Cynthia Erivo Goes for Subtle Glamour in Black Crystal Louboutin Pumps at 2025 Glaad Media Awards
Ever the chameleonic and bold dresser Cynthia Erivo opted for refined — yet still playful — glamour at the 2025 GLAAD Media awards yesterday.
The “Wicked” star was radiant in a black belted Christian Dior dress and colorful sequin bag, styled by Jason Bolden. They expertly pulled the chic look together with Christian Louboutin “Follies Strass” black mesh and crystal pumps.
The sparkling designer shoes feature an 100mm (3.94-inch) stiletto and a constellation of hand-applied black strass crystals at the pointed-toe, and a sprinkling across the rest of the mesh shoe. The heel of the red bottom shoe is wrapped in black velour suede for an added touch of comfort and luxury.
The fairytale princess-worthy shoes also come in light tan, as well as a shorter 85mm heel. The Follies Strass also comes in a dainty ballet flat silhouette in the light tan colorway, which is also reimagined with silky bows for a charming luxury kids shoe that retails for $795.
Pumps are a classic women’s shoe style that have remained a red carpet favorite for their versatility and elegance. Pointed-toe pumps with a slim stiletto are a popular variation of the shoe, and have increased in popularity in recent years, thanks to pointy toes coming back into trend after their heyday in the ’80s and ’90s. You can find pointed-toe pumps from prestigious designers including Manolo Blahnik, Yves Saint Laurent, Dior, Gianvito Rossi, Balenciaga and Christian Louboutin — the So Kate pumps are a bona-fide red carpet staple.
The singer and actor’s style is edgy, avant-garde couture romp, and her favorite shoes feature towering platforms and heels, including Marc Jacobs’ seven-inch Kiki boots, custom Shiaparelli black silk platform heels and many of Louboutin’s tallest stilletos.
Erivo received GLAAD’s Stephen F. Kolzak award, which is given to openly LGBTQ members of media working to fight homophobia. She celebrated queer, trans and nonbinary people in her honoree speech, calling in the LGBTQ community to “have the courage to live as we want” in order to inspire others.
“It isn’t easy. None of it is. Waking up and choosing to be yourself, proclaiming a space belongs to you when you don’t feel welcomed, teaching people on a daily basis how to address you and dealing with the frustration of re-teaching people a word that has been in the human vocabulary since the dawn of time,” Erivo said. “They, them. Words used to describe pedantically two or more people, [and] poetically a person who is simply more.”
Other GLAAD Media Awards honorees included Doechii, Keke Palmer, Nava Mau, Harper Steele, and more.