J.Crew x Manolo Pumps Now Just Manolo Pumps

Remember the exciting pump collaboration between J.Crew and Manolo Blahnik (see above right image) announced and shown during NY Fashion Week Autumn 2012 presentations? The one that was quietly shut down after Blahnik said he knew nothing about the partnership, a statement that was followed up by J.Crew’s Jenna Lyon’s stating they couldn’t go forward because of production costs, ultimately adding, ”We are in a good place with [Manolo Blahnik] now. Everything’s okay.” (Translation: “We no longer wish to hang him from the rafters for totally flaking on us.”)

Well if you liked those glitter pumps, they have reappeared in Manolo’s Autumn 2012 offerings (see image above left), only they’re priced at $655, which probably isn’t too far off from where J.Crew would have priced them for inclusion in its Collection offerings. And the glittery pumps shown above aren’t the only ones to reappear. Take a look at the J.Crew runway image on the next page and do your own comparing and contrasting with the Manolo offerings shown on Neiman Marcus’s site.

The interest question is, have they lost some of their appeal not that they’re no longer part of a collabo with J.Crew? I sort of think so.