The red carpet at the Cannes film festival is an elysium of old-fashioned glitz and glamour, but the festival faced controversy on Tuesday after it emerged that it takes the odd bout of tyrannical fashion policing to keep it that way. A group of women in their 50s were turned away from the gala screening of Todd Haynes’s Carol for allegedly not wearing high-heeled shoes, according to industry newspaper Screen Daily. The women, some of whom had medical conditions, were apparently barred entry for wearing rhinestone flats. The festival is facing a backlash from film fans protesting against what many perceive as a sexist dress-code policy, even though Cannes’s director, Thierry Frémaux, has denied that high heels are obligatory. “The rumour saying the festival insists on high heels for women on the red carpet is unfounded,” he said in response to critics on Twitter. Among those joining the backlash was actor Emily Blunt, who was due to walk the red carpet on Tuesday night in support of her new film, the FBI drama Sicario.
Rachel Weisz at the premiere of The Lobster. “Everyone should wear flats, to be honest. We shouldn’t wear high heels,” said Blunt, when asked about the controversy at the Sicario press conference. “That’s very disappointing, just when you kind of think there are these new waves of equality.” Sicario director Denis Villeneuve joked that he and Blunt’s co-stars, Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin, would wear high heels to the premiere in solidarity. Del Toro then mimed wobbling along the red carpet from his seat. However, Villeneuve and his actors wore men’s shoes when they appeared on the red carpet before the early evening premiere. Also critical of the dress code was Asif Kapadia, director of the Amy Winehouse documentary, Amy, which premiered in Cannes last week. Kapadia tweeted that his wife had initially been denied entry to the screening because of her footwear, but was eventually allowed in. @muirkate happened to my wife (eventually let in) It has also been reported that a film producer who has had part of her left foot amputated has also been stopped for not wearing high heel shoes.
Valeria Richter told the Telegraph she had been reprimanded on the red carpet for her footwear, despite missing her big toe and part of her foot. She said she had been stopped four times by officials at the premiere for The Sea of Trees, but had eventually been allowed to proceed. Richter said: “We put on the dress and make an effort to be formal and festive, but to demand heels is not right.” Cannes’s red-carpet screenings are by invitation only. The official dress code is explained to guests after they collect a ticket for their film. Published guidelines are hard to come by, but it is generally understood that men must wear black tie with black shoes and women must be elegantly dressed with smart footwear. Festival staff questioned by the Guardian seemed unclear as to whether high heels are obligatory at red-carpet screenings or not. Gender equality has been a key theme in many of the films in year’s festival selection. Ironically, Carol, the film to which the flat-wearing guests were allegedly denied entry, is perhaps the film in competition at Cannes with the strongest feminist message.
Based on the book by Patricia Highsmith (herself an avid fan of loafers), it tells the story of a young shop assistant, played by Rooney Mara, who embarks on an affair with a married older woman. Outside the Palais, 20-year-old Tami was one of many film fans hopeful of being given a spare ticket to the Tuesday-night premiere by a charitable delegate. She was carrying her high heels in a plastic bag. “It says on your ticket that you have to be smartly dressed,” she said. “For women that means high heels. I wish we didn’t have to. FREE* HOME DELIVERY when you spend $50 or more on apparel, fashion accessories and footwear Get your order delivered to any street address in mainland Australia for free! * Offer applies to online orders containing only apparel, fashion accessories and footwear. Exclusions apply to products supplied on the BIG W website by third party sellers. Please note that our carriers’ delivery policies or zone restrictions may also apply to selected areas.
We reserve the right to cancel or modify this FREE HOME DELIVERY offer at any time. Footcare Suede Heel Grips 2 Pack - Tan Footcare High Visibility Laces - Citron Footcare Fashion Shoe Laces 3 Pack - Multi Footcare Dry Comfort Insoles - Mint Footcare Lavender Insoles - Lavender Footcare Shoe Horn - Jade Footcare Gel Heel Shields 2 Pack - Clear Footcare Ultra Ball of Foot Cushions 2 Pack - Clear Footcare Hiking Boot Laces - Yellow/Brown Footcare Black School Laces - Black Footcare Gel Ball of Foot Cushions 2 Pack - Clear Footcare Ultra Sport Insoles - Blue Footcare Orthotics - Black Footcare Gel Heel, Spots & Strips - Clear Footcare Pure Lambswool Insoles - Natural Footcare Ultra Slim Gel Sparkle Cushions 2 Pack - Clear Footcare Slim Gel Comfort Insoles - Black Spot Footcare Work Insoles - BlackExtra Tough Insoles - Black Footcare Maxi Gel Inserts 2 Pack - Clear Footcare Ultra Gel Insoles - Purple
Mambo Ritz Thongs - Black Michelle Bridges Women's MB Active Lightweight Neptune Training Sneakers Collection WEEKEND by John Lewis John Lewis Designed for Comfort John Lewis Made in England KG by Kurt Geiger Kin by John Lewis Somerset by Alice Temperley £15 - £30 (6) £30 - £50 (39) £50 - £100 (166) £100 - £150 (24) £150 - £200 (3) Show in stock items only Get into your stride this autumn with women’s shoes for any occasion. Whether you're looking for new ankle boots, walking shoes for weekend hikes or high heels for a prom or special event, we have the perfect pairSaturday 30 April 2016 08:41 AEST A sensational cast of Australian and international performers has been announced to star in the premiere season of multi award-winning musical Kinky Boots at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne from 12 October 2016. Callum Francis and Toby Francis will portray principal characters Lola and Charlie – the fabulous drag performer and the young man he inspires to revamp the family shoe business.
Joining them are a mix of accomplished musical theatre performers and exciting fresh faces, including Sophie Wright (Lauren), Damien Bermingham (Don), Teagan Wouters (Nicola) and Nathan Carter (George), along with Blake Appelqvist, comedy veteran Glenn Butcher, Hilary Cole, Jessica Condon, Denise Devlin, Euan Doidge, Daniel Downing, Bronte Florian, Linden Furnell, Ryan Gonzalez, Samm Hagen, Anthony Harkin, Joe Kosky, Jenni Little, Liam Peel, Emma Powell, Matthew Predny, Eric Rasmussen, Mark Stefanoff and Mitchell Woodcock. Winner of every major international award for Best Musical, Kinky Boots features music and lyrics by pop icon Cyndi Lauper, a book by four-time Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein, and direction and choreography by two-time Tony Award-winner Jerry Mitchell. Of the Australian cast, Jerry Mitchell said: “Since Kinky Boots began on Broadway we’ve opened productions in London, Toronto, Seoul and on tour across the US and this is without doubt one of the strongest casts we’ve ever put together.
Aussie audiences will be blown away — as we were in the audition room!” Kinky Boots centres on a down-at-heel English shoe factory run by Charlie Price that is given fabulous new life after a chance encounter with Lola, an entertainer in need of some sturdy stilettos. Sydney-based singer, writer and musical theatre performer Toby Francis will play Charlie. A member of the internationally renowned Australian music ensemble The Ten Tenors, Toby was recently seen in Dogfight at Sydney’s Hayes Theatre Co. Rising British star Callum Francis will join the Australian production directly from London, where he is currently wowing audiences as the understudy Lola on the West End stage. Having performed in UK productions of The Lion King, Ghost and Miss Saigon, Kinky Boots will mark his Australian debut. Composer and lyricist, Cyndi Lauper, said: “Just wait until you see Callum and Toby do their thing, they are both so talented! I’m thrilled to have them join our big, fabulous Kinky Boots family.”