Standing around 5 feet 2 inches (157.5 cm), Kim Kardashian has long used high heels and barely-there sandals as part of her red-carpet wardrobe.
At the 2019 Creative Arts Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on September 14, 2019, she paired a vintage 1970s Gianni Versace velvet gown with black Merah Vodianova Ophelia sandals.
Kim Kardashian wears a vintage black Gianni Versace velvet gown with Merah Vodianova Ophelia sandals at the 2019 Creative Arts Emmy Awards (Credit: Adriana M. Barraza / WENN)
The vintage gown featured an asymmetrical wrapped neckline, a close-fitting ruched silhouette, and a side slit that revealed her minimalist heels. Her black Ophelia sandals featured slim toe straps, narrow stiletto heels, and delicate laces wrapped several times around her ankles.
Kim Kardashian wears her dark hair in a high top knot with loose face-framing strands
With little jewelry competing with the dress, the styling relied on texture and silhouette: plush black velvet above and fine black sandal straps below. Her hair was pulled into a high top knot, while neutral makeup kept the overall look pared back.
The asymmetrical neckline, ruched velvet construction, and side slit define Kim Kardashian’s vintage Gianni Versace gown
Kim Kardashian Returns to Merah Vodianova’s Lace-Up Ophelia Sandals
The Ophelia was already a familiar shoe in Kardashian’s wardrobe. In 2017, she wore a nude version of the Merah Vodianova Ophelia sandals with a matching Yeezy Season 6 crop top and tube skirt for an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The barely-there design used the same combination of a slim toe strap, high stiletto heel, and ankle-wrapping laces seen in her Creative Arts Emmys pair.
She returned to the shoe in black at the 2018 MTV Movie TV Awards, where she paired black Merah Vodianova Ophelia sandals with an Atelier Versace look consisting of a white mohair halter top and crystal-mesh column skirt. That earlier Versace pairing makes the 2019 combination of black Ophelias and vintage Gianni Versace less of a one-off than part of a recurring formula in her wardrobe.
Kim Kardashian’s Merah Vodianova Ophelia sandals feature barely-there toe straps, slim stiletto heels, and fine laces wrapped around the ankles
The gown’s side slit made those delicate straps much easier to see. Rather than adding a contrasting color or a heavier shoe, Kardashian kept the outfit entirely black and let the sandals’ open construction provide the visual break beneath the floor-length velvet.
Why Barely-There Sandals Keep Returning to Kim Kardashian’s Wardrobe
The Ophelia sandals fit into a much longer pattern in Kardashian’s footwear choices. Her wardrobe has repeatedly included minimalist sandals with thin toe straps, ankle ties, and high stilettos, alongside more dramatic pumps and boots.
YNS’s roundup of Kim Kardashian’s standout shoe moments includes the nude Merah Vodianova Ophelia alongside Manolo Blahnik Chaos sandals, strappy Hermès heels, Christian Louboutin pumps, and other styles that show how often she returns to streamlined, foot-baring silhouettes.
That preference extends well beyond Kardashian. Barely-there sandals have become a recurring red-carpet solution because their fine straps leave the foot exposed and add height without visually competing with a gown, suit, or heavily embellished look. The examples below show how designers including Stuart Weitzman, Aquazzura, Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik, and Giuseppe Zanotti have approached the same minimalist idea in different ways.
👠 How Celebrities Wear Barely-There Sandals:
- 🖤 Alison Brie, Greta Gerwig, and Betty Gabriel show three takes on barely-there evening sandals, from Jimmy Choo’s fine black straps to Christian Louboutin’s delicate Jonatina heels.
- ✨ Alexandra Daddario pairs custom Stuart Weitzman Nudist sandals with Oscar de la Renta, using the two-strap stiletto silhouette to keep the focus on her sculptural outfit.
- 💎 Scarlett Johansson wears Aquazzura Minimalist sandals with an embellished Dior gown, combining slim black straps and transparent PVC with an otherwise highly detailed red-carpet look.
- 🌹 Nathalie Emmanuel turns to minimalist Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo sandals beneath statement gowns, showing how the pared-back shape can keep a longer silhouette visually uninterrupted.
- 👡 Jennifer Lopez’s Giuseppe Zanotti Coline sandals offer a towering variation on the barely-there formula, pairing ultra-thin straps with a high stiletto and subtle platform.
- 🧡 Victoria Justice and Jessica Lowndes keep black minimalist sandals deliberately simple, letting clean ankle straps and open toes sit quietly beneath their monochrome dresses.