Celebrities love power platforms On the red carpet, sculptural shoes steal the show, but in real life, it’s a different story
I’ll admit it: I would always go barefoot if I could. And, honestly, I’m probably lucky enough to spend at least most of my time, whether it’s winter or summer, without wearing shoes. Not that I dislike shoes, quite the opposite. But to me, there’s nothing more beautiful than the absolute freedom of a bare foot. In a way, Matthieu Blazy seemed to agree with me too: for Chanel’s Cruise 2027 collection, he presented deliberately “incomplete” shoes characterized by open toes, structures reduced to the bare essentials, and the so-called “barefoot heel,” almost more of a philosophical provocation than an aesthetic one. And yet celebrities think the exact opposite. While we dream of freeing the foot, they want the foot monumentalized. Stars love displaying their shoes like wearable works of art, preferably eccentric, theatrical, vertiginous, and clearly incompatible with any European old-town pavement. From Cardi B to Madonna, passing through Lady Gaga and Doja Cat, power platforms have become the symbol of a hyperbolic aesthetic that blends Y2K nostalgia, camp glamour, and the desire to take up space. A lot of space. Including vertically.
The triumph of power platforms at the 2026 Met Gala
If anyone still needed definitive proof of the return of platform shoes, the 2026 Met Gala did the dirty work. On the most performative red carpet on the planet, where practicality officially dies the moment you step out of the car, platform shoes were everywhere. Sabrina Carpenter chose Christian Louboutin’s Dolla Alta heels, featuring sky-high stilettos, rounded platforms, and the inevitable red sole that has now become more recognizable than the Mona Lisa itself. Everything was paired with a custom Dior look inspired by the film Sabrina. An outfit oscillating somewhere between Audrey Hepburn and a Bratz doll with an unlimited budget. Then there was Doja Cat, who turned the human body into a contemporary art installation. Her glossy silicone Saint Laurent look included the towering Kika platform mules, hand-painted to blend seamlessly into her skin. More special effects than shoes. Even Anne Hathaway gave in to the call of platform sandals, choosing Roger Vivier’s Viv’ Choc design, embellished with crystals on the platform and an elegantly retro peep-toe silhouette. Meanwhile, Teyana Taylor sparkled in a silver Tom Ford total look, including metallic T-strap sandals with high heels and rounded wedges, while Emma Chamberlain opted for custom satin Stuart Weitzman platforms to complete her custom Mugler dress. And what about Beyoncé’s personalized satin version of Amina Muaddi’s Yigit pumps, worn beneath her Olivier Rousteing ensemble? Angular platform, pointed toe, towering stiletto heel, ankle strap, and a delicate milky shade. But the true “fashion cartoon villain” moment came courtesy of Cardi B, who wore a pair of pink Marc Jacobs platform boots with bulbous toes, sinuous heels, and surreal proportions.
The celebrities bringing platform shoes back
Celebrities’ love affair with maxi platforms didn’t stop at the Met Gala. In recent months, sculptural shoes have been experiencing a new golden age, especially thanks to stars who have always viewed fashion as a performative language. Lady Gaga continues to reign as the absolute priestess of the extreme platform. In the music video for Runway, part of the soundtrack for The Devil Wears Prada 2, she appears alongside Doechii wearing Thom Solo’s famous Opera Pumps, gigantic sculptural pumps customized in red crocodile leather, half futuristic fetish, half brutalist architecture. Gaga also wore them during the promotion of Mayhem, confirming that her relationship with this type of footwear is almost spiritual rather than merely aesthetic. FKA twigs also remains faithful to Marc Jacobs’ Kiki Platforms, recently worn at the A24 screening of Mother Mary in New York. The ankle boots, featuring five buckles and 7.5-centimeter platforms, look as though they came straight out of a 2003 gothic rave, yet they work perfectly in 2026 too. Impossible not to mention the towering gold Flamingo-808 wedges by Pleaser Shoes, featuring a twenty-centimeter stiletto heel and ten-centimeter platform, in which Kim Kardashian struggled to walk at this year’s Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty. And then there’s fiction setting trends more effectively than reality itself. At Cassie Howard’s wedding in Euphoria 3, the character played by Sydney Sweeney wears Jimmy Choo’s Max platform sandals: sculptural wedges, ultra-thin heels, and dizzying height. A shoe that says less “romantic bride” and more “I’m ready to emotionally crush anyone.”
Platforms on the SS26 runways
Anyone hoping quiet luxury minimalism had permanently archived platform shoes will have to think again. The Spring/Summer 2026 runways proved that platforms remain central to fashion’s collective imagination, especially when the fashion system wants to shock. Balenciaga exaggerated the silhouette with towering heels and deep V-cut openings that visually elongate the foot. The effect? Somewhere between a futuristic pin-up and an impossibly elegant alien. Rick Owens, naturally, transformed platforms into post-apocalyptic armor, while Matières Fécales pushed the concept into unsettling, almost biomechanical territory. At Stella McCartney, platforms became more pop and wearable while still remaining theatrical, whereas Marc Jacobs continues to treat them as camp cult objects, deliberately excessive, deliberately absurd. Ultimately, power platforms aren’t really meant to add height. They’re meant to add stage presence. These are shoes designed to be photographed, shared, zoomed in on, and commented upon. Because, as lovely as they may be, a discreet ballet flat will never make the same visual noise as a fifteen-centimeter platform.
But the real SS26 shoe trends will be much more “human”
While celebrities continue walking, or attempting to, on architectural constructions worthy of Frank Gehry, real fashion is heading in an entirely different direction. The true SS26 shoe trends speak instead of slimmer, lighter, nostalgic, and surprisingly practical shapes. Kitten-heel flip-flops are returning, along with jazz shoes, ballet flats, minimal mules, peep-toes, and even jelly shoes, those plastic shoes that, in the ’90s, gave us blisters and happiness at the exact same time. Above all, the aesthetic of so-called “Princess Shoes” is dominating: sparkling, decorated, feminine, slightly naïve shoes that look as though they came from Princess Diana’s wardrobe remixed by TikTok. Crystals, satin, bows, almond-shaped toes, precious details. Romantic shoes that are still comfortable enough to survive the 8:42 subway commute. The term was popularized by Cat Ward of GlowUpU and perfectly captures the contemporary desire for a femininity that feels less aggressive and more playful. It’s balletcore growing up, the coquette aesthetic evolving beyond internet aesthetics into something genuinely wearable. In short, celebrities will probably continue floating around on titanic platforms like glam goddesses from another planet. As for us mere mortals, in 2026 we’ll mostly want a shoe that’s beautiful, interesting, nostalgic, and hopefully compatible with our ankles. And honestly, that’s perfectly fine.