On January 7, 2017, Hailey Baldwin — now Hailey Bieber — attended The Art of Elysium’s 10th-anniversary HEAVEN gala at Red Studios in Los Angeles wearing a vivid tangerine Jonathan Simkhai dress with Tamara Mellon “Frontline” sandals.
Hailey Bieber highlights the intricate cutout bodice of her vivid tangerine Jonathan Simkhai gown with a high, tousled updo and coral-red lip at The Art of Elysium’s HEAVEN gala in Los Angeles
The transparent PVC heels were an understated choice beneath such a dramatic dress, giving the look a barely-there finish. Long before modeling put Bieber on red carpets, however, she spent years training in ballet.
From Ballet Training to Ballet-Inspired Shoes
Before becoming a model, Bieber spent years studying ballet. At 12, she performed the lead role of Clara in a production of The Nutcracker, and she continued intensive summer training into her teens.
Before pursuing modeling, Hailey Bieber trained seriously in ballet, developing the technique seen here as she balances en pointe with one leg extended overhead (Credit: Hailey Baldwin Instagram)
She later explained in a 2019 interview with Vogue Australia that, while attending a summer program at Miami City Ballet before turning 17, she faced a choice between continuing her dance training and returning to New York to pursue modeling. Injuries also shaped her experience as a dancer, and she ultimately decided ballet would not be her profession.
Rather than describing the decision as a major disappointment, Bieber was pragmatic. She said she loved ballet and did it well, but she didn’t believe she would become a professional dancer.
Hailey Bieber wears an elaborately embellished pink-and-gold tutu backstage during her years as a young ballet dancer (Credit: Hailey Baldwin Instagram)
Her adult wardrobe has also included footwear that echoes traditional ballet silhouettes. In November 2023, Bieber wore black Proenza Schouler Mary Jane ballerina pumps with sheer tights, a micro mini skirt, and an oversized burgundy coat by The Attico.
She explored the idea differently at the 2017 MTV Europe Music Awards, where DSquared2 suede sandals with elongated ankle ties added a ballerina-inspired finish to her black sequined Tom Ford mini dress.
The connection shouldn’t be overstated — Bieber’s footwear has ranged from sneakers to stilettos — but these ballet-inspired styles offer a visual echo of the training that occupied much of her childhood and teens.
Hailey Bieber Pairs a Tangerine Jonathan Simkhai Dress With Tamara Mellon Sandals
Back on the red carpet, Bieber’s Frontline sandals were deliberately understated against the elaborate Jonathan Simkhai dress.
A close-up reveals the clever construction of Hailey Bieber’s Tamara Mellon “Frontline” sandals, with red satin straps connected by transparent PVC panels that create a barely-there effect
The Jonathan Simkhai design featured a cutout bodice, a feathered full skirt, and a thigh-high slit, with its saturated orange color doing most of the visual work.
Bieber kept her accessories in the same warm palette with an orange rectangular “Jean” clutch by Edie Parker, while the Tamara Mellon “Frontline” PVC sandals provided a much quieter finish.
Hailey Bieber shows the dramatic proportions of her Jonathan Simkhai gown from both angles, pairing its feathered tangerine skirt and thigh-high slit with sleek Tamara Mellon “Frontline” sandals (Credit: FayesVision / WENN)
The look also continued a color story Bieber had explored two months earlier, when she wore another tangerine-toned outfit. Here, however, the feathered evening dress and transparent sandals gave the color a more formal setting.
Why Tamara Mellon’s Frontline Sandals Became a Celebrity Favorite
Bieber was far from the only celebrity drawn to the Frontline. The sandal became a familiar red-carpet presence because its transparent PVC side panels left much of the foot exposed, creating the look of a barely-there heel while visually extending the leg line.
That simplicity also made the Frontline unusually adaptable. Rather than competing with an embellished gown, vivid color, or printed dress, its narrow straps and clear panels could almost disappear against the foot. Jennifer Lopez, Gigi Hadid, Kylie Jenner, Jamie Chung, and other stars wore versions of the sandal during its peak years, helping establish it as one of Tamara Mellon’s most recognizable designs.
The shoe also reflected Mellon’s long experience with celebrity footwear. After co-founding Jimmy Choo, she made the Frontline a signature style of her namesake label, producing the silhouette in different colors, materials, and finishes while retaining its distinctive transparent construction.
As of August 2026, the main TamaraMellon.com website is offline, and the label’s current retail status is unclear. A password-protected storefront and legacy support pages remain online, but no clear public announcement confirms the brand’s next chapter.
Whatever happens to the label, the Frontline remains an easy-to-recognize example of the barely-there sandal trend that defined many celebrity red-carpet looks of the mid-to-late 2010s.
👠 Explore Tamara Mellon “Frontline” Celebrity Shoe Moments:
- ✨ See how Jamie Chung, Jenna Dewan, Hailey Bieber, Nina Dobrev, and Katie Holmes styled the Tamara Mellon “Frontline” sandal, from white and black patent versions to satin and metallic finishes paired with Victoria Beckham, David Koma, Jonathan Simkhai, Zuhair Murad, and Isabel Marant.
- 🐍 Naomie Harris wore snake-print “Frontline” sandals with a yellow Julien Macdonald dress at the 2015 GQ Men of the Year Awards, letting the sandal’s slim triple-strap construction temper the heavily embellished look.
- 🧡 Elizabeth Banks echoed the color in her Roland Mouret dress with orange satin Tamara Mellon “Frontline” sandals, using the transparent PVC inserts to keep the vivid footwear from feeling visually heavy.
- 🌿 Halle Berry grounded a Faith Connexion camouflage skirt with barely-there “Frontline” sandals at the Kidnap premiere, showing how the minimal heel could work with a less conventional red-carpet outfit.
- ✨ Elle Fanning chose glitter “Frontline” sandals with an embellished Naeem Khan midi dress for The Beguiled premiere, matching the shoe’s glitter fabric and clear PVC with the black-and-gold detailing of her dress.
- 🎀 Abigail Spencer paired black Tamara Mellon “Frontline” sandals with a blush-and-black J. Mendel gown at the Critics’ Choice Awards, carrying the dress’s graphic black accents down to her feet without weighing down its softer ruffled layers.