Nicky Hilton was one of many guests celebrating the 80th anniversary of Footwear News on Monday at the Times Square Edition’s Paradise Club in New York City.

The fashion designer, who won the Icon Award alongside her sister Paris and mother Kathy at the 2021 Achievement Awards, was on hand to offer a toast to the magazine for continuously spotlighting the convergence of shoes and pop culture. She also offered pre-recorded remarks on the topic in a highlight reel shown as part of the celebratory milestone event.

Hilton wore a light blue Oscar de la Renta minidress with floral appliqués for the occasion, pairing the dress with Manolo Blahnik’s Hangisi pumps in light blue satin — a darker blue version is famously featured in the “Sex and the City” movie when Big proposes to Carrie.

“I feel like the shoes always tie in the looks,” Hilton said in the Shoes and Pop Culture video, which screened toward the end of the evening’s ceremony following clips on sneakers, technology and innovation and more topics FN has covered through the years. “The shoes are as, if not more important than, the bag and the jewelry. The shoes are usually the star of the show.”

“I was obsessed with going into my mom’s closet and organizing everything. I loved going through her jewelry and shoes, and I would sit there and watch her get ready at night,” she continued. “I love the glamour girls who really have fun with fashion, they set the trends, they don’t follow the trends. J. Lo is so fabulous and extra. Gwen Stefani, Rihanna, Sarah Jessica Parker for sure.”

Hilton continued to reflect upon her family’s relationship to fashion.

“My mom used to dress Paris and I like twins all the time, and people thought we were twins,” she shared. “And we were just super ’80s dynasty style with the big puffy sleeves, everything matching, gloves, bows. And now she sees my girls in like, leggings, and she’s like, ‘I just can’t believe that you don’t dress your girls up like I dressed you guys up. I was like, ‘Mom, it was a different time, different time.’”

Hilton has shown her love of shoes through a collaboration with the brand French Sole, working on several collections showcasing the enduring ballet flat style and more silhouettes. Her partnership with the brand has also included an emphasis on sustainability.

Following the video highlighting Footwear News’ coverage of style stars like Rihanna and Sarah Jessica Parker, Hilton stood to offer a toast to the room, where fellow guests included Kenneth Cole, Giuseppe Zanotti, Ronnie Fieg and more towering figures from the footwear industry.

“If you grew up in the Hilton family, you knew early on shoes could change the energy of a room,” Hilton said. “They weren’t just accessories, they were statements. And over the years, no one has captured that intersection of style and stardom better than Footwear News. FN has chronicled the way shoes became pop culture and how families like ours found identity, confidence, and sometimes even controversy, in what we wore on our feet. So cheers to FN for making shoes more than fashion, for making them iconic.”

Discover more photographs from FN80 below.