Royal style has evolved quite dramatically in recent decades, but certain things remain as reliable as the meticulously timed Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. Formal occasions still call for a hat, pearls remain a traditional symbol of mourning, and no royal woman’s wardrobe is complete without at least one pair of Jimmy Choos.
The Malaysian shoemaker famously struck up a friendship with the late Diana, Princess of Wales, when he began making shoes for her in the ’90s, as she was embarking on her most confident – and influential – style chapter. His niece Sandra Choi, the brand’s current creative director, has previously credited Diana’s arrival at the Royal Albert Hall for the June 1997 premiere of Swan Lake with launching Jimmy Choo into the celebrity stratosphere. The tanned Princess memorably styled her glistening pale blue Jacques Azagury minidress with a matching pair of Jimmy Choo sling-back heels – a look that was splashed across the front pages the following day. “It really started everything for us,” Choi has said.
Some 25 years later, the new Princess of Wales is almost as fond of Jimmy Choo heels as her late mother-in-law – the Romy style in particular is a foundation of her formal wardrobe. A careful and considered dresser, Kate rarely steps outside of the box when it comes to fashion, but she does enjoy the occasional playful touch – and a memorable one came care of Choo. To attend a charity performance of the musical Dear Evan Hansen, Kate wore a navy tweed Eponine dress that was borderline staid. But the then Duchess’s accessories delivered a touch of sparkle befitting any Broadway diva: a silver glitter-encrusted pair of her favourite Romy heels and a matching clutch.
Back when the Duchess of Sussex was a working royal, she too turned to the brand’s classic, elegant heels to add extra polish to her Givenchy tailoring and luxe camel coats. These days Meghan – now based in Montecito with Prince Harry and their two young children, Archie Harrison and Lilibet Diana – is most likely to be found in low-key Emme Parsons sandals for a trip to the farmer’s market, or Chanel ballet flats to watch her husband play polo. But when she lived at Kensington Palace, her own Romy shoes (in jewel-toned Oxid velvet) were a firm favourite.
It isn’t only members of the British royal family that have taken Jimmy Choo heels to their hearts. Over in Monaco, Charlotte Casiraghi is rarely seen in anything other than Chanel (she’s a house muse who has appeared on Virginie Viard’s couture runways – on horseback, no less), but she is no more immune to the lure of a Choo than any other style-conscious royal. In the Noughties, she fell for the Elazer heels that were a constant on the red carpet at the time.
Fast forward to this weekend, and Spain’s Queen Letizia joined her husband King Felipe at the Macael Awards in Almeria wearing a pale pink pair of the brand’s crystal-embellished Bing mules with a sophisticated off-the-shoulder midi-dress. That Letizia chose a statement heel over something more understated shouldn’t be a surprise. At 50, the former broadcaster is perhaps the most experimental dresser among Europe’s crowned heads. Back in May, the Queen wore a cut-out dress in hot pink (the colour of the summer) to a fundraiser in Valencia, and she embraced the grey hair movement in characteristically self-assured style at the end of last year.
We’re unlikely to see the conscientious Princess of Wales wearing cut-outs anytime soon, but a Choo habit is something she and Letizia do have in common. It’s proof that certain fashion classics will elevate any wardrobe – regardless of personal style. Jimmy Choo’s seasonless styles are designed for a lifetime of wear, an important consideration for the increasingly sustainability-conscious Kate.
“It’s a huge thrill to see such high-profile women choose Jimmy Choo as their go to when they are stepping out with the world’s gaze on them,” the brand’s creative director Choi tells Vogue now. “I like to think our shoes have become a trusted friend.”
