On June 2, 2015, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley attended the Glamour Women of the Year Awards at Berkeley Square Gardens in London, wearing a hammered-satin Cushnie et Ochs Fall 2015 gown with a thigh-high slit and open back.
Standing 5’9″ (175.3 cm) tall, the English model emphasized the gown’s long, fluid silhouette with metallic-gold Brian Atwood “Tamara” sandals.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley pairs softly waved hair with Jennifer Meyer turquoise-and-diamond earrings at the 2015 Glamour Women of the Year Awards in London (Credit: WENN)
The hammered-satin Cushnie et Ochs Fall 2015 gown features relaxed sleeves and a warm burnt-orange finish (Credit: WENN)
The strappy stilettos feature a minimal toe band and slender straps that cross the foot and wrap around the ankle. Rather than introducing another strong color, the metallic finish worked almost like jewelry against the warm-toned gown.
Huntington-Whiteley completed the look with Jennifer Meyer 18-karat gold, turquoise, and diamond earrings and an Anita Ko 18-karat gold-and-diamond “Panther” ring.
Front, side, and back views show the Cushnie et Ochs gown’s open back and thigh-high slit, keeping Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s gold Brian Atwood sandals in view (Credit: WENN)
Huntington-Whiteley was already familiar with Brian Atwood footwear. In 2013, she paired jeans and a draped Funktional blouse with the designer’s Brian Atwood “Temptation” sandals at the BlackBerry Z10 launch, showing how his high-heeled sandals could work with a much more casual outfit.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s Brian Atwood “Tamara” sandals feature a slim metallic toe band, crossing ankle straps, and a high stiletto heel (Credit: WENN)
Nikki Reed Styles the Same Brian Atwood Tamara Sandals With Bright Orange
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley wasn’t the only celebrity to pair Brian Atwood’s gold “Tamara” sandals with a warm-toned red-carpet dress. On January 9, 2016, Nikki Reed attended the Art of Elysium HEAVEN Gala in Culver City, California, wearing the metallic heels with a vivid orange Solace London gown.
At 5’4″ (162.6 cm), Reed is five inches shorter than Huntington-Whiteley, but the same delicate sandal worked with both women’s floor-length looks. On Reed, the high stiletto added height while the fine metallic straps remained visible through the gown’s front slit.
Nikki Reed wears sleek, center-parted hair and geometric drop earrings with her vivid orange Solace London gown at the 2016 Art of Elysium HEAVEN Gala (Credit: WENN)
Reed’s Solace London design featured a halter neckline, geometric midriff cutouts, and a high front slit. The saturated orange made the metallic footwear an effective counterpoint: the fine gold straps stayed visible without competing with the dress’s strong color and cutout construction.
Nikki Reed’s orange Solace London gown combines geometric waist cutouts with a high front slit that reveals her metallic-gold Brian Atwood sandals (Credit: WENN)
The “Tamara” also fits into a broader pattern in Reed’s shoe wardrobe. She previously paired skinny jeans and a Chloé blouse with Brian Atwood’s leopard-print “Hamper” pumps, while another red-carpet appearance saw her choose mirrored-silver Bionda Castana “Zoe” sandals with a white Monique Lhuillier gown.
The designs are very different, but both metallic sandals show how reflective footwear can add definition beneath a long dress without requiring a contrasting color.
A closer look at Nikki Reed’s Brian Atwood “Tamara” sandals, with a metallic toe band, fine crossing straps, and slim stiletto heels (Credit: WENN)
Reed finished the look with a structured rectangular glitter clutch by Rodo, extending the metallic accents from her gold sandals to her evening bag.
Nikki Reed poses with Ian Somerhalder at the 2016 Art of Elysium HEAVEN Gala, wearing Solace London with gold Brian Atwood sandals and a Rodo clutch (Credit: WENN)
Why the Brian Atwood Tamara Sandals Work With Both Looks
The Brian Atwood “Tamara” sandal uses relatively little material for such a noticeable shoe: a narrow metallic toe band, fine straps crossing the foot and ankle, and a slender stiletto heel. This approach appears in other Brian Atwood evening shoes, including the barely-there “Melly” sandals Rosamund Pike wore with Alexander McQueen.
Huntington-Whiteley’s wider shoe wardrobe provides another useful comparison. She later wore strappy gold Stuart Weitzman “Sultry” sandals, another open-toe metallic design built around slender straps and a high heel. It’s a recurring evening-shoe formula: the metallic finish adds shine, while the open construction keeps the shoe visually light.
The two “Tamara” looks show that principle particularly clearly. Huntington-Whiteley paired the gold sandals with the warm sheen of hammered satin, while Reed wore the same style against a brighter orange gown. In both cases, the gold relates to the warmth of the clothing while giving the foot definition without introducing another competing color.