At the 2019 ESPY Awards in Los Angeles on July 10, 2019, Gabrielle Union joined husband Dwyane Wade on the red carpet in a crystal-embroidered mini dress from Raisa Vanessa’s Spring 2019 collection.
Gabrielle Union pairs a crystal-embroidered Raisa Vanessa Spring 2019 mini dress with sleek silver Jimmy Choo sandals at the 2019 ESPY Awards in Los Angeles on July 10, 2019 (Credit: Adriana M. Barraza / WENN)
Styled by Thomas Christos Kikis, the long-sleeved, deep-V design read as a blue-and-purple floral velvet print from a distance, while its intricate crystal embellishment added texture and sparkle up close.
Union kept her footwear comparatively simple with silver metallic Jimmy Choo sandals. The minimalist heels featured a slim toe strap and adjustable ankle strap, giving the heavily embellished mini dress plenty of room to stand out.
Union and Wade later appeared onstage separately as presenters, but on the red carpet, the contrast between her ornate mini dress and pared-back silver sandals kept the focus firmly on the fashion.
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade coordinate statement-making red carpet style at the 2019 ESPYs, with Union in Raisa Vanessa and Wade in a crisp white suit and sneakers
She finished the look with Eva Fehren jewelry and a Judith Leiber Couture “Pina Colada” cocktail-glass clutch covered in Austrian crystals and detailed with a three-dimensional strawberry, umbrella, and straw.
Union’s Judith Leiber Couture “Pina Colada” clutch turns a cocktail glass into an evening bag, covered in Austrian crystals and finished with a tiny umbrella, fruit, and straw
While Union’s exact silver Jimmy Choo sandals from the 2019 ESPYs are no longer part of the current collection, the label still offers plenty of metallic evening shoes.
As of August 2026, Farfetch carries Jimmy Choo metallic shoes in a range of silhouettes, including strappy sandals, pumps, and mules that offer a similar high-shine finish.
A close-up reveals the minimalist construction of Gabrielle Union’s metallic Jimmy Choo heels, with slender ankle and toe straps balancing the ornate texture of her dress
Union took a similarly leg-baring approach in Paris on June 29, 2019, when she attended the Miu Miu Club event at the Hippodrome d’Auteuil in a black openwork mini dress and embellished platform sandals.
Gabrielle Union steps out at the Miu Miu Club event at the Hippodrome d’Auteuil in Paris on June 29, 2019, wearing a black openwork dress with embellished ankle-strap platform sandals
From Jimmy Choo Sandals to Statement Platforms: Gabrielle Union’s Standout Shoe Moments
At the ESPYs, Gabrielle Union let the crystal-covered Raisa Vanessa dress do most of the talking, grounding it with streamlined metallic Jimmy Choo sandals.
On other red carpets and press appearances, she’s taken the opposite approach—using cage sandals, towering platforms, crystal-trimmed pumps, and sculptural heels as the outfit’s defining element.
👠 Explore Gabrielle Union’s Best Shoe Fashion Moments:
- 📏 Standing at 5’6¾” (169.5 cm), Gabrielle Union has worn heels from Jimmy Choo, Gucci, Christian Louboutin, Casadei, Salvatore Ferragamo, and other major footwear labels throughout her red-carpet career.
- ✨ Her archival Versace look at the 2023 NAACP Image Awards was finished with black Jimmy Choo pointed-toe pumps featuring a crystal-encrusted ankle strap.
- 🖤 Her style evolution from Casadei “Cage” sandals to Valentino and Alexandre Vauthier couture shows how she moves between architectural footwear and more understated heels depending on the silhouette above them.
- 👡 Her Sarah Flint, bronze stiletto, and Emme Parsons sandal moments range from polished evening heels to minimalist flats worn with Dundas and Elie Saab.
- 🥂 At the Almost Christmas premiere, Union wore bronze Jimmy Choo “Hesper” sandals with crossed straps and 4.3-inch heels beneath a leg-baring Dion Lee tuxedo dress.
- 👠 Her The Inspection press wardrobe moved from Bared Footwear sandals to pointed suede pumps, showing a more practical side of her shoe rotation without losing the sharp finish.
- ❤️ A white Rodarte gown became much less predictable with red velvet-and-gold sandals, whose knotted straps and four-inch heels brought a strong hit of color to the otherwise pale look.
- 🌸 Union also wore Jimmy Choo “Thyra” sandals with Giambattista Valli Haute Couture at the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party, pairing the delicate heels with an architectural gown covered in dimensional flowers.