The most famous name in high heel shoe design, Manolo Blahnik, comes from Czech and Spanish ancestry and a childhood in the Canary Islands. So that's where the magic comes from! dHe is a household name, mostly thanks to the efforts of Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City, though he was a top-end designer in his own right well before the series started. He has his own stores all over the world (though not in the Canary Islands), and his current season high heels are carried in Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Barney's and Bloomingdales among others. His high heel shoe designs are ultra-feminine, with his Mary Janes that hark back to your carefree schoolyard days one of the most popular styles. Manolo Blahnik heels are lower than Louboutins and therefore much more comfortable; where Louboutin recently raised the maximum height (in response to customer demand) from seven inches to eight inches, Manolo Blahniks max out at a much comfier six inches. Here we look at his creative takes on the d'Orsay heel, summer sandals, 'heelless' heels and the humble Mary Jane.

The Manolo Blahnik Mary Jane doesn't quite have the innocence of the ones you used to wear to school, with its high heel and pointed toe. But they are consistently one of the most reported-on high heel shoes around the web - every time a new colour or texture comes out, it's the talk of the shoe community. This red patent leather snakeskin set were exclusive to a single store, and show off that classic Mary Jane shape beautifully.

The d'Orsay pump (high heel shoe) is characterized by a cutaway midsection profile, a rounded heel section and either an enclosed or peep toe front. This colour was part of the recent spring collection from the high heel shoe designer, and is a great example of his feminine, gentle, understated style.

Carrie Bradshaw has done more good for Manolo Blahnik's brand than his entire marketing team put together, it sometimes seems. These zebra high heel shoes were featured in Sex and the City, where they made quite a splash, and Melania Trump, current wife of Donald, wore them to the New York premiere of the Sex and the City movie also.

Manolo Blahnik described these blue silk high heel shoes as possibly 'the most famous in the world', when asked for comment on the pair he furnished Sarah Jessica Parker with for the Sex and the City movie. They are frequently referred to as 'those high heels', and despite their now iconic status, they weren't specially selected by the designer. Blahnik's high heel house sent 14 pairs over, and the Sex and the City team chose these.

This pair of Manolo Blahnik heelless high heels was given as a gift to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York by the shoe designer in 2006. They can stand up by themselves, but are not particularly comfortable to walk in!

This high heel sandal shape is the traditional one for Manolo Blahnik, as recognizable as a pair of Louboutins ... and just as expensive. This pretty pair are by no means a flagship design, but they do exhibit the Manolo sandal shape well. The strap around the heel rather than an open-back design makes walking a little more comfortable, while keeping to that standard d'Orsay shape.