Forget taking home an Oscar–what most Hollywood actresses really want to snare during awards season is a pair of sexy Stuart Weitzman shoes.
Weitzman has been the shoemaker to stars for years, and each time the Academy Awards roll around, he creates a unique, one-of-a-kind pair of his signature stillettos to grace the feet of one of the gala’s red carpet attendees.
This year the lucky lady is Ray‘s Regina King, who told Hollywood.com on Oscar eve that “Marilyn Monroe is blessing me with her presence tomorrow.”
That’s because Weitzman took out a cool $1 million insurance policy on a pair of vintage diamond earrings that once belonged to the screen legend so he could borrow them from a private collector of Monroe memorobilia in Indiana–they have to go back home the day after the ceremony–which will now dangle on designer footwear (Weitzman went through 20 pairs of shoes before finding the right ones to match Regina‘s gown and Monroe’s eternal stye). We asked Regina to give us the lowdown on her iconic footwear.
How do the shoes feel?
Regina: “Oh, any woman knows that Stuart Weitzman is THE best shoe. You can look sexy in it, and you can dance in it, and that’s what’s important. It’s not a dinner shoe–it’s a dinner AND dancing shoe.”
Will you keep the shoes?
Regina: “No, we’re going to auction it off to charity for the Holly Rod Foundation [a charity started by actress Holly Robinson-Peete]. My father has Parkinson’s Disease and they do a lot of work for Parkinson’s research.”
[We’re told Regina wil get a replica pair as a keepsake]
Did it put any pressure on you, finding the right dress to match such amazing shoes?
Regina: “Actually Badgley Mishka designed my dress. They made a dress specifically for me, so they sent the fabric to Mr. Weitzman so he could make the shoe out of the same fabric.”
How did you feel when you finally tried on the dress?
Regina: “We did the final fitting a couple days ago and I felt like the belle of the ball, I have to say. I got a little misty.”
