Isabelle Huppert Takes Proportional Risks in Sculptural Balenciaga Pumps at TIFF 2026

Isabelle Huppert showcased her fearless approach to fashion at the All About Corinne premiere during the 51st Toronto International Film Festival, stepping out in a head-to-toe Balenciaga look.

Known for taking fashion risks, Huppert chose a dark, futuristic look, pairing sculptural footwear with an oversized leather jacket and a voluminous black ball skirt. At around 5’1¼” (155.6 cm), Huppert has a petite frame but regularly embraces dramatically proportioned footwear, including the towering Christian Louboutin Aquabootie platforms she wore at the 2026 Locarno Film Festival.

Isabelle Huppert plays with dramatic proportions in an oversized Balenciaga leather jacket and voluminous black ball skirt, with the high-low hem revealing her sculptural pumps at the All About Corinne premiere during TIFF 2026 on September 14, 2026 (Credit: Leonardo Ramirez / EyePix / INSTARimages)

Huppert stars in the French comedy as Corinne Maclou, a background actress who dreams of breaking through into starring roles. She befriends actress Sandrine Kiberlain in hopes of getting closer to achieving that dream.

Isabelle Huppert Wears Balenciaga’s Futuristic Sculptural Pumps

Huppert wore a pair of Balenciaga pumps from the Fall/Winter 2026 collection, a futuristic take on the classic pump silhouette created under Pierpaolo Piccioli’s creative direction.

The shoes gave the traditional pump style an architectural twist with raised, arched vamps that pulled away from the instep. This created a noticeable gap between the foot and the upper, making her foot appear almost suspended inside the shoe.

The unusual construction also places Huppert’s heels within one of the year’s broader footwear shifts. YNS’s 2026 shoe trend guide tracks the rise of V-cut, glove, ultra-pointed, and square-toe pumps, all of which rethink the familiar pump through more exaggerated shapes and architectural lines.

Another fun detail was the tiny bow tucked inside the opening of the peaked vamp. It was barely visible from a distance but gave the futuristic pumps an unexpectedly delicate touch.

Made from black nappa lambskin leather, the pumps featured sculptural, curved 4-inch heels that added even more drama to their unusual shape.

A closer look at Huppert’s Balenciaga Fall/Winter 2026 pumps reveals the unusual raised vamp, negative space above the foot, tiny tucked bow, sharp pointed toe, and sculptural curved heel (Credit: Leonardo Ramirez / EyePix / INSTARimages)

Huppert’s pumps differ from Balenciaga’s Duchesse silhouette, but both show the house’s interest in reshaping the classic pump. Lily Collins wore black Balenciaga Duchesse pumps at PaleyFest LA 2026, where their deep V-cut vamps, elongated pointed-square toes, and 3.5-inch heels gave the traditional black pump a similarly sculptural finish.

The look has appeared elsewhere on the red carpet, too. Milly Alcock paired Balenciaga’s asymmetrical Duchesse pumps with head-to-toe black tailoring at the Supergirl world premiere, using the shoes’ pointed toes, deep V-shaped vamps, and curved heels to continue the architectural lines of her outfit.

Isabelle Huppert Pairs Her Sculptural Heels With Oversized Balenciaga

Huppert paired the futuristic pumps with a dramatic Balenciaga ensemble that matched her preference for unconventional proportions. The look featured a voluminous black leather bomber-style jacket with slouchy, oversized sleeves and a sculptural high neckline that wrapped across her chest and shoulder like a scarf. Quilted panels, a center zipper, and diagonal flap pockets across the chest gave the jacket a utilitarian feel.

Underneath, the leather’s sleek texture was balanced by a floor-length, deep charcoal-black taffeta ball skirt. Its volume and exaggerated bubble hem created a dramatic silhouette, while the slight high-low shape gave us glimpses of her Balenciaga pumps.

On Huppert’s petite frame, the styling is particularly striking because she doesn’t rely on delicate footwear or streamlined proportions to create the illusion of height. Instead, the oversized jacket, expansive skirt, and sculptural heels deliberately play with scale.

