It’s long been considered a fashion faux pas for two women to wear the same dress to the same event. Stylists have been said to be fired for such things! But what about when women show up wearing the same shoes? My sense is it depends on who is doing the wearing. Here’s the full report:
At last night’s New York screening of the new film A Single Man, written and directed by mega fashion designer Tom Ford, many a celebrity and fashion insider turned out. Ford, who is best know for single-handedly turning Gucci around when he took the helm, has many loyal friends and followers. Pals from both the Hollywood scene (Madonna, Ellen Barkin, Rita Wilson) and the fashion world (Rachel Roy, Anna Wintour, Tamara Mellon) attended in support of Ford’s directorial debut. The film, which made headlines at every film festival it hit, is already creating Oscar buzz for Colin Firth, who plays the lead. With such a fashionable crew, it is no wonder that the red carpet choices were so stunning. Even the shoes! In fact, the shoe choices had us seeing double….
Red carpet arrival photos show that Jimmy Choo founder and CEO Tamara Mellon and A Single Man’s leading lady Julianne Moore wore almost the exact same pair of shoes. (My guess? Jimmy Choo shoes.) The black, high-heeled shoes were Gladiator-like: there was a high, wide wrap around the ankle, similar to a Gladiator style shoe, although most of the foot itself was exposed. There was a strap across the base of the toes, but the shoe was open-toed. The shoes weren’t exactly slingbacks, per se, but there was a strap around the back of the heel.
The shoes were on-trend with the popular Gladiator look, although the new twist to the style (no coverage from the ankle to the toe) indicates that the trend might begin to be toned down. For those of us who don’t love the Gladiator look, this is great news! (Too much going on with a shoe and so much leather up around the ankle often makes short people look shorter!)
As far as whether two women sporting the same attention-grabbing shoes at the same event is cool or not, I think the fact that one of the women wearing them was Mellon makes it okay. Mellon has access to any pair of shoes she wants and she has the inside track on what’s hot this very second; what she chooses to wear is the absolute latest and greatest in the world of shoes. Moore, wearing similar shoes, if not the exact same pair, should be pleased that she too is wearing the latest and greatest trend in shoes. Mellon should be honored that Moore chose to wear a style Jimmy Choo embraces/makes. Moore is a fashion savvy veteran and her red carpet choices are well documented. Having her wear the same/similar shoes as Mellon’s is a boost for Jimmy Choo.
Honestly, it must have been a shoe love fest! Love. Peace. Shoes. Sounds about right to me!
South Jersey's Erica Salmon is the founder of Fantasy Fashion League -- the fashionista's answer to fantasy football. You'll see her Red Carpet Reports on the sport of fashion, every Monday on NBCPhiladelphia.com.
