Alexa Chung and London Fashion People Swap Stilettos for Kitten Heels at the Fashion Awards 2024

published 2 December 2024

Tonight all eyes are on London for The Fashion Awards 2024, which sees some of the top talent and most-stylish people in the industry gather under one roof to celebrate all that’s good and great about the British fashion scene. Naturally, people from all over the world are invited to attend—you need not hail from nor live in the UK to snag a ticket. However, I imagine that, as a Brit in attendance, you may feel a certain amount of pressure to represent our country’s fashion scene well. Alexa Chung might have felt such pressure but she needn’t have, for she was one of the first to arrive and thus set the scene at tonight’s event.

Alexa Chung wears Miu Miu's buckle-strap slingback kitten heel shoes to The Fashion Awards 2024.

Wearing a very chic brown faux fur coat with a black embellished dress underneath, both of which are Miu Miu, the TV presenter, model and all-round fashion icon looked the elegant part from the moment she stepped on the red carpet. What I then noticed, however, was what she was wearing to step onto said red carpet.

TV presenter Angela Scanlon wears a pair of silver kitten heel shoes to the awards ceremony in London.

While a formal occasion such as this will often call for high heels, Chung shirked the expectation and, instead, opted for a pair of slingback kitten heel shoes which feel much more “her”. Hers in question are Miu Miu’s iconic buckle-strap slingbacks, which I also saw fellow Brit, actor Daisy Ridley, also sporting.

Model Mia Regan keeps her look simple with sleek black kitten-heel shoes.

While this very specific style could be heralded as the shoe of the night, I was generally impressed by how many London fashion people chose to forgo high heels in favour of the low, comfortable and yet still very chic-looking kitten heel alternative. In fact, I’d argue that, thanks to their effortless payoff and the fact everyone generally expects people to wear very high heels to awards shows, a kitten-heel shoe is much more “fashion” by proxy.

The Fashion Awards 2024: Andrea Riseborough

Actor Andrea Riseborough makes an impact with her bow-adorned kitten heel shoes from Erdem.

Inspired to follow their lead this party season, below I’ve curated an edit of the sleekest of the kitten-heel shoes around.

SHOP KITTEN HEEL SHOES

Miu Miu

Patent Leather Slingbacks With Buckles

Miu Miu

Brushed Leather Slingbacks With Buckles

Reformation

Nunzia Kitten Pump

SAINT LAURENT

Cherish Crystal-Embellished Glossed-Leather Slingback Pumps

ZARA

Buckled Slingback Shoes

M&S Collection

Kitten Heel Slingback

H&M

Slingback Court Shoes

MANOLO BLAHNIK

Maysale 50 Buckled Suede-Trimmed Croc-Effect Leather Point-Toe Pumps

Maxine Eggenberger is Who What Wear UK’s deputy editor and has over thirteen years of experience in fashion journalism. She been creating engaging and elevated style content specifically for Who What Wear UK since 2018, covering runway reports, emerging trends, long-form features, self-styled shopping stories and columns, including her edit of the best new-in buys. She ensures the highest editorial standards are met across the site, leads the editorial team in their SEO strategy and keyword planning, works closely with the beauty team on content initiatives, represents the brand at industry events, and regularly contributes to social media, including her own Who What Wear UK TikTok franchise, French Style Fridays. Previously, Maxine appeared on ITV's This Morning in her own fashion segment and has interviewed countless celebrities—everyone from Victoria Beckham to Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o.

Prior to Who What Wear UK, Maxine’s career began when, after completing her first-ever internship at Look magazine, she was offered a position on the brand's fashion desk. She accepted, leaving university a year early in the process. Her passion and natural talent for writing and styling meant she swiftly rose through the ranks to become the title's fashion news and commercial content editor, with a stint as InStyle.co.uk’s fashion and beauty writer along the way. She later served as Look’s acting Editor in Chief, overseeing both print and digital, before embarking on a successful freelance career, working with Grazia, The Pool, and Marie Claire amongst others.

Maxine is based remotely from her countryside home near Edinburgh where she spends her downtime renovating her house, walking her dogs, hosting friends and trying to master the art of making Old Fashioned cocktails.