Rihanna's Shoes Signaled That This Footwear Look Is Back In A Major Way

Rihanna is a style vanguard. She lives in her own individualistic fashion universe and frequently starts trends on her own accord purely because she can. Take, for example, her slime green-hued gloves and larger-than-life fuzzy bucket hats — both of which aren’t your conventional it-Girl accessories but irrefutably work on her because, well, she’s Rihanna. Once in a blue moon, however, RiRi will partake in an existing trend. On Nov. 7, Rihanna did this by wearing red strappy heels to boyfriend A$AP Rocky’s performance at ComplexCon in Long Beach, California.

Her crimson footwear featured crisscrossing laces that went up to her knees, a dramatic style reminiscent of the popular and admittedly “cheugy” gladiator sandal phenomenon of the mid-2010s. However, the Greco-inspired shoe recently underwent a modern reinvention courtesy of fashion powerhouses like Christian Dior and Prabal Gurung. (Both brands included knee-high, lace-up sandals in their Spring/Summer 2022 collections.)

During Dior’s show, knee-high strappy shoes were paired with mini-length hems — just like how RiRi wore her footwear. Prabal Gurung, meanwhile, styled its iteration of intricately strapped sandals with an asymmetrical midi dress, resulting in a uniquely graphic and almost entirely covered ensemble. Because of their ubiquitous runway presence, shoes with knee-length lacing will become a dominant force next spring — and clearly, Rihanna’s on board with the trend.

Her strappy heels were only one cherry-colored component of many in her outfit. The Savage X Fenty founder also wore Maximilian’s cowl neck top in an eye-catching red diamond pattern, which first debuted at the London-based brand’s Spring/Summer 2022 show. With her Harlequin-inspired blouse, Rihanna wore a scarlet-colored leather miniskirt and a maroon Vetements coat. It’s worth noting that thigh-grazing minis will also chart as one of 2022’s breakaway trends — you can credit leggy displays to the Miu Miu and Coperni runways. The brand behind Rihanna’s exact red heels are currently unknown. However, there are ample heeled variations of the once-“cheugy” shoe to shop — a sampling of which you’ll find below.

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