At a Madrid photocall for What We Did on Our Holiday on April 30, 2015, Rosamund Pike wore Alexander McQueen from head to toe, pairing an embroidered Pre-Fall 2015 dress with the collection’s towering black-and-silver snakeskin platform sandals.
Rosamund Pike wears her sleek side-parted blonde bob straight, keeping the beauty look understated against her intricately textured Alexander McQueen dress
Held at the Intercontinental Hotel ahead of the film’s Spanish release, the appearance put the contrast between Pike’s polished dress and substantial footwear on full display.
The sleeveless fit-and-flare design featured a round neckline, intricate floral embroidery, scalloped lace trim, and an A-line skirt that ended just above the knee.
Rosamund Pike pairs an embroidered Alexander McQueen Pre-Fall 2015 fit-and-flare dress with towering black-and-silver platform sandals at the What We Did on Our Holiday photocall in Madrid on April 30, 2015 (Credit: Oscar Gonzalez / Sean Thorton / WENN)
Pike kept the rest of the styling simple, wearing her side-parted blonde bob straight with understated makeup. That restraint let the Alexander McQueen pieces—especially the shoes’ exaggerated proportions—carry the look.
The monochrome Alexander McQueen look mixes panels of floral lace and geometric embroidery, with the fitted waist and flared skirt balancing the weight of her chunky heels
Pike completed her head-to-toe Alexander McQueen outfit with black snakeskin sandals accented by metallic silver leather trim. The substantial design featured square open toes, a single strap across the front, long lace-up ankle ties, approximately 0.8-inch (20 mm) double-tier platforms, and chunky heels rising to about 5 inches (127 mm).
The proportions made the sandals noticeably more dramatic than the embroidered dress: the thick block heels and stacked platforms added height, while the narrow front straps and ankle ties kept much of the foot exposed. These Alexander McQueen Pre-Fall 2015 platform sandals originally retailed for roughly $1,145 to $1,395, depending on the material and finish.
The exact Pre-Fall 2015 sandals Pike wore are long discontinued, but Alexander McQueen footwear remains available at Farfetch.
As of August 2026, the retailer carries both current McQueen shoes and pre-owned designs from earlier seasons, making the resale section worth checking for collectors searching for discontinued styles. Availability, sizes, and prices for vintage pairs can change quickly.
A closer look at Pike’s Alexander McQueen sandals reveals black snakeskin straps, metallic silver trim, lace-up ankle ties, square open toes, and double-tier platforms
Pike was already building a red-carpet relationship with Alexander McQueen before this Madrid appearance. At the Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala on January 3, 2015, she wore a floral-jacquard Alexander McQueen Fall 2014 dress with Brian Atwood “Melly” sandals. Four months later in Madrid, she took the designer pairing from dress to shoes with this head-to-toe Pre-Fall 2015 look.
Her affinity for McQueen continued years later. At the London premiere of Radioactive in 2020, Pike chose a carnelian-red Pre-Fall 2020 Alexander McQueen suit with a black leather harness, this time finishing the look with Stuart Weitzman Nudist sandals. Together, the three appearances show how she repeatedly returned to McQueen while changing the footwear—from Brian Atwood’s delicate ankle-strap heels to McQueen’s chunky snakeskin platforms and, later, Stuart Weitzman’s minimalist Nudists.
Why Alexander McQueen Shoes Remain a Celebrity Favorite
Rosamund Pike’s towering platform sandals capture one side of Alexander McQueen’s footwear identity, but the house has long offered celebrities a much wider range of options. Its oversized sneakers bring the brand’s substantial proportions into everyday dressing, while sculptural heels, dramatic platforms, metal details, and embellished sandals carry that same attitude onto the red carpet. Stars including Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, and Melissa McCarthy have all embraced McQueen footwear in distinctly different ways.
That versatility is part of the appeal. Chunky sneakers can ground denim, leggings, and relaxed separates without requiring an otherwise dramatic outfit, while McQueen’s more experimental heels are designed to be noticed. The late Alexander McQueen’s runway legacy pushed footwear toward sculpture, and that adventurous approach still makes the house a natural choice when a celebrity look calls for shoes with a strong point of view.
👠 Explore Alexander McQueen’s Most Striking Shoe Moments:
- 🖤 Kylie Jenner’s black Alexander McQueen Skull sandals brought a strappy, barely-there finish to her beaded and shredded-chiffon McQueen gown at the 2026 Vanity Fair Oscars after-party.
- ✨ Charlize Theron’s studded Alexander McQueen platform sandals matched a crystal-embellished Fall 2019 McQueen look with thick ankle straps, substantial platforms, and towering block heels.
- 🔥 Tamara Ecclestone’s perforated Alexander McQueen sandals echoed the geometric pattern of her fitted red-and-black McQueen dress for a particularly graphic head-to-toe pairing.
- 🐍 Beyoncé’s striped Alexander McQueen snakeskin pumps combined graphic black-and-white uppers with metal-tipped pointed toes and contrasting red heels.
- 🤎 Keke Palmer’s archival Alexander McQueen peep-toe pumps revisited the house’s Y2K-era footwear with croc-embossed tortoiseshell leather, hidden platforms, cutout vamps, and slim stiletto heels.
- ❤️ Kat Von D’s sculptural red Alexander McQueen runway wedges were among the standout shoes at the 2013 Grammy Awards, showing the house’s more experimental approach to platform footwear.
- 🦂 Alexander McQueen’s extraordinary Armadillo shoes remain one of the clearest examples of the late designer treating footwear as sculpture, with the Spring 2010 runway design rising to roughly 10 inches.