On Saturday, Paris Hilton delivered a bit of fashion history to Paris Fashion Week by wearing a pair of Vivienne Westwood platforms inspired by the brand’s renowned 1993 Super-Elevated designs. Built on a substantial block platform with a steeply arched sole, the shoes had the sculptural height and corseted lacing that once made Westwood’s Gillies a runway icon.

The mix of cream and ice-gray suede and leather in Hilton’s design lent her voluminous green gown a vintage silhouette, while the cutout panels, crisscross ties, and wraparound platform brought back the dramatic elevation that defined Westwood’s provocative legacy.

Paris Hilton at the Vivienne Westwood Fashion Show in Paris Fashion Week on Saturday — GETTY IMAGES

The drama didn’t end with her shoe, it was present in her feather-trimmed, lavender-and-green gown, which was made on a panniered skirt. A diamond collar, white gloves, and cat-eye glasses connected it to Westwood’s distinctive blend of punk edge and couture polish.

Throughout her career, Hilton, who has always favoured maximalist statements, has returned to Westwood’s style, from platform-heavy performance outfits to corseted shapes on the red carpet. Her return to the brand in Paris comes after a summer filled with equally daring shoe moments, such as Gianvito Rossi’s fitting suede boots at Tribeca and rhinestone Stuart Weitzman thigh-highs at WeHo Pride.

Paris Hilton at the Vivienne Westwood Fashion Show in Paris Fashion Week on Saturday — GETTY IMAGES

The reference point was clear. In 1993, Naomi Campbell’s iconic fall during Westwood’s runway show made the Super-Elevated Gillies a symbol of fashion bravery. Campbell later joked that the nine-inch heels “tested her balance and pride,” and Westwood famously described the stumble as “beautiful, like a gazelle.” The occasion helped to solidify the British designer’s reputation for challenging convention and reinventing femininity via danger.

Hilton’s public character has always combined self-parody and elegance, so the nod feels deliberate,  a link between two generations of women who mastered spectacle on their own terms. Whereas Campbell’s moment caught the danger of fashion, Hilton’s reinterpretation embraces its longevity, the notion that style history can be humorous, self-aware, and towering in every way.

Paris Hilton at the Vivienne Westwood Fashion Show in Paris Fashion Week on Saturday — GETTY IMAGES

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