Standing 5 feet ½ inch (153.7 cm) tall and wearing a US shoe size 6, Eva Longoria often gravitates toward streamlined heels that elongate her frame on the red carpet.
At the 31st Annual Producers Guild Awards at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on January 18, 2020, she paired a shimmering gold Teresa Helbig gown from the designer’s Fall 2018 collection with metallic Saint Laurent sandals that complemented the look’s warm, gilded palette.
Eva Longoria’s shimmering Teresa Helbig gown combined a plunging neckline, tiered skirt, and statement double-buckled belt for a dramatic Producers Guild Awards appearance at the Hollywood Palladium on January 18, 2020 (Credit: Nicky Nelson / WENN)
The floor-length gown came from Teresa Helbig’s Fall 2018 “Wunderkammer” collection, named after the historic “cabinets of curiosities” that inspired its mix of ornate textures and unexpected details.
Crafted from yellow-gold plumetis tulle with velvet accents, the design balanced delicacy and structure through its sheer sleeves, jewel embellishments, tiered skirt, and plunging neckline.
Longoria’s appearance also reflected Teresa Helbig’s growing influence on international red carpets during the period. The Barcelona-based designer became known for offering an alternative to the more frequently seen luxury houses in Paris and Milan, attracting celebrities seeking distinctive couture pieces with a stronger sense of individuality and craftsmanship.
Metallic Saint Laurent Amber sandals peeked out beneath the gold gown, their minimalist design balancing the dress’s intricate embellishments (Credit: Nicky Nelson / WENN)
Rather than introducing additional visual elements, Longoria kept the styling restrained. Diamond jewelry from Peter Marco and Jadelle Beverly Hills echoed the gown’s shimmer, while soft waves and smoky eye makeup maintained the look’s glamorous but cohesive feel.
The styling worked because it allowed the dress’s contrasting elements to remain the focal point. The structured double-buckled belt and layered skirt created architectural definition, while the airy plumetis sleeves and sheer details prevented the heavily embellished design from feeling overly rigid.
Soft waves, smoky eye makeup, and diamond earrings complemented the warm metallic palette of Longoria’s red-carpet look (Credit: Nicky Nelson / WENN)
The metalized leather Saint Laurent Amber sandal featured slim straps, a subtly squared open toe, and a slender stiletto heel.
Its minimalist construction provided a deliberate counterpoint to the gown’s abundance of textures, embellishments, and layered detailing.
The choice reflects a styling principle frequently seen on the red carpet: when a gown already incorporates multiple focal points, a barely-there sandal can provide height and polish without introducing additional visual weight. A more elaborate platform or heavily embellished shoe would likely have competed with the dress’s intricate construction rather than supporting it.
The Saint Laurent Amber sandal featured a slender stiletto heel, squared open toe, and reflective metallic finish that echoed the gown’s shimmering gold tones (Credit: Nicky Nelson / WENN)
While the yellow-gold plumetis tulle of Helbig’s ‘Wunderkammer’ gown was a stunning choice for the cameras, the tiered ruffles and wide double-buckle belt proved polarizing for petite style icons. On a shorter frame, heavy tiers risk overwhelming the silhouette. Longoria countered this masterfully by keeping her footwear entirely minimalist, relying on the clean lines of Saint Laurent’s Amber sandals to elongate her legs where the heavy ruffles threatened to shorten them.
Although the Amber is no longer part of Saint Laurent’s current core sandal lineup, the style remains a recognizable example of the minimalist “barely-there” evening sandal trend that dominated red carpets during the late 2010s and early 2020s.
More Saint Laurent Sandal Moments Worth Revisiting
Eva Longoria’s metallic Amber sandals show why barely-there Saint Laurent heels became such a reliable red-carpet choice: they add height, polish, and a sharp finish without overwhelming the dress.
For more examples of how celebrities have styled Amber sandals and similar minimalist Saint Laurent heels, explore these related Your Next Shoes features:
👠 Explore Saint Laurent Amber Sandals & Barely-There Heel Moments:
- ✨ Olivia Rodrigo paired a plunging Saint Laurent gown with sleek Amber ankle-strap sandals, showing how the minimalist heel can sharpen an all-black red-carpet look.
- 🎬 Emma Stone styled patent Saint Laurent Amber sandals with a relaxed Sies Marjan two-piece, using the clean stiletto silhouette to bring polish to a softer outfit.
- 🍷 Ellie Goulding wore burgundy velvet Saint Laurent Amber sandals in London, proving the barely-there shape works beyond classic black and metallic finishes.
- 💜 Heidi Klum elongated her frame in black velvet Saint Laurent Amber sandals with a purple sequined Redemption mini dress at the Project Runway finale.
- 🖤 Margot Robbie gave the Amber sandal a gothic-glam spin, pairing black velvet Saint Laurent heels with a darker red-carpet palette.
- 👡 Dakota Johnson’s Saint Laurent Jane sandals offer a useful comparison point, tracing the same barely-there, ankle-strap language that later carried through styles like Amber and Babylone.
For more examples of how celebrities and designers use gold, silver, and mirror-finish footwear on and off the red carpet, explore our guide to styling metallic shoes, featuring some of fashion’s most memorable metallic heel moments.