Ready to Drop, Parker Shoes Her Stuff

By Stephen M. Silverman And Natasha Stoynoff

10/25/2002 at 11:00 AM EDT

Even though her baby is due any day now, a very big Sarah Jessica Parker showed up Thursday at the 19th Annual Night of the Stars for The Fashion Group International in New York, donning her favorite Manolo Blahniks and honoring her favorite shoe designer, PEOPLE reports.

The "Sex and the City" star slipped into a seat next to Blahnik just before the award ceremony began, joining a glittering group inside the Cipriani 42nd Street restaurant that included Billy Zane, Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs, Tilda Swinton, Fran Leibowitz, Anna Wintour, Macy Gray and Naomi Campbell.

Introduced by fashion columnist and host Simon Doonan as "thespian and patron saint of shoe-aholics," Parker, 37, stepped onto the stage -- steady in her high heels -- accompanied by the theme song to "Wonder Woman."

"I've fashioned many an outfit around his heels," said Parker, who wore specially designed Blahnik shoes (encrusted with crystals), and a black, sexy dress by Tom Ford for Yves St. Laurent -- the dress she was meant to wear at last month's Emmys, until her doctors advised against her flying coast to coast.

But it was clear from her speech that Parker was the right choice to honor Blahnik. Growing up, she said, "I loved shoes. I loved shoe stores. My devotion to shoes -- and that's an understatement -- has only grown throughout the years. And I can say without equivocation that's primarily true because of Mr. Manolo Blahnik. I discovered his designs in the late 1980s, and I've never looked back."

No word about Blahnik designing any baby booties.