LAURA CRAIK: Forget about Louboutins… the Devil wears comfy shoes on the red carpet! (And so do others of a certain age)
The devil might wear Prada, but Meryl Streep favours comfort over designer shoes. And who can blame her?
To quote her character in the 2006 film, Miranda Priestley, florals for spring might not be groundbreaking, but bunions for spring? Never a good look.
Attending the premiere of The Devil Wears Prada 2 in Mexico, Ms Streep, 76, who plays fearsome fashion editor Ms Priestley, teamed her navy Schiaparelli dress with suede heels by Sole Bliss.
The Watford-based shoe brand is the red carpet’s best-kept secret, for while Ms Streep’s £199 five-inch platforms might look painful to wear, they are deceptively comfortable.
Launched in 2017, Sole Bliss specialises in podiatrist-approved footwear for women with conditions such as bunions.
Each shoe is designed with a concealed foam footbed, wide toe boxes and hidden stretch, and is cut to minimise pressure on the joints.
They have found favour with a certain vintage of A-lister for whom heels aren’t quite as comfy as they used to be.
Co-stars of The Devil Wears Prada 2 Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway attended Fashion Week Mexico
Hollywood star Julia Roberts attended the Ticket to Paradise premiere at the Regency Village Theatre in Los Angeles in October 2022
British actress Helen Mirren arrived at the opening ceremony and screening of the film Jeanne du Barry at the Cannes Film festival in May 2023
Sharon Stone dazzled at the 36th Annual Palm Springs at Palm Springs International Film Festival Film Awards at Palm Springs Convention Center in January last year
Fans include Helen Mirren, 80, Sharon Stone, 68, Viola Davis, 60, and Julia Roberts, 58. Sole Bliss shoes are also loved by royals – Queen Camilla is said to own 11 pairs.
Ms Streep’s heels are part of a collaboration between the brand and stylist Micaela Erlanger.
As a lifelong Manolo Blahnik wearer, Anna Wintour, the Vogue editor on whom Ms Priestley is based, is unlikely to approve of such a pragmatic shoe.
But sometimes even a fashionista as powerful as Ms Wintour, 76, needs to be brought to heel – orthopaedic or otherwise.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 will be released on May 1.
