When Selena Gomez and stylist Erin Walsh coordinated the actress's look for the The Hollywood Reporter's Women in Entertainment event on Dec. 4, they wanted an outfit with award-winning energy. Gomez was being honored with the Equity in Entertainment Award, and she'd go on to accept her trophy with a passionate speech about representation in media onstage. For her walk along the red carpet and up to the podium, the duo landed on a Self-Portrait dress and Manolo Blahnik Mary Janes. And really, there couldn't have been a better power pump for the moment.
Her Manolo Blahniks weren't just a sky-high interpretation of the Mary Janes renaissance that's dominated the shoe trends of 2024. The pointed-toe silhouette, delicate stiletto heel, and pearl-embellished strap are an evolution of a style Hollywood's most powerful women have worn for editorials and red carpet events for three decades.
Mr. Blahnik designed the first Manolo Mary Jane pump back in 1994—making Gomez's pearly iteration a 30th anniversary style. The '90s iteration, shown in an illustrated ad below, was initially inspired by a rising style star of the decade: Kate Moss.
The model had worn a pair of spiky Mary Janes in photos for British Vogue, and it nudged the Manolo Blahnik team to move their footwear in a more restrained direction. Instead of the opulent crystal buckles of the Hangisi flats, there would be a plain patent leather toe box with a delicate button at the strap. Soon, the more streamlined design made its way to the famous feet of supermodels Shalom Harlow, Bridget Hall, and Kristy Hume for Vogue editorials.
Cut to 2024: In the intervening years, versions of the Manolo Blahnik Mary Jane have been worn by everyone from Blake Lively (with a Chanel skirt suit) to Pamela Anderson (with a little black dress). Halle Berry, Emma Stone, and Sarah Paulson—all leading women in Hollywood—have also chosen these high-heels over classic Mary Jane flats.
One doesn’t have to look far to see why Gomez would accept an award in these Manolos over another pump, or why so many other faces of Hollywood success wear them too. They’re sharp but not as self-serious as a standard closed-toe pump. They’re girly, but grown-up. That’s a hard balance to strike—but when it happens, it might just deserve a trophy of its own.
