At 14, Nico Parker joined her mother, Thandiwe Newton, at Variety’s Power of Young Hollywood celebration at the H Club in Los Angeles on August 6, 2019. Still petite at the time, Parker was already experimenting with heels and elevated statement shoes, footwear that can add height and create a longer visual line when paired with dresses and skirts.
The mother-daughter appearance also captures Parker in the middle of a teenage growth spurt. She appeared noticeably shorter than Newton in 2019, despite wearing heels, while photos of the pair in 2021 show Parker appearing taller than her mother. Her early red-carpet shoe choices—from minimalist ankle-strap sandals to metallic Katy Perry boots and Gucci platforms—make that change especially striking in retrospect.
Nico Parker and Thandiwe Newton Compare Mother-Daughter Style in 2019
Nico Parker joined her mother Thandiwe Newton at Variety’s 2019 Power of Young Hollywood party at the H Club in Los Angeles on August 6, 2019 (Credit: Mario Mitsis / WENN / FayesVision / Dave Starbuck / Future Image / Apega)
For the 2019 event, the Dumbo actress wore an embroidered Chanel Spring 2019 mini dress with simple black ankle-strap sandals. The understated heels kept the focus on the dress while adding a polished finish without feeling overly formal.
Nico Parker and Thandiwe Newton bring contrasting mother-daughter style to Variety’s Power of Young Hollywood celebration
Newton took a more embellished approach in a floral mini dress from Ashish’s Fall 2019 collection, paired with champagne satin Gianvito Rossi sandals.
Side by side, their footwear reflected two different takes on evening dressing: Parker’s minimalist black sandals versus Newton’s more refined satin heels.
Nico Parker’s minimalist black ankle-strap sandals contrast with Thandiwe Newton’s champagne satin Gianvito Rossi heels on the red carpet
Nico Parker Pairs a Carolina Herrera Gown With Metallic Katy Perry Boots
The Variety appearance wasn’t Parker’s only memorable fashion moment of 2019.
A few months earlier, on March 21, she joined her parents for the UK premiere of Dumbo at London’s Curzon Mayfair, trading her understated black sandals for a much bolder metallic shoe.
Nico Parker was joined by her actress mom Thandiwe Newton and director dad Ol Parker at the UK premiere of her film Dumbo at the Curzon Mayfair in London, England, on March 21, 2019
Parker wore a one-shoulder pink-and-peach tulle gown from Carolina Herrera’s Fall 2019 collection, pairing its romantic layers with gunmetal metallic Mayari ankle boots from Katy Perry Collections.
Known for playful, personality-driven footwear rather than traditional evening shoes, Perry’s label was a fitting choice for the then-14-year-old actress: the metallic stretch boots gave the polished Carolina Herrera gown a younger, less conventional finish.
Nico Parker joins Thandiwe Newton at the London premiere of Dumbo, wearing a pink-and-peach Carolina Herrera gown
Beside her, Newton went in a more heavily embellished direction, pairing a silver ruffled fringe top ($9,670) with a matching sequin-organza midi skirt ($4,000) from Mary Katrantzou’s Fall 2019 collection.
Nico Parker’s metallic Katy Perry Mayari ankle boots peek out beneath her sweeping pink-and-peach Carolina Herrera tulle gown, giving the petite actress added height at the Dumbo UK premiere in London
Nico Parker Goes Green in Gucci at the Dumbo World Premiere
The London premiere followed another mother-daughter red-carpet appearance just 10 days earlier. At the Dumbo world premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on March 11, 2019, Parker and Newton again took distinctly different approaches to dressing for the film’s promotional tour.
Nico Parker wears a forest-green Gucci velvet mini dress and coordinating sandals alongside Thandiwe Newton at the Dumbo world premiere in Los Angeles on March 11, 2019
Parker chose a forest-green velvet Gucci mini dress accented with a pink satin bow, then carried the color through to her footwear with coordinating green Gucci sandals.
She finished the look with jewelry from Mikimoto and Ippolita.
Nico Parker’s metallic green-and-pink Gucci platform sandals feature crisscross straps and bow details, adding a playful finish to her velvet premiere look
Newton complemented her daughter’s jewel-toned palette in a deep-burgundy strapless velvet mini dress from Oscar de la Renta’s Fall 2019 collection, which retailed for $4,990.
Oscar de la Renta’s Fall 2019 runway showcases the deep-burgundy strapless velvet mini dress with dramatic draping and a fringed asymmetric hem, styled with delicate metallic strappy heels
Parker had already been making occasional red-carpet appearances with her family before Dumbo. At the July 2018 world premiere of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again at London’s Eventim Apollo, she joined her sister Ripley in supporting their father, director Ol Parker.
Thandiwe Newton wearing a white-and-black strapless Michael Kors Collection Fall 2018 portrait-print dress
Newton attended in Giuseppe Zanotti Carrie sandals and a white-and-black strapless Michael Kors Collection Fall 2018 portrait-print dress, joining Lily James on the red carpet. Nico wore Alice + Olivia, while Ripley chose Mary Katrantzou.
Nico Parker joins sister Ripley, father Ol Parker, and mother Thandiwe Newton at the Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again world premiere in London in July 2018
An earlier family appearance came at the opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood, where Newton and Ol Parker posed with their daughters Ripley and Nico.
A young Nico Parker steps out with sister Ripley and parents Ol Parker and Thandiwe Newton for a family appearance at Universal Studios Hollywood on April 5, 2013
Thandiwe Newton’s Red-Carpet Shoe Style Beyond These Family Appearances
From Gianvito Rossi sandals to Jimmy Choo pumps and towering Giuseppe Zanotti platforms, Newton’s footwear choices have ranged from understated to statement-making across the red carpet. Explore more of her standout shoe and fashion moments below.
👠 Explore Thandiwe Newton’s Standout Shoe Fashion Moments:
- 📏 Standing at 5’3½” (161.3 cm) and wearing a US shoe size 7, Thandiwe Newton has built a red-carpet wardrobe around everything from sculptural platforms to sleek stilettos by Gianvito Rossi, Giuseppe Zanotti, Charlotte Olympia, and more.
- ✨ Her 2018 Emmy-winning fashion moment paired a sweeping pink Brandon Maxwell cape gown with shimmering Gianvito Rossi sandals for one of her most memorable red-carpet appearances.
- 💎 Her metallic Oscar de la Renta look at the 2021 Gotham Awards was finished with towering Giuseppe Zanotti “Betty” platforms, bringing extra shine and height to the cutout ensemble.
- 👠 Her Jimmy Choo “Anouk” pumps in Cannes combined black suede with metallic silver dégradé leather, echoing the shimmer of her Gathering Goddess dress at the 2013 MIPTV gala.
- 🖤 Her Jimmy Choo “Fitch” sandals at the Rogue premiere added glittering texture to an otherwise understated vintage black Gathering Goddess dress.
- 🌟 Her gilded Wiederhoeft gown at the Anaconda premiere was matched with René Caovilla heels, extending the serpentine gold theme all the way to her footwear.
- 👩👧 See how daughter Nico Parker grew taller than her petite mother in their 2021 Reminiscence premiere appearance, where Newton completed her look with crystal-embellished Alevi Milano sandals.