Zendaya and Law Roach have sent demand for this stiletto heel soaring
It’s true that behind every great red-carpet look is a perfect pair of shoes: and, more often than not, one perfect shoe in particular. Christian Louboutin’s So Kate stiletto is the timeless point-toe pump that has maintained its red-carpet popularity for more than a decade, and for very good reason.
Zendaya wore hers for almost every outing of the Challengers press tour earlier this year – fittingly, in crisp tennis-white leather. Margot Robbie kept a pair in her Barbie wardrobe. Taylor Swift wore hers to the Oscars, while Anya Taylor-Joy donned a patent black pair for the Vanity Fair after-party.
Launched in 2013, the So Kate is actually the sister of Louboutin's original Kate pump, which was released in 2012. Named in honour of Kate Moss, one of the brand’s most loyal wearers, both are a timeless point-toe design, but the So is spindlier and slimmer, cut lower on the vamp and with a higher heel to create an even sexier silhouette.
While it may appear to be a simple, ubiquitous shape, crafting a stiletto that makes its wearer feel incredible is actually a fine art – one that many have tried to master, but no-one has succeeded quite like Louboutin. The So Kate’s stiletto reaches a perilous 120mm and plunges into an ultra-low vamp, creating the ultimate leg-lengthening illusion. The sides are cut away to expose the foot, while the heel is as thin and as sharp as a nail. In short, they’re astonishingly flattering. As Louboutin himself says, “Kate is a sharp style, simple, and very complex at the same time. If the line is not perfect, you don’t have any embellishment to hide it.”
One person who knows the flattering effect of these iconic shoes well is Law Roach, the A-list stylist responsible for Zendaya's style evolution, among many others. Speaking to host Recho Omondi on her podcast, The Cutting Room Floor, Law explained how he and Zendaya have become the shoe's most prominent proponents. "It actually started when she was about 14, and I remember she had these So Kates on all day. It’s the first time she’d ever worn them, and she was collapsing. And she’s like, ‘I have to take these shoes off.’ I’m like, ‘You will not take these shoes off.’ And she kept them on, and the next day she put them on again."
Sceptics may presume that sponsorship plays a role in Zendaya's unwavering loyalty to the So Kate – but Roach has made one thing clear: neither of them have signed on a dotted line. "They never wrote us a check. It has always been a really authentic, organic relationship: she just loves the shoes."
And it’s not just the red-carpet where you might glance a flash of that iconic red sole: the shoe has made it into wardrobes the world over, called on for evenings out and grand events whatever the whims of the seasonal trend cycle are saying. “Net-a-Porter first invested in the So Kate 120 for AW13 with iterations such as the So Kate Booty 85 and So Kate 70 leather slingback pumps remaining incredibly popular with our customers,” says Libby Page, the market director at Net-a-Porter. Proving its unwavering popularity, the luxury fashion etailer has sold more than 12,000 pairs of the So Kate since launch – and searches for the shoe have risen 25 per cent in the past six months (call it the Zendaya effect).
If you’re in search of the ultimate, wear-with-everything stiletto heel, that hunt likely ends at So Kate. In glossy black patent leather, it will lend a sultry spin to timeless tailoring, while the glossed pink iteration is perfect for wearing to more formal events. Heading to a winter wedding? There’s a So Kate to match every dress, be it a festive mini or metallic maxi (although it should go without saying, you won’t be equipped for grassy terrain). And if you’re the bride herself? Kate comes in pristine white leather, too.
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