Red-on-Red Done Right: How Rebecca Ferguson and Joan Smalls Styled Red Sandals

In December 2017, Rebecca Ferguson and Joan Smalls stepped out in New York City in two very different takes on head-to-toe red, each finished with delicate red sandals.

Ferguson paired Ralph Lauren tailoring with Rupert Sanderson heels at the world premiere of The Greatest Showman, while Smalls wore minimalist Stuart Weitzman sandals with a sheer-corset Pamella Roland pantsuit at a screening of The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.

Despite the matching color palettes, the shoes play different roles in the two outfits. Ferguson’s slim sandals add a lighter finish beneath a long coat and narrow trousers, while Smalls’ understated heels nearly disappear beneath her wide-leg pants, leaving the corset and tailoring as the focal points. Both looks also show why barely-there sandals have become such a reliable choice for red-carpet dressing: thin straps add height without adding much visual weight.

Rebecca Ferguson Pairs Ralph Lauren Tailoring With Rupert Sanderson Sandals

Standing 5 feet 5¼ inches (165.7 cm), Rebecca Ferguson has worn everything from towering platform boots to unconventional pumps, but her footwear for The Greatest Showman premiere was considerably more restrained.

The Swedish actress joined co-star Zendaya for the film’s world premiere aboard Queen Mary 2 while the ocean liner was docked at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal on December 8, 2017.

Ferguson wore a head-to-toe red Ralph Lauren ensemble: a full-length tailored coat over a fitted turtleneck and matching tapered trousers. She kept the styling equally streamlined with an updo and red Rupert Sanderson sandals.

Rebecca Ferguson keeps her December 2017 premiere look monochromatic in a full-length red Ralph Lauren coat, matching turtleneck and tapered trousers at the world premiere of “The Greatest Showman” aboard Queen Mary 2 at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in New York City on December 8, 2017 (Credit: WENN / Dennis Van Tine / Future Image)

The open-toe sandals provide a useful contrast to the heavier winter layers above them. Rather than extending the outfit to the floor with boots or closed pumps, the narrow straps expose more of the foot and give the monochromatic look a lighter finish.

Delicate Rupert Sanderson sandals expose the foot beneath Ferguson’s cropped trousers, adding a lighter finish to the heavier winter layers

Joan Smalls Matches Pamella Roland Tailoring With Stuart Weitzman Sandals

Three days later, Joan Smalls took a different approach to monochromatic red at a New York screening of The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.

At 5 feet 10½ inches (179.1 cm), Joan Smalls has the height and runway proportions to carry dramatic tailoring, and her Pamella Roland Pre-Fall 2018 outfit emphasized its structure rather than relying on her heels as the statement piece.

The look paired high-waisted wide-leg trousers with a sheer strapless corset featuring visible boning. Smalls draped the matching blazer off her shoulders, keeping the corset’s construction visible, and finished the outfit with John Hardy jewelry, center-parted braids, and red Stuart Weitzman sandals.

Joan Smalls contrasts sharp Pamella Roland tailoring with a sheer boned corset at a New York screening of The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story on December 11, 2017 (Credit: WENN / Dennis Van Tine / Future Image)

Unlike Ferguson’s cropped trousers, Smalls’ long hems cover much of her footwear. That makes the minimalist sandals almost disappear beneath the pants, which keeps attention on the contrast between the sharp tailoring and sheer corset.

With her matching blazer draped off the shoulders, Smalls lets the corset’s visible structure become the focal point of the head-to-toe red look

The streamlined choice was typical of the minimalist Stuart Weitzman heels seen throughout the decade.

Similar strappy silhouettes, including the label’s discontinued Myex design, became recurring celebrity red-carpet shoes because their narrow straps could complement an outfit without competing with it; YNS has also documented how Sarah Hyland and Jamie Chung styled Stuart Weitzman Myex sandals in very different ways.

Minimalist Stuart Weitzman sandals peek out beneath Smalls’ wide-leg trousers, continuing the red palette without competing with the statement tailoring

Why Head-to-Toe Red Works on the Red Carpet

Red already has enough visual force to carry an outfit on its own, which is why celebrities often use it from head to toe when they want a clean, high-impact silhouette. The key is keeping the pieces from feeling visually heavy. Texture, proportion, and footwear do most of that work.

Rebecca Ferguson and Joan Smalls show two different solutions. Ferguson leaves enough ankle and foot exposed for her slim Rupert Sanderson sandals to break up the heavier Ralph Lauren layers, while Smalls lets her wide-leg trousers fall over her Stuart Weitzman heels, creating a nearly uninterrupted red line.

Matching shoes are only one way to style the color. Our guide to the best shoe colors to wear with a red dress also shows how metallic, nude, white, and contrasting heels can change the character of the same bold palette.

The all-red approach has appeared repeatedly on celebrity red carpets, but the most successful examples use the shoes differently—sometimes extending the color from hem to toe, sometimes adding texture, and sometimes disappearing almost completely beneath the clothes.