With apologies to Wimbledon, the FIFA World Cup just became the most fashionable sporting event going, thanks to Doja Cat.
Yesterday, Chelsea bested Paris Saint-Germain in the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. During the triumphant 3-0 game, Doja took the field for a halftime performance in an outfit that blended sports and sparkle: The singer’s longtime stylist, Brett Alan Nelson, teamed up with Adidas to fashion Doja a striped, jersey-inspired minidress embellished with Swarovski crystals.
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But it was Doja Cat’s footwear that really caught our attention. Adidas created a custom pair of white pointy-toe Samba slingbacks for the star, complete with an ankle strap, kitten heel, and red stripes. After so many years of Samba dominance, we seem to be in an era without a defining sneaker. Two distinct camps are emerging instead: while some people are partial to a slimmer silhouette, others prefer a chunky tennis shoes.
In the absence of a ubiquitous shoe, subversive sneakers are proving a popular alternative. The sneakerina (a ballet flat–sneaker hybrid) has found celebrity fans in Chloë Sevigny, Amelia Gray, and Dua Lipa—not to mention fanfare on the runway. But perhaps, with this hybrid sneaker-heel, Doja Cat and Adidas have cracked the code to refreshing the almighty Samba.
