The Best Shoes of All Time at the Golden Globe Awards
With the 2024 Golden Globes this Sunday, Jan. 7 ushering in the comeback of red carpet fashion after nearly a year of strikes in the entertainment industry, the trip down memory lane has been plentiful, with in-depth looks at the most surprising moments, the best sneakers, the top menswear and more. It’s clear that there is no shortage of fashion moments to look back on from the more than 80 years that the event has been running.
Like any awards show, the Golden Globe Awards have traditionally been light on footwear moments — it is the nature of the dress code, after all. Billowing, floor-length gowns take center stage more often than not, leaving shoes hidden under a sweep of fabric. Tuxedos, meanwhile, come with standard patent tuxedo shoes, more often than not.
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But every once in a while, a shoe pokes out from a hemline, or a well-placed slit reveals a spectacular heel. Sometimes, it’s a post-awards point of view, when a star kicks their heels up (literally) to celebrate a win. These moments have come to reveal some of the most exquisitely crafted, beautiful — and surprising — shoes from the red carpet.
It helps that the Golden Globes have long held a reputation of being a more festive and spontaneous awards show than some of the others on the awards season schedule. Many attribute this to the fact that attendees get to eat and drink during the awards show (most others do not), thus creating some looser moments both onstage and off. Over the years, Golden Globe Award attendees have kept the show’s boisterous legacy in mind when choosing what to wear for the red carpet, and looks have often veered towards the more adventurous.
While there have been many, MANY shoes worn to the awards show over the years, the below looks have proven their staying power as the best shoes in Golden Globes red carpet history.
The 2024 Golden Globe Awards, held at The Beverly Hilton Hotel, will be hosted by comedian Jo Koy. The ceremony will air at 8 p.m. ET on CBS, and is produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by WWD and FN parent Penske Media Corp.
Julia Roberts, 1991
Back in the halcyon era of self-styling, the actress chose a navy pinstriped look that appears to be made up of an oversized jacket and either a mini dress or mini skirt. The look was paired with matching suede navy pumps with a high vamp for what appear to be early-era shoe-booties.
Sarah Jessica Parker, 2004
Long before her second career as a footwear mogul, and during the height of “Sex and the City” fame and honors (the show would win eight Golden Globes in the early 2000s), Parker’s Chanel Couture look for her 2004 Best Actress win was key to cementing her own footwear legacy in real life, not just in Carrie Bradshaw land.
Renee Zellweger, 2006
The actress’ chiffon Carolina Herrera gown inspired many a prom dress in 2006 (as did her Van Cleef & Arpels diamonds and Judith Leiber clutch). Zellweger’s Manolo Blahnik peep-toe heels are one of the shoe designer’s most classic styles, a silhouette that inspired plenty of footwear in the mid-aughts.
Reese Witherspoon, 2007
Witherspoon’s sunny yellow silk Nina Ricci bustier dress had everyone talking in 2007. But the most surprising part of the actress’s red carpet look was a pair of red satin bejeweled sandals by Brian Atwood. The Dorian sandals retailed for $645 at the time and came in both black and red.
Beyoncé, 2007
Before she was a die-hard silver Virgo girl, Beyoncé showed up to many an aughts red carpets wearing another metallic: gold. That included her look at the 2007 Golden Globes, where the star wore a sequined Elie Saab gown with a plunging neckline and a front slit that revealed a pair of matching gold embellished T-strap mule sandals — a very 2007 shoe.
Sandra Bullock, 2010
For her 2010 win for Best Actress for her role in “The Blind Side,” Bullock wore a purple chiffon Bottega Veneta gown and matching lavender platform pumps, the latter of which were only visible in just the right light through the gown’s translucent fabric.
Marion Cotillard, 2010
The French actress’ silk one-shouldered gown by Christian Dior came straight from the spring 2010 runway, but her caged sandals were Jimmy Choo’s Drake silhouette. Both the gown and the heels (not too mention the hair pouf and smoky eye) were the height of late aughts, early ’10s fashion.
Natalie Portman, 2011
The actress was the buzz of the 2011 Golden Globes for her role in “Black Swan.” Portman showed up on the red carpet in a baby bump friendly Viktor & Rolf gathered silk gown and a pair of red Stella McCartney platforms that matched the red rosette on the dress. The look has become one of the actress’ most memorable red carpet moments.
January Jones, 2011
The “Mad Men” star’s Versace gown was a stunner on the red carpet when the actress wore it in 2011 along with a pair of Versace platforms in contrasting black. Jones memorably rewore the dress 10 years later for the mostly-remote 2021 Golden Globes.
Angelina Jolie, 2012
Queen of the gown slit, the actress paired her Atelier Versace silk gown with a matching pair of ivory satin peep toe heels, also by Versace.
Charlize Theron, 2012
The longtime Christian Dior ambassador reliably wore a Dior gown for her appearance at the 2012 Golden Globes, but on foot the actress chose a pair of white Givenchy ankle strap sandals with an elongated toe to add some strength to her pale pink princess gown.
