Imitation = Flattery? SJP Angelica and Maddalena Pumps vs Manolo Blahnik "Something Blue" Hangisi

To say I'm utterly disgusted and disappointed would be putting it mildly.

When I saw that the SJP collection was coming to Bloomingdale's, I thought I would go by and see how the collection, which I've reviewed previously, was expanding.  I figured I would see some pretty yet boring pieces along the lines of the initial styles.  I was not expecting to see something shocking.

But I was absolutely floored to see that SJP had utterly ripped off possibly the most iconic shoe from all of Sex and the City - the Manolo Blahnik "Something Blue" Hangisi pump.

Here is the Angelica from the new SJP Collection at Bloomingdales (The similar 'Maddalena' style is at Nordstrom's and has a pointier toe.) -

And here is the Hangisi. The shoe which is essentially the emotional touchstone of Carrie and Big's resolution in the movie.  The shoe he proposes to her with. The shoe bought for her wedding, abandoned and then worn for the simple ceremony they ultimately had. A shoe created just for this movie by Mr. Blahnik.

In some articles the leveraging of the style is more blatant. Heck in the Bloomingdale's item description, they even include a reference to "something blue". I know the Blahnik team is involved in the SJP Collection, which makes it even more disappointing. Why not use her line as an opportunity to do something new and delightful.  It can't be the price point because these heels are over $500 (ironically, that is what they said the MB's were in the movie. Now they're over $900), not exactly a bargain.

So am I being too harsh? Are they different enough? Or are they leveraging a little too heavily on the SATC/Carrie magic and not creating any magic of their own?

Read more in the Imitation = Flattery series.

Something Old, Something New, Something Changed... it's not Blue?

Everyone remembers the other big character in the SATC movie. No, not New York! I'm talking about the Manolo Blahnik Hangisi "Something Blue" satin and rhinestone pumps.



You had to know that a heel that got this much attention and was so popular, wasn't going be a one time shot. Okay, maybe you knew that. I thought Manolo would just integrate elements like the new heel design done for the piece, because I was totally stopped in my tracks when I saw the shoe in new colors on the Barney's site.

Black -



and Yellow -




The black is elegant but so safe (yawn!) and I like the yellow but it's not as contrast-y as I would like it. Of course, I'm still in love with my blues. They are just an amazing color and you can't help but stare at them.



I would love this in a dusky grey-lavender or even a icy white. Maybe even a flashy hot pink. What colors would you have picked?

Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit

So I did the big Seasonal Swap over the weekend coupled with a huge purge. I now have a giant pile of stuff that I am itching to get out of the house asap! It also let me bring out my favorite jackets which I wait all year to wear.

Today I'm wearing a grey wool jacket from Target with a grey beaded JCrew tee. I'm also wearing my favorite Gap Classic jeans (I went in there to get the same pair in the Ankle length and they were out! This is the Gap... shouldn't they have every size all the time???).


10-27-08 by Princess Poochie

I love JCrew's embellished tees. They're thin and comfy and cute!



The Focal Point

Well, even though they're hard to see because my jeans are so long... it's all about the Manolo Blahnik Hangisi, a.k.a. Something Blue, heels. I wanted to have the shiny blue peek out while the grey crystals echo the grey jacket and tee.



Movie Shot!

I took a ton of shots of these and have them on flickr. The color of these is so amazing. They just glow!



I like cheering up a grey day with satiny sparkly shoes!