Jodie Whittaker made Christian Louboutin’s Spinetita booties the focal point of a head-to-toe fuchsia look at the British Independent Film Awards at Old Billingsgate in London on December 2, 2018. She paired the pink suede lace-up heels with an APHID London cutout gown, letting the shoes’ velvet ribbons and caged construction echo the dress’s ruffles, cutouts, and asymmetric lines.
Standing 5ft 5¾ in (167 cm) and wearing a US shoe size 7, Whittaker has repeatedly chosen statement heels that bring color and height to her red-carpet looks. Years later, she would make footwear the focus again in color-blocked Terry de Havilland platform pumps, making the elaborate pink Louboutins part of a broader pattern in her shoe choices.
Christian Louboutin’s Spinetita 100: Velvet Laces, Caged Suede, and a 4-Inch Heel
The Christian Louboutin Spinetita 100 is a suede ankle bootie built on a slim 100mm (4-inch) stiletto heel. Its defining feature is its corset-like construction: plush velvet ribbon runs through metal eyelets along an open suede cage, exposing sections of the foot while giving the shoe a substantial ankle-high silhouette.
A rear zip makes the bootie easier to slip on without completely unlacing the ribbons, while the narrow stiletto heel provides a sharp contrast to the wider suede bands and soft velvet ties.
Christian Louboutin Spinetita 100 booties in vivid pink suede feature open caged sides, velvet ribbon laces, metal eyelets, and slim 100mm stiletto heels
The front view shows velvet ribbons crisscrossing from the rounded toe toward the ankle, while horizontal suede bands create open sections along both sides of the foot.
Worn on the foot, the Spinetita’s velvet ribbons create a corset-like effect through the open pink suede cage
From the side, the construction becomes simpler: the horizontal cutouts extend toward the ankle while the slim heel and red outsole give the bootie a more familiar Louboutin profile.
A side view highlights the Spinetita’s pink suede cage, velvet lacing, 100mm stiletto heel, and Christian Louboutin’s signature red outsole
Jodie Whittaker Goes Monochromatic in APHID London and Louboutin
Whittaker wore the pink Spinetita booties when she joined Emma Stone at the 2018 British Independent Film Awards.
Rather than using neutral shoes to ground the dress, Whittaker extended its saturated fuchsia palette all the way to her feet. Her APHID London gown combined cold-shoulder cutouts, layered ruffles, geometric openings at the waist, and an asymmetric hem that left the elaborate Louboutin booties clearly visible.
Jodie Whittaker wears a fuchsia APHID London dress and matching Christian Louboutin Spinetita booties while posing with Mandip Gill at the British Independent Film Awards in London on December 2, 2018 (Credit: WENN / Mario Mitsis)
The close color match doesn’t make the shoes disappear. Instead, the exposed skin between the suede bands and the darker velvet laces give them enough definition to register beneath the irregular hem.
A closer look at Jodie Whittaker’s Christian Louboutin Spinetita booties shows the velvet ribbon lacing and caged pink suede uppers beneath her asymmetric APHID London dress (Credit: WENN / Mario Mitsis)
Why the Matching Pink Shoes Work With Whittaker’s Fuchsia Dress
The monochromatic pairing works because the dress and shoes repeat more than color. Both use openings, overlapping sections, and movement instead of a smooth, uninterrupted surface. The gown’s ruffled panels frame the legs, while the Spinetita’s ribbons and cutouts continue that visual detail down to the feet.
Whittaker’s 4-inch heels also add substantial height to her 5ft 5¾ in frame, but the shoes remain visually connected to the dress rather than creating a separate block of color at the bottom of the outfit.
The Black Spinetita Reveals the Bootie’s Corset-Like Construction
Christian Louboutin also produced the Spinetita in black suede with coordinating black velvet ribbons. Without the saturated fuchsia color dominating the design, its alternating suede bands, open cutouts, eyelets, and crisscrossed lacing become easier to distinguish.
The black suede Christian Louboutin Spinetita 100 uses tonal velvet ribbons across the same open cage construction as Whittaker’s pink pair
The Spinetita also belongs to a broader family of elaborate Louboutin designs that expose parts of the foot through cages, mesh, lace, or transparent panels. One particularly relevant comparison is the Christian Louboutin Mrs Bouglione caged bootie, an even taller Fall/Winter 2014 design inspired by Madame Rosa Bouglione of Paris’ Cirque d’Hiver dynasty.
That documented connection provides useful context for Louboutin’s recurring interest in circus, cabaret, and performance imagery without assuming that the Spinetita itself was designed as a direct circus tribute.
The Spinetita’s open sides expose much of the foot despite the coverage of its ankle-high silhouette
From the side, the black Spinetita shows its horizontal suede bands, open cutouts, velvet ties, and slender 100mm heel
From Loulou de La Falaise’s Colorful Legacy to Louboutin’s Statement Shoes
Loulou de La Falaise was more than a fashion muse. The Anglo-French designer became a longtime creative collaborator of Yves Saint Laurent and was particularly associated with jewelry, accessories, unconventional color combinations, and a relaxed approach to Parisian luxury. She inspired some of Saint Laurent’s most iconic designs.
Her reputation for combining vivid colors provides useful context for the kind of saturated palette seen in the pink Spinetita. What can be seen directly in the shoe is already distinctive enough: bright suede, plush velvet ribbon, metal eyelets, a sculptural cage, and Louboutin’s contrasting red sole all occupy the same relatively compact ankle-boot silhouette.
Whittaker’s BIFA styling amplified those qualities rather than toning them down. By pairing the intricate pink booties with an equally detailed fuchsia gown, she turned what could have been an accent shoe into an integral part of the outfit’s color and construction.