FKA Twigs has long approached archival fashion as something to reinterpret rather than simply reproduce, often pairing vintage pieces with unconventional shoes and accessories. At the Serpentine Gallery Summer Party in London on June 25, 2019, she did exactly that with a Christian Dior by John Galliano Fall/Winter 1997 suit, navy satin sandals, and thick white socks.
The socks-with-sandals combination deliberately clashed with the ornate archival tailoring: sporty white socks interrupted the line of the navy crisscross heels and gave the late-’90s Dior look an unexpected finish.
FKA Twigs wears an archival Christian Dior by John Galliano Fall 1997 suit with white socks and navy satin sandals at the Serpentine Gallery Summer Party in London on June 25, 2019 (Credit: WENN / Derrick Salters / Mario Mitsis)
FKA Twigs Gives Archival Dior an Unexpected Shoe Twist
The metallic gold-and-navy jacquard suit came from Christian Dior’s Fall/Winter 1997 collection under John Galliano. Twigs completed the archival look with a sculptural pearl-and-beaded choker and a matching bag, letting the white socks and dark satin heels provide the sharpest visual contrast.
FKA Twigs layers a sculptural pearl choker over her gold-and-navy archival Christian Dior by John Galliano Fall 1997 suit
Rather than choosing a conventional pump or wearing the sandals barefoot, Twigs slipped thick white socks underneath the navy satin crisscross straps. The contrast broke up the suit’s coordinated finish and directed attention toward the shoes.
FKA Twigs contrasts thick white socks with navy satin crisscross sandals, making the divisive socks-and-sandals pairing a focal point of her archival Dior look
How Statement Shoes Became Part of FKA Twigs’ Archival Style
The combination fits a broader pattern in Twigs’ fashion choices. At 5’2½” (158.8 cm), with a reported US women’s shoe size 9, she frequently experiments with footwear that changes the proportions or mood of an outfit, from relatively delicate sandals to extreme platforms and sculptural boots.
Her archive also provides an earlier parallel to the Dior look. At London’s Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty Fashion Gala in March 2015, she paired an archival Alexander McQueen Spring 2008 birds-of-paradise dress with black Christian Louboutin Echasse sandals.
That interest in unconventional footwear has continued. Our look at FKA Twigs’ shoes during The Crow press tour includes Windowsen Metal Dragon thigh-high platform boots, Marc Jacobs Kiki platform boots, and comparatively understated Paris Texas Esther boots. The designs differ from her 2019 satin sandals, but the styling principle is the same: the footwear is an active part of the outfit rather than an afterthought.
FKA Twigs Matches Vintage Jean Paul Gaultier With Knee-High Gladiator Heels
Twigs had explored that idea a year before the Serpentine party. At the 22nd Annual Webby Awards in New York City on May 14, 2018, she wore a vintage Jean Paul Gaultier Fall/Winter 1999 dress with knee-high caged heels.
FKA Twigs wears a vintage Jean Paul Gaultier Fall 1999 dress with an open side and back at the 22nd Annual Webby Awards in New York City on May 14, 2018 (Credit: WENN / Derrick Salters / Mario Mitsis)
The sleeveless khaki dress had a relatively restrained front, while geometric embellishment, side cutouts, and an open back connected by multicolored crisscross straps made the construction much more elaborate from other angles. She added sheer red fingerless gloves and continued the wrapped detailing through her footwear.
FKA Twigs pairs a vintage Jean Paul Gaultier Fall 1999 dress with sheer red gloves and knee-high caged gladiator sandals at the 2018 Webby Awards
A Closer Look at FKA Twigs’ Rope-Strap Gladiator Sandals
Her olive-toned gladiator heels wrapped from the open toes to just below the knees in a dense network of rope-like straps. The caged construction echoed the woven and crisscross details of the Gaultier dress, while the slim high heels gave the heavily strapped shoes a more elongated silhouette.
FKA Twigs’ olive rope gladiator sandals feature open toes, slim high heels, and densely wrapped straps extending nearly to the knee
How FKA Twigs Makes Archival Fashion Her Own Through Shoes
From rope-wrapped gladiator heels with vintage Jean Paul Gaultier to white socks and satin sandals with John Galliano-era Dior, FKA Twigs rarely treats archival fashion as something that has to be worn exactly as it appeared on the runway.
Her footwear can echo the construction of a vintage piece or deliberately work against it—a styling instinct that continues through the platforms, sculptural boots, and embellished heels she has worn since.
👠 Explore FKA Twigs’ Best Shoe Fashion Moments:
- 📏 Standing at 5’2½” (158.8 cm) and wearing a US shoe size 9, FKA Twigs made an extreme footwear statement at the 2025 MTV VMAs in sculptural Christian Louboutin x Matières Fécales platform boots.
- 🎬 Her Mother Mary premiere look revisited the towering Marc Jacobs Kiki platforms, this time set against the romantic structure and distressed textures of Ashi Studio couture.
- ✨ At the Fashion Awards 2025, Twigs wore towering Balenciaga platform Mary Janes with a raw, medieval-inspired Paolo Carzana dress, balancing exaggerated footwear with deliberately fragile-looking fabric.
- 💎 Her 2025 Met Gala look took a more delicate turn with crystal-covered Manolo Blahnik Lurum mules beneath a shimmering, 1920s-inspired Wales Bonner ensemble.
- 🖤 Twigs repeated her sculptural Christian Louboutin x Matières Fécales boots at Pandora’s Talisman launch, pairing their pointed platforms and concave heels with a gray Fanci Club corset and miniskirt.