Julia Fox arrived at Macy's Herald Square on Monday in a vision of softened defiance - a lavender tulle confection by Marc Le Bihan, cinched with the glossy gleam of Roger Vivier's Viv Canard 55 slingbacks in violet patent leather. The look, worn for Kiko Milano's "On the Dance Floor" event, marks a deliberate shift from Fox's usual architectural extremes: the sculptural platforms and corset-laced boots that have defined her recent red-carpet rebellions. Here, the kitten heel and exposed slingback whisper rather than shout, yet the silhouette carries a history as layered as the dress itself.
Roger Vivier, the maison that revolutionized the stiletto heel in the 1950s and later invented the pilgrim pump, has long understood the power of restraint. The Viv Canard's tapered square toe and gold buckles recall the delicate hardware of mid-century garter belts - functional adornments that once structured the female form beneath crinolines and petticoats. In lingerie history, the slingback is a direct descendant of the stocking tab: a device designed to hold, reveal, and suggest. Fox's choice echoes that tension between structure and sensuality, between the rigid boning of a corset and the airy freedom of tulle.
Kiko Milano, the Italian cosmetics brand that crossed $1 billion in sales last year, is making its first major U.S. retail play at Macy's - a fitting stage for a brand whose accessible pricing and theatrical spirit mirror the democratization of lingerie in the 20th century. Just as nylon stockings once liberated women from silk's cost, Kiko brings Italian beauty to a wider audience, with Madonna as its global ambassador. Fox, who recently told WWD, "I'm not a celebrity," understands this paradox: even the softest pastel can carry the weight of revolution.
Originally reported by WWD