Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel first introduced her eponymous maison’s two-tone, sling-back pumps in 1957. Developed in partnership with French footwear specialist Massaro, the shoes have since been reimagined by creative directors Karl Lagerfeld and Virginie Viard, with different heel heights, varying straps and an array of colorways. Lagerfeld famously introduced Chanel’s flat ballerina style in 1984.
Over the years, the heeled sling-back design has been a wardrobe staple among Hollywood starlets and supermodels alike, and remains one of Chanel’s most coveted hero products to this day. While many stars gravitate towards the original beige and black colour combination, Lily-Rose Depp and Brie Larson packed dainty black pairs for the Cannes Film Festival, and styled them with simple black looks (also by Chanel).
Elsewhere, Kylie Jenner and Rihanna have shown a preference for the house’s silver strass pair, which come with black grosgrain toe caps and a 2.6-inch heel. Kylie shared a picture to her Instagram stories of her and her friend Anxhelina both wearing the same sparkly silver pair while on a trip to Paris over the weekend. Meanwhile Rihanna styled her pair with baggy white jeans, a cropped Savage X Fenty top, an oversized Peter Do coat and vintage Dior sunglasses for an outing with A$AP Rocky earlier this month.
Sofia Richie can vouch for the comfort of Chanel footwear, too. The bride changed from her lace ceremony gown into a sculptural Chanel minidress—inspired by one worn by Claudia Schiffer on the runway—for the after-party of her epic wedding at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes. She completed her party look with glossy white sling-back loafers that saw her through a long night of dancing. In Richie’s own words, they partied “until the sun rose”.
With a legacy that already spans 66 years, trust that Chanel’s sling-backs will always retain their status.
