At the Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala on January 3, 2015, Rosamund Pike joined Reese Witherspoon at the Palm Springs Convention Center in California, stepping out just weeks after welcoming her second son.
Rosamund Pike highlights the pink floral jacquard detailing and structured trapeze silhouette of her Alexander McQueen Fall 2014 mini dress at the Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala on January 3, 2015 (Credit: FayesVision / WENN)
Pike wore a $4,295 black-and-pink silk floral jacquard dress from Alexander McQueen’s Fall 2014 collection, designed by Sarah Burton.
With short sleeves, a deeply split neckline, and a loose trapeze silhouette, the mini continued the voluminous shapes Pike had favored during her pregnancy and the Gone Girl press tour.
Its abbreviated length and oversized proportions divided fashion critics at the time, but the choice also marked an early chapter in Pike’s recurring relationship with McQueen: months later, she wore Alexander McQueen from head to toe with towering snakeskin platform sandals, and in 2020 returned to the house in a carnelian-red McQueen suit paired with Stuart Weitzman Nudist sandals.
The voluminous Alexander McQueen mini falls well above Rosamund Pike’s knees, while delicate black Brian Atwood “Melly” sandals balance the dress with a barely-there finish
For Palm Springs, however, Pike balanced the volume of the McQueen mini with Brian Atwood’s much more delicate “Melly” sandals.
The Italian-made heels featured slim crossover straps at the toes, a narrow buckled ankle strap, and a towering stiletto, leaving most of the foot exposed.
The barely-there style was a red-carpet favorite of the period and had also been worn by Heidi Klum and Gwyneth Paltrow. Pike wore the same Melly sandals again the following day, this time with a Proenza Schouler pleated skirt at Variety’s Creative Impact Awards.
A close-up of Rosamund Pike’s Brian Atwood “Melly” sandals shows the satin toe straps, slender lace-up ankle ties, and high stiletto heels against the red carpet
As of August 2026, Brian Atwood remains well represented on Farfetch’s pre-owned marketplace, where shoppers can still find many of the designer’s towering platforms, pumps, and statement sandals from earlier collections.
Current listings include the Stellah sandals, 125mm Alexie criss-cross heels, ankle-strap sandals, 150mm platform sandals, and the label’s recognizable high-platform pumps, with many pairs priced in the roughly $150–$550 range depending on the style and condition.
Why Barely-There Heels Remain a Red-Carpet Favorite
Barely-there heels have endured because they do something statement shoes often cannot: visually lengthen the leg without competing with the clothes.
Razor-thin straps, transparent PVC, and low-profile mules create an almost uninterrupted line from ankle to toe, making them especially effective with intricate gowns, bold tailoring, and heavily embellished fabrics.
That versatility has kept minimalist sandals in celebrity wardrobes for years, from the enduring Stuart Weitzman Nudist to newer transparent and barely visible designs. Rather than belonging to a single trend cycle, the look continues to evolve while serving the same purpose on the red carpet: finishing an outfit without overwhelming it.
👠 Explore More Barely-There Heel Moments:
- ✨ See how barely-there sandals shaped the 2018 Writers Guild Awards red carpet, where Alison Brie chose minimalist Jimmy Choo heels and Greta Gerwig wore Christian Louboutin “Jonatina” sandals with her ruffled Proenza Schouler look.
- 🖤 Kristen Bell and Alicia Vikander show two ways to wear Jimmy Choo’s “Claudette” sandals, pairing the slim-strapped heel with everything from flowing Maria Lucia Hohan separates to a romantic Erdem dress.
- ❄️ Jennifer Lawrence contrasts winter layers with Christian Louboutin “Jonatina” sandals, using the delicate illusion-style heel beneath a Burberry cashmere coat during her Passengers press tour.
- 💎 Karrueche Tran takes the barely-there idea even further in Giuseppe Zanotti “Lilibeth” PVC sandals, creating an almost barefoot effect beneath a dramatic Bronx and Banco two-piece.
- 🌸 Sophia Bush wore the same Stuart Weitzman “Nudist” sandals three times in less than two weeks, demonstrating why the slender two-strap design became such a dependable red-carpet shoe.
- 🎬 Sandra Bullock lets Stuart Weitzman’s “Nudist” sandals disappear beneath a sequined Zuhair Murad jumpsuit, allowing the ornate Ocean’s 8 premiere look to remain the focal point.