“Stepping Into Tomorrow: How Ella Purnell’s ‘Arcane’ Premiere Look Champions the Slingback Revival”
In a mesmerizing display of haute couture meets Victorian industrial chic, Ella Purnell has once again proven herself a style savant worth watching. The starlet, fresh from her producing triumph with the deliciously dark “Sweetpea,” graced the Los Angeles premiere of Netflix’s “Arcane” Season 2 in an ensemble that left fashion cognoscenti breathless.
Purnell, who lends her voice to the steampunk-inspired animated series alongside industry darling Hailee Steinfeld, channeled the show’s aesthetic with an unexpected twist of feminine allure. The pièce de résistance? A pair of Christian Dior’s iconic J’adior slingbacks that sent whispers of approval through the fashion sphere.
The blood-red ensemble, plucked from Dior’s cruise 2025 collection, served as the perfect canvas for these architectural marvels. The slingbacks, a masterclass in Italian craftsmanship, feature a patent leather toe box that commands attention with its precise pointed silhouette and squared vamp – a detail that speaks volumes to the house’s commitment to innovative design.
What truly elevates these shoes from mere footwear to objet d’art is the ingeniously designed embroidered cotton ribbon slingback. This isn’t your grandmother’s ankle strap – it’s a statement piece that gracefully wraps around the ankle, creating a ballet-inspired narrative that ends in a perfectly placed flat bow.
The true showstopper, however, is the four-inch comma heel – a design element that pays homage to the legendary Roger Vivier’s “Virgule” heel. This sculptural wonder begins its journey at the rear of the foot, dramatically concaving inward before flaring out to meet the ground in a statement of architectural brilliance. Fashion historians will note that this design, which Vivier perfected after leaving Christian Dior in 1963, was a revolutionary precursor to the stiletto we know and love today.
Maria Grazia Chiuri’s introduction of the J’adior slingback in spring 2017 marked a new chapter in Dior’s footwear legacy. The style has since become a cornerstone of the modern fashion landscape, particularly in 2024’s accessories renaissance. Alongside their mule counterparts, slingbacks have dominated red carpets and street style alike, with notable appearances at the Cannes International Film Festival that set Instagram ablaze.
The trend has been embraced by luxury houses across the board, with Miu Miu’s strappy iterations and Gianvito Rossi’s ribbon stilettos leading the charge. Yet, it’s Purnell’s Dior moment that reminds us why some shoes transcend mere trend status to become instant classics.