The high-low construction of Huppert’s voluminous Balenciaga ball skirt exposes her pointed black pumps, while the oversized leather jacket extends the look’s exaggerated proportions from shoulder to hem (Credit: Leonardo Ramirez / EyePix / INSTARimages)

Isabelle Huppert Keeps Her Glam Sleek With Cat-Eye Sunglasses and Silver Jewelry

Huppert finished the look with oversized glossy black cat-eye sunglasses, adding another bold element to the outfit. Silver hoop earrings and bracelets brought a little shine against her all-black ensemble.

Her hair fell in soft, side-parted waves that framed her face, while her makeup stayed polished and understated, with a soft rosy blush and lipstick. Those quieter beauty choices kept the focus on the unusual proportions and construction of the Balenciaga clothing and shoes.

Oversized cat-eye sunglasses and sculptural silver hoop earrings complement Huppert’s side-parted waves and the dramatic wrapped neckline of her black Balenciaga leather jacket (Credit: Leonardo Ramirez / EyePix / INSTARimages)

From Sculptural Pumps to Platforms: TIFF 2026’s Contrasting Shoe Stories

Huppert’s Balenciaga pumps stand out because they’re almost as structurally complex as the clothes above them. The black leather and high heel are familiar pump elements, but the raised vamp, negative space around the foot, tucked bow, and curved heel transform the traditional silhouette.

Other TIFF 2026 red carpets have shown how differently celebrities can use statement footwear. Anna Kendrick demonstrated two approaches to pointed pumps at TIFF, first grounding an elaborate Mary Katrantzou dress with understated brown glove-style slingbacks before switching to crystal-embellished Manolo Blahnik Nadira pumps with streamlined black eveningwear.

Penélope Cruz took another approach at the Bunker premiere on September 14. Cruz paired her Christian Cowan leather corset and sheer lace skirt with minimalist black satin platform sandals, allowing slim straps to keep the footwear visually restrained despite the substantial platform beneath the forefoot.

Huppert essentially reverses that strategy. Her all-black palette is restrained, but the construction is not: the raised vamp and curved heel ensure that the Balenciaga pumps remain noticeable whenever the high-low skirt exposes them.

Why Balenciaga Shoes Keep Becoming Celebrity Fashion Statements

Huppert’s pumps capture a quality that has repeatedly made Balenciaga footwear compelling on celebrities: the shoes rarely function as an afterthought. Their proportions, construction, and sometimes deliberately unconventional shapes can change how an entire outfit reads.

That approach has taken many forms. Rihanna’s reflective knee-high boots turned a 2016 double-denim nightlife look into a futuristic Balenciaga shoe moment, while Kim Kardashian later made the razor-sharp Knife silhouette central to her wardrobe, pairing denim thigh-high Knife boots and pointed Knife ankle boots with oversized, monochromatic clothing. Ciara pushed the idea in another direction with Balenciaga’s denim Flex over-the-knee boots, whose loose shafts, pointed toes, and curved lacquered heels made the footwear the most unconventional part of her look.

That history helps explain Balenciaga’s enduring pull on celebrity dressing. From oversized proportions and second-skin pantaboots to exaggerated points and sculptural heels, the house has repeatedly treated footwear as part of the silhouette rather than simply its finishing touch. Huppert’s TIFF pumps continue that idea more quietly: they’re black leather pumps at first glance, but the raised vamp, empty space around the foot, hidden bow, and curved heel make a familiar shoe look unfamiliar.

That experimentation is still easy to see in Balenciaga’s current women’s shoe collection. Alongside boots, sandals, and sneakers, the lineup includes sculptural Midnight City pumps, mules, Duchesse heels, Ballet sneakers, and Balenciaga x Manolo Blahnik pumps and slingbacks. The silhouettes vary widely, but the recurring idea is familiar: recognizable shoe shapes are stretched, sharpened, hybridized, or otherwise pushed away from the expected.

From sculptural pointed pumps and crystal-embellished heels to suede peep-toe mules and sporty ballet flats, Balenciaga’s women’s footwear shows the house’s contrasting approach to shape, texture, and proportion

For Huppert, that makes the pairing particularly convincing. Her oversized leather jacket and ballooning skirt already distort familiar proportions; the raised-vamp pumps carry that same thinking all the way to the floor.