shoes because I just haven’t worn them to destruction, and then I will have shoes that I’ve worn to destruction, but I’ve kept them because they’re part of my memory. They’re part of life’s memories, and I know where they’ve been, and I don’t want to let them go because they’re a little bit of my history.

Every C-Suite Style

I prefer dresses. There’s the odd suit I wear, but I just prefer dresses because you only have one thing to think about instead of three or four or five or six different pieces. It’s just one thing and shoes, and you’re done, out the door.

How She Dresses Outside Work

The only place where there’s one Kristina and another is in my house in the countryside of Sussex, because there’s the mud, the gardens, and my dog. Other than that, I don’t really change my style. My hair’s the same, my makeup’s the same. And I always like to have nice shoes.

On Embracing Color

I’ve been through my own style journey. I used to only wear black. It was safe. But when I joined the family business fully in 2009, I was able to spread my wings into, and every day, I said to myself, “Who am I today? What do I want to convey today?” And of course, when you just put something black on, you’re almost trying to suppress that, in my opinion. So now I definitely embrace more colors, predominantly red, black, and white.

What She Looks For When Shoe Shopping

Comfort. Hands down, without any hesitation—it’s got to be comfort. And then does it make you smile? Do you look down and say, “I’ve got the perfect shoe on”? I always match my shoes with my dresses, so I just look down at my shoes and I go, “Yes, I’m complete.”

Read the original article on InStyle