lingerieJune 10, 2026WWD

The Art of the Ankle: Rihanna's Manolo Blahnik Heels and the Lingerie of the Foot

In the lexicon of modern style, Rihanna has long understood that the most intimate accessories - those that bind, wrap, and reveal - carry the greatest narrative weight. While her rotation of Dsquared2 and Amina Muaddi heels often steals the spotlight, her quiet devotion to a...

In the lexicon of modern style, Rihanna has long understood that the most intimate accessories - those that bind, wrap, and reveal - carry the greatest narrative weight. While her rotation of Dsquared2 and Amina Muaddi heels often steals the spotlight, her quiet devotion to a single, sculptural sandal from Manolo Blahnik reveals a deeper sartorial philosophy. The brand, founded in 1971 by the Spanish-born designer, has always blurred the line between footwear and jewelry, treating the foot as a canvas for erotic architecture. The Prishipla sandal, with its 115mm slim heel and lace-up system that climbs the calf like a corset's lacing, is a direct descendant of this tradition - a shoe that functions as a structural undergarment for the leg. For a dinner date in New York, Rihanna wore the style in a camel-orange hue, pairing it with a tobacco suede Alaïa dress and a Miu Miu leather coat. The monochrome palette echoed the tonal restraint of early 20th-century lingerie, where matching sets were a private code of discipline and desire. Notably, the Prishipla's wrap-around straps, partially hidden by her midi dress, evoke the boning and lacing of a Victorian corset - a piece that, like this shoe, both constrains and liberates. Rihanna first wore the style in black for the 'Queen & Slim' premiere in 2019, and later in yellow for a Fenty Beauty launch. Kim Kardashian also adopted the heel for a 2025 press tour, pairing it with a vintage Dominique Sirop haute couture corset top - a fitting echo of the sandal's lingerie-inspired lineage. In this way, the Prishipla is not merely a shoe; it is a ribbon of history, binding the foot to centuries of intimate craft.

Originally reported by WWD

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