Left: previously unpublished drawing of 'fantasy shoes', designed specifically for the Design Museum. © Manolo Blahnik.

With sunglasses pressed firmly to her head, Penelope Parkin strutted along the Thames to take in this super glamorous exhibition.

The first ever exhibition devoted to Manolo Blahnik, undisputed shoe genius was launched in a sea of champagne last Friday at the Design Museum and runs until May 11.

Coveted by supermodels and Sex and The City fans alike, these shoes look set to draw a hip and buzzing crowd. The reward? A glimpse inside the mind of a man whose name is a byword for sexy yet elegant style.

Right: drawing of 'Cienza' from the Spring'Summer 2000 collection. © Manolo Blahnik.

The many colourful, haphazard sketches and prototypes on show don't disappoint, offering a revealing insight into Blahnik's design process. Even his desk is on display, covered in a vivid array of books, DVDs and chunky, coloured felt-tipped pens.

Indeed, as Blahnik reveals, his shoes are inspired by everything from films to architecture. Francois Truffaut, Jean-Luc Goddard and Pedro Almodovar are all acknowledged. Even the new Frank Gehry building warrants a mention.

Unsurprisingly, the shoes on display range from understatedly outrageous early leopard print creations to my favourites, a mixture of vivid orange-red tomatoes, rich green vines and spidery leather straps.

Left: drawing of 'Ossie' a later version of the shoe designed in 1972 for the Ossie Clark catwalk. © Manolo Blahnik.

In between lies an eclectic mix of fur and feather trimmed boots, vividly coloured mules in dark velvets, embroidered with pearls and Cinderella style gold and silver creations that epitomise fairytale glamour.

They are displayed between the walls of a fortress constructed entirely of white Manolo Blahnik shoes boxes. In their midst, I unexpectedly encounter the master himself.

Sitting among a crowd of eager journalists, like a character from 'The Elves and the Shoemaker', the 60-year-old impresario fields a myriad of flashbulbs; jokingly exclaiming "this is torture!"

Right: drawing of 'Kioto' from Spring/Summer 2002 collection. Not published. © Manolo Blahnik.

Asked what creations he would most love to concoct, he readily admits: "I would love to indulge myself with incredibly exaggerated designs, in silk and velvet lined with sable and God knows what."

But underneath his obvious love of glamour and pageantry lies a much simpler soul who extols the virtues of getting down to work and "a few seconds later seeing the thing done."

In fact, Blahnik's debut as a shoe designer happened by chance. Having studied art in Paris, he showed a book of theatre designs to Diana Vreeland, Editor of American Vogue who decreed that he should design shoes instead.

Left: drawing of fantasy summer shoes dating from 2000. Not published. © Manolo Blahnik.

It was a decision that was to lead to early catwalk shows for Ossie Clark and collaborations with Jean Muir and Zandra Rhodes. More recently, partnerships have included Calvin Klein, Isaac Mizrahi and John Galliano.

In spite of such international acclaim, Blahnik still conscientiously crafts each shoe last and heel himself, designed to a European size 37 (or British size 5) and scaled to sizes 35-40.

Of the 250 prototypes created each season, in one of four small factories on the outskirts of Milan, only an exclusive 85 styles are chosen to appear in each finished collection!

Right: 'Green Crocodile' shoe designed for the Winter 1995 collection. © Manolo Blahnik.

Of course the exhibition wouldn't be complete without a video wall showing 'Sex and The City' stars Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda who personify the Blahnik ethos as "confident women who know what they want."

Certainly, their gargantuan balancing efforts atop fashionable stiletto heeled 'Manolos' show just how devoted a following Blahnik has developed over the last 30 years.

If you're also a stiletto heeled glamour puss of the first order, this exhibition is a must. As Alexandra Shulman, editor of Vogue magazine observed: "If God had wanted us to wear flat shoes, he wouldn't have invented Manolo Blahnik."