Nicole Ari Parker’s Louboutins Have a Secret Tie to the Ballet World

Nicole Ari Parker attended the American Ballet Theatre Fall Gala in New York City on Wednesday, and her sartorial choices were on-theme for the occasion, particularly her Christian Louboutin pumps. She was one of many guests at the event celebrating Misty Copeland and featuring her retirement show.

To go with a shiny peach satin dress, Parker wore Christian Louboutin’s Cassia Nodo pump in black crepe satin, part of the Cassia line, which takes inspiration from ballet shoes with a bow-adorned boxy ruched toe resembling a pointe shoe. Compared to the popular Cassia Lace Up option, the Cassia Nodo is more of a classic pump style, covering the sides of the foot and enclosing the heel. Although ballet shoes are known to be flat, the set is elevated by a 100mm stiletto heel. There’s an even bolder iteration of the Cassia Nodo featuring a hefty platform and soaring heel, which Jenna Ortega wore over the summer.

Also ballet-inspired, the bestselling Cassia Lace Up cuts away at the sides and features a slingback strap and satin ribbons wrapping around the ankle — Olivia Rodrigo and more stars have approved of the style. The trendy shoe was released in many skin-tone shades as part of a Nudes capsule collection released over the summer. There’s also a platform version, the Cassia Lace Up Alta, which was showcased by Cynthia Erivo at the 2025 Grammys.

In Cardi B’s opinion, the shoe stands out in a market she believes is lacking in impressive footwear options lately.

“To all you fashion houses out here, I’m going to give y’all a little warning. I’m going to tell you a little something. I feel like last year or like this summer there is not a shoe that is gagging. There’s not a shoe that is that trend that everybody wants,” the rapper said in a video posted to social media, “except for them Christian Louboutin big ballerina shoes, the big heel ones. Those were something.”