Some celebrities operate at such a high style level, they don't have to follow any pre-prescribed rules. Angelina Jolie, who runs errands in rich mom stilettos, wins awards in the most elevated mother-daughter outfits you've ever seen, and designs Oscars gowns, is one of them.
Sauntering off a flight on Monday, August 12, the actress-turned-philanthropist-slash-fashion-designer ignored all the conventional wisdom about summer airplane outfits. Namely, that one should wear comfortable sneakers to speed-walk through the airport, or stretchy leggings to stretch out in her seat. Instead, she hit the tarmac in a summer shoe trend I've noticed reporting from Copenhagen Fashion Week and the heart of London: the towering espadrille sandal.
Jolie chose what appeared to be a pair of Christian Louboutin sandals set with leather straps and espadrille soles for her afternoon flight. She paired them back to a version of her day-to-day uniform, a black dress and a longline black trench coat. (So far, designer IDs for all three pieces have yet to be confirmed.)
Espadrille-sandal hybrids like Jolie's have been the main character of late-summer street style that I've observed while reporting abroad for Marie Claire this season. With a nudge from the boho wedge sandal revival kicked off on Chloé's runway, brands from Sézane to Franco Sarto have released pairs that are the cousins of another French girl shoe trend, the platform Mary Jane. However, these combine the beachy aura of an espadrille with the towering heights of a strong platform sandal. They've worked their way into casual outfits with drop-waist dresses, boho maxis, and bubble hem skirts, to name a few recent sightings.
That said, Angelina Jolie is the first person I've observed who's so committed to the sandal style, she wears it in transit. Maybe she is following a style rule after all: You should never leave your valuables under the plane.
