Talk about stepping in it.
In spite of dubbing it the Year of la Femme, week two of the Cannes Film Festival has kicked off with reports of women being turned away at screenings for wearing flats, and la merde has hit the red carpet.
In the spirit of a hilarious Gallic farce, security guards at the internationally watched event have singled out numerous attendees at the doors of various galas for being inappropriately shod, including at the screening of “Carol,” a lesbian romance starring Cate Blanchett with a mostly female cast and producers.
Over the weekend, one woman was manhandled for wearing offensive platforms, another was bounced for ankle boots and tights, and a director’s wife nearly missed her husband’s screening after being pulled over for falling short in the heel department.
Emily Blunt was asked about it at the press conference for her thriller “Sicario,” and declared it “very disappointing.”
“Everyone should wear flats, to be honest,” added Blunt. “We shouldn’t wear high heels anyway, that’s my point of view. You kind of think that there’s these new waves of equality and waves of people realizing that women are just as fascinating and interesting to watch, and bankable.”
Dress code at the most prestigious and glamorous festival has been black tie or evening dress for the gala screenings since forever, and the rule hasn’t changed in years for “the stairs” (as they call the main entrance-making venue), but this year there’s fresh enthusiasm for a fascist approach to footwear.
Even the men are getting called out — Page Six reported Larry Gagosian was nearly sent home for wearing sneakers. But telling women they have to wear high heels is where you’re really going to step in it, monsieurs.
The story broke on Tuesday when a Cannes regular told a film outlet that a woman was stopped for wearing a pair of rhinestone-encrusted flats and was told to go buy appropriate shoes and come back.
Go buy appropriate shoes and come back?!
Were they Valentino? Were they Saint Laurent?
If I had seen the woman reportedly wearing the “bright red Dansko clogs” on the carpet, I’d have gotten out my fashion-police BB gun, too.
But having just bought a pair of rhinestone-encrusted T-strap flats this past fall — from Dolce & Gabbana, excuse me — this is exactly the pair of shoes I would reach for to hit the Cannes red carpet.
Clearly security has not taken in any fashion shows in the past year to prepare for their policing duties. It’s the year of flats, knuckleheads, and there has been no shortage of elevation of the lowly flat to all manner of high fashion.
One attendee at the lesbian-romance premiere, actress Aymeline Valade, snuck in wearing some fashionable flat gladiators to complete her fresh-as-a-summer-daisy Stella McCartney ensemble.
She’s following in the footsteps of a lot of (mostly tall) women on the red carpet — everyone from Cate Blanchett to Charlize Theron to Karlie Kloss has worn flats with long dresses in recent years.
And then there’s French style icon Inès de La Fressange. A Chanel model and Roger Vivier ambassador, she’s long been a champion of the red-carpet flat (and a rhinestone-encrusted one to boot).
In an interview several years ago about her style book, “Parisian Chic,” she said, “We say in the book, it’s better to wear flat shoes than high heels if you can’t walk in [heels].”
Ask Rooney Mara. She tripped in her high heels at the “Carol” premiere.
Splurge-worthy slippers
Dolce & Gabbana embellished “Vally” flats, $667 at farfetch.com
Sergio Rossi embellished sandals, $945 at farfetch.com
Versace “Medusa” flats, $695 at farfetch.com
Alexander McQueen glittered slippers, $545 at farfetch.com