Sarah Jessica Parker Explains How Her New Shoe Line Came to Be—and Why SJP Wasn't Its Original Name

Other than her famous initials, what could better serve as the moniker for Sarah Jessica Parker’s shoe line for Nordstrom? Perhaps nothing. But according to the actress, the collection's namesake label, SJP, definitely wasn't her first choice. “I tried not to have my name on it. I begged everybody,” she said while discussing her latest project, a leading role in HBO’s upcoming Divorce, with editorial director of InStyle andStyleWatch Ariel Foxman. So why exactly was she shy about slapping SJP on the insole? “It embarrassed me, and I didn’t actually like it,” she explained. “I had other ideas, I can’t recall.” Parker cited a respect and trust of Nordstrom, her retail partner, as the reason the three letters ultimately stuck.

The former Sex and the City star also explained how a little moxie helped her bring in another pro to collaborate on the collection. “I picked up the phone and I called George Malkemus [CEO of Manolo Blahnik] and I said, ‘This is ridiculous, and forgive me if this sounds presumptuous, but would you ever consider producing a shoe line with me?’ And he said, ‘Be at my office tomorrow morning at 8 a.m.'” No doubt, Carrie Bradshaw would be proud.

PHOTOS: See Sarah Jessica Parker's Shoe Collection for Nordstrom