When it comes to red carpet footwear, platform sandals, crazy stiltlike heels and classic pumps are what we’ve come to expect to finish a black-tie gown, a cocktail dress or a pantsuit. And while there were plenty of those at the 2018 Grammy Awards yesterday, sprinkled among the red carpet regulars were a handful of standout moments that — surprise — came from a different shoe category altogether: boots.
Granted, the dress code at the Grammys is much more lax compared with other awards shows (the prevalence of sneakers is indicative of that), but eschewing traditional stilettos in favor of boots has its benefits. For one, it delivers a swift kick of edge, instantly hardening what might have been an otherwise standard (i.e. safe) look. It adds both drama and sex appeal without unnecessary skin exposure. And finally, after one parade of sandals after another, it’s a fun and unpredictable change of pace.
Let’s start with Hailee Steinfeld, whose ultraviolet (a color that, by the way, was chosen as Pantone’s Color of the Year) metallic boots by Alexandre Vauthier packed an incredible punch against her pristine white strapless column dress.
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Rihanna also turned to Alexandre Vauthier for her onstage outfit: a chocolate patent leather trench (a custom remake of a look from the brand’s couture fall ’16 collection) that she pulled down her shoulders and matched with gloves and skin-tight thigh-high boots for allover shine.
Lady Gaga towered over everyone else, as she’s wont to do, with her insane platform lace-up boots that were attached to a lace Giorgio Armani Privé lace bodysuit and open ballgown skirt.
Kesha, who explored her Western side with a vintage rose-embroidered navy suit by country music designer Nudie Cohn, kept the theme running throughout her look, adding sparkle with glittery cowboy boots by Barneys’ private label.
For Sarah Silverman, who went the ’90s grunge route, her badass studded Jimmy Choo boots were meant to be the focal point of her look. “We had the boots for another fitting,” said stylist Micah Shifman to Pret-a-Reporter. “She loved them so much, we actually centered this look around them.”
Click through to see a closer look at the boots we can’t stop thinking about from the 2018 Grammys red carpet.