Zoe Saldaña, 2014
The embellished Prabal Gurung dress that the actress wore to the 2014 Golden Globes was the height of the year’s fashion red carpet fashion trends, and her matching pink satin Christian Louboutin pumps captured the shift from platform pumps to a more streamlined single sole look at the time.
Margot Robbie, 2014
Then and up-and-coming name, Robbie paired a white Gucci gown accented with emerald tone crystals with a pair of satin emerald peep toe platforms.
Emma Stone, 2015
In 2015, jumpsuits were taking hold of the fashion world in a big way, and Stone’s dressed up, bejeweled Lanvin version with a giant bow on the back epitomized the trend in the chicest way possible. The actress wore a pair of sleek and classic Christian Louboutin pumps to complete the look, which is now cited as one of the best of all time from the Golden Globes red carpet.
Dakota Johnson, 2015
During her “Fifty Shades of Grey” era, Johnson chose a Chanel strapless and sequined gown with a front slit, which showed off a pair of Jimmy Choo silver minimalist strappy sandals.
Jennifer Lopez, 2016
The actress has racked up many memorable red carpet looks over the years, but one of her best of all time came at the 2016 Golden Globes, when Lopez arrived in a yellow Giambattista Valli gown, more than 200 carats of Harry Winston diamonds and a pair of sparkly, sky-high Jimmy Choo pumps that are one of the strongest (literally — look at those leg muscles!) footwear moments of all time from the Globes carpet.
Jennifer Lawrence, 2016
The actress has worn many memorable red dresses on the red carpet over the years, but at the 2016 Golden Globes, Lawrence also sported a pair of matched red and silver sky-high heels to complement her Christian Dior cutout gown.
Millie Bobby Brown, 2017
The British actress was just 12 years old when she stepped onto the 2017 Golden Globes red carpet, and “Stranger Things” was in its first season. Brown wore her embellished Jenny Packham dress and metallic Sophia Webster heels to perfection; it was a debut that quickly established the actress as a style star.
Kerry Washington, 2018
The actress clearly knows the power of a footwear moment. In 2018, Washington chose a pair of floral mesh Roger Vivier booties to go with her sparkly sequined Prabal Gurung strapless number. The look was a festive but appropriate approach to that year’s all-black dress code in solidarity with the Me Too movement.
Lady Gaga, 2019
Sure, the actress’ billowing Valentino gown made it impossible for anyone to see her footwear — plus, her massive Tiffany & Co. diamond necklace was the real showstopper. But word quickly got out that underneath it all the star was wearing a pair of custom Giuseppe Zanotti platform boots, done in silver to match the ice queen look.
Kerry Washington, 2020
Kerry Washington’s provocative Altuzarra gown was made even more interesting with a pair of Magda Butrym strappy sandals — and a toe ring.
Nicole Kidman, 2020
The actress sported an Atelier Versace gown at the 2020 Golden Globes, with a slit that gave her Giuseppe Zanotti Thais sandals prime time on the red carpet. Kidman completed the look with Hanut Singh earrings, Fred Leighton jewelry and an Omega watch.
Renee Zellweger, 2020
The red carpet icon made her return to the Golden Globes in 2020, in an ice blue Armani Privé column gown and a pair of satin pumps by Christian Louboutin that couldn’t have been a better match if they tried.
Cynthia Erivo, 2021
The 2021 Golden Globes were an odd one, given that there was no audience and most nominees “attended” the show at home, posting photos of their looks in their backyards or inside hotel suites. Erivo was one of the few onstage to present, and her lime green Valentino couture gown and bronze platforms made her the standout of a very strange evening. The look also ushered in the latest era of the platform shoe trend.
Rihanna, 2023
Known for her can-do-no-wrong style, the star and fashion mogul kept her 2023 Golden Globes look classic, with a Schiaparelli bustier column gown, gloves and velvet cape, a bejeweled Roger Vivier clutch, a Cartier high jewelry diamond necklace and earrings and a pair of peep-toe satin Giuseppe Zanotti heels.
Letitia Wright, 2023
The dip-dyed, ombré Prada gown and matching satin sandals hat the “Avengers” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” star chose for the 2023 Golden Globes was striking not only for its color and texture but also for the fact that the look was a runway-to-retail look that fans could buy and wear, too.
About the author:
Shannon Adducci is the Style Director at FN, reporting on runway and fashion weeks, trends, celebrity style and fashion’s role in pop culture, diversity and inclusion, sustainability, gender identity and women’s equity issues. She also directs FN’s cover shoots and visual packages, contributing to the publication’s video direction. Shannon has held positions at Departures, Billboard and Modern Luxury, has contributed to the Hollywood Reporter, Elle, 1stdibs and New York Magazine’s The Strategist, was a celebrity stylist and specialized in fine and estate jewelry. She is an avid collector of vintage fashion, shoes and jewelry.
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