Held at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills on March 27, 2022, the Vanity Fair Oscar Party is where celebrities often swap their Academy Awards looks for a second round of red carpet fashion. The annual afterparty has become just as memorable for its couture gowns as the designer shoes revealed beneath them.
Heidi Klum arrived with husband Tom Kaulitz wearing a dramatic yellow gown from AZ Factory’s Spring 2022 collection. While its sculptural silhouette sparked plenty of conversation, the sweeping hem occasionally revealed another standout detail: Gianvito Rossi’s transparent Metropolis sandals.
Heidi Klum in a yellow AZ Factory Spring 2022 gown with her husband Tom Kaulitz at the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 27, 2022, in Beverly Hills, California (Credit: PAPIXS / INSTARimages)
Heidi Klum’s Yellow AZ Factory Gown and Gianvito Rossi Sandals
Klum’s bright yellow silk gown came from AZ Factory’s Spring 2022 collection, produced during the label’s post–Alber Elbaz era as the house continued honoring its late founder’s creative vision. The design featured slim shoulder straps, structured cups, a low back, dramatic midriff cutouts, and a wide pleated skirt that flowed into an extended train.
Panels of fabric draped from the fitted bodice to create the gown’s sculptural silhouette, while Lorraine Schwartz drop earrings added sparkle without competing with the bold design.
Social media users heavily critiqued Heidi Klum’s sculptural AZ Factory gown, comparing the top to everything from a breast pump to a yellow sheet falling off a bra (Credit: INSTARimages)
Although the voluminous skirt concealed most of her footwear, several photographs captured Klum wearing Gianvito Rossi’s Metropolis sandals.
Defined by transparent PVC straps and a minimalist barely-there silhouette, the Italian-made design has become one of the brand’s signature evening styles, appearing on celebrities including Amal Clooney, Emma Roberts, and Kylie Jenner.
The Metropolis is available in several heel heights, including 70mm (about 2.8 inches) and 105mm (about 4.1 inches). Unlike many celebrity red-carpet shoes that disappear after a single season, it remains part of Gianvito Rossi’s permanent carryover collection and is routinely restocked through the brand and luxury retailers.
Regina Hall and Kristen Stewart also chose versions of the transparent Metropolis sandals for the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party, underscoring the style’s popularity among stylists for formal events.
Haute Couture Misses the Mark
While the craftsmanship reflected AZ Factory’s couture-inspired aesthetic, the gown proved surprisingly divisive. Fashion critics and social media users compared its sculptural bodice to everything from an arts-and-crafts project to “a yellow sheet falling off a bra,” making it one of the evening’s most talked-about looks.
One Twitter commenter joked that, “If that dress was on Project Runway, Heidi would have scribbled ‘needs support’ on her comment card, and Nina Garcia would have called it ‘an arts crafts project.'”
Heidi Klum sweeps the Vanity Fair Oscar Party carpet in a sculptural yellow AZ Factory gown, revealing transparent Gianvito Rossi Metropolis PVC sandals beneath the flowing hem (Credit: PAPIXS / INSTARimages)
Earlier that evening, Klum had attended the Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party wearing an embroidered silver Elie Saab Spring 2022 Haute Couture mini dress with a feathered cape.
The bold AZ Factory look also echoed another memorable red carpet appearance from her archive. Nearly a decade earlier, while hosting the 2012 MTV Europe Music Awards in Frankfurt, Klum once again paired a statement gown with equally striking designer footwear.
Heidi Klum’s Atelier Versace Gown Stole the Spotlight at the 2012 MTV EMAs
Heidi Klum styled her Versace dress with Lorraine Schwartz jewelry (Credit: Lia Toby / WENN)
Heidi Klum showcases the intricate gold beading and lace-up neckline of her one-shoulder Atelier Versace gown
Wearing Atelier Versace, Klum chose a dusty teal gown embellished with intricate gold beading. The asymmetrical design featured a plunging lace-up neckline, a thigh-high slit, and a one-sleeve silhouette that reflected the Italian fashion house’s signature glamorous aesthetic. Lorraine Schwartz completed the look with coordinating gold and diamond jewelry.
Heidi Klum hosted the MTV Europe Music Awards 2012 held at Festhalle Frankfurt in Frankfurt am Main, Germany (Credit: Lia Toby / WENN)
Heidi Klum on the red carpet of the MTV Europe Music Awards 2012 held at Festhalle Frankfurt in Frankfurt am Main, Germany on November 11, 2012 (Credit: Lia Toby / WENN)
The coordinating shoes were just as memorable as the gown itself. Rather than opting for neutral pumps, Klum completed the look with matching teal lace-up pointy-toe bootie-pump hybrids from Versace’s Spring 2013 runway, creating one of the evening’s most cohesive head-to-toe designer looks.
Heidi Klum wears shoes that are a hybrid of pumps and booties (Credit: Lia Toby / WENN)
Heidi Klum showcases her matching teal Versace lace-up bootie-pumps, whose sharply pointed toes and corset-inspired lacing mirror the dramatic glamour of her Atelier Versace gown (Credit: Lia Toby / WENN)
The lace-up bootie-pumps originated from Versace’s Spring 2013 collection and were produced only for that seasonal runway release.
More than a decade later, they have become archived collector’s pieces rather than current retail styles, occasionally resurfacing through luxury resale platforms such as Vestiaire Collective, The RealReal, and eBay. That rarity stands in sharp contrast to the Gianvito Rossi Metropolis sandals Klum wore in 2022, which remain part of the brand’s ongoing signature collection.
Versace Spring 2013 Lace-Up Booties