At the 2019 Met Gala at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2019, Nicki Minaj interpreted the evening’s “Camp: Notes on Fashion” theme in a custom blush-pink Atelier Prabal Gurung mini dress with crystal embellishments and a dramatically extended train.
The abbreviated hemline also put the focus on her custom Brother Vellies heels: pale-pink platform sandals with slender straps that wrapped around her legs to the thighs. Against the volume of the Prabal Gurung train, the barely-there straps created a striking contrast while carrying the monochromatic pink palette all the way to her feet.
Nicki Minaj pairs her crystal-embellished Atelier Prabal Gurung mini dress and sweeping pink train with custom Brother Vellies platform sandals at the 2019 Met Gala in New York City on May 6, 2019 (Credit: Andres Otero / WENN)
Nicki Minaj’s Custom Brother Vellies Platform Sandals
Her custom Brother Vellies sandals featured towering platform soles, slim stiletto heels, and delicate pink straps that crossed over the feet before winding repeatedly around her calves and thighs. The leg-baring front of the dress ensured the shoes remained visible even as the oversized train filled the carpet behind her.
At 5 feet 2 inches (157.5 cm), with a reported US shoe size 6, Minaj has frequently used towering heels and platforms to change the proportions of her red-carpet looks. The Brother Vellies pair did exactly that here, adding substantial height while visually extending the line of her legs.
Nicki Minaj’s custom Atelier Prabal Gurung look features a structured blush-pink bodice decorated with cascading crystal embellishments, complemented by her extra-long pink ponytail
How Prabal Gurung Interpreted the Met Gala’s Camp Theme
The exaggerated proportions suited an evening devoted to theatricality and excess. Gurung’s design combined the compact proportions of a structured, crystal-covered mini dress with an enormous blush train, bringing historical grandeur into a much more contemporary silhouette.
The custom Brother Vellies sandals continued that idea below the hem. Instead of disappearing beneath the dress, their delicate straps climbed nearly the full length of Minaj’s legs, making the footwear part of the overall silhouette.
Platforms were particularly effective with a look built around such dramatic proportions. Unlike a conventional high heel, a platform heel raises both the forefoot and the heel, allowing designers to create substantial overall height without putting the entire rise into the heel-to-toe drop.
A Closer Look at Nicki Minaj’s Wraparound Heels
A closer look at Nicki Minaj’s custom Brother Vellies platform sandals, featuring slim pink straps that crisscross over the feet and wind upward around her legs
The combination of an open toe, substantial platform, high stiletto heel, and exposed straps fits a recurring pattern in Minaj’s footwear wardrobe. She has also worn Charlotte Olympia’s strappy “Tangled” platform sandals, a rope-detailed style with a 1 1/4-inch platform and approximately 5 1/2-inch heels.
Platform Heels Were a Natural Fit for the 2019 Met Gala
Minaj wasn’t the only guest who used exaggerated footwear to play with the evening’s proportions. At the same Met Gala, Miley Cyrus wore towering Saint Laurent Paige platform sandals with her angular Saint Laurent mini dress. The two looks approached the theme differently, but both made unusually high platforms a visible part of the outfit rather than hiding the shoes beneath a floor-length gown.
Nicki Minaj Explains Her Prabal Gurung Met Gala Look
On the pink carpet, Minaj told Vogue’s Liza Koshy that the Met Gala marked her first time working with Prabal Gurung for an event. She praised the designer for letting her bring her own direction to the look and said she was especially pleased with how he made the dress feel sexy while still fitting the night’s theme.
For Minaj, the connection to camp was straightforward: “Camp is all about being extravagant and big”—an idea reflected in the crystal-covered mini dress, enormous train, and thigh-wrapping Brother Vellies platform sandals.
Why Head-to-Toe Pink Keeps Returning to Celebrity Fashion
Minaj’s blush dress and matching Brother Vellies heels show why head-to-toe pink has such staying power on the red carpet. Carrying one color from the clothes through the shoes creates an immediate visual statement, while differences in texture, silhouette, and shade keep a monochromatic outfit from looking flat. The idea has resurfaced in different forms over the years—from Valentino’s saturated Pink PP runway vision to Barbie-inspired dressing and softer tonal looks built around satin, crystals, feathers, and platform heels.
💗 More Head-to-Toe Pink Shoe Moments:
- 🌸 Zendaya matches her Ralph & Russo couture gown with pink Casadei Blade pumps — Satin pointed-toe heels extend the vivid pink palette all the way to her feet.
- 👠 Blac Chyna pairs a feathered Attico mini with matching Venus satin pumps — The contrast between soft feathers and sleek satin shows how texture can give a single-color outfit more dimension.
- 🎀 Zendaya takes Valentino Pink PP from tailoring to towering platform pumps — The saturated pink suit and matching platforms capture Pierpaolo Piccioli’s influential monochromatic vision.
- 💖 Nicola Peltz Beckham brings Valentino Pink PP to the Met Gala — Her flowing couture gown and matching sky-high platforms turn a single vivid shade into a dramatic head-to-toe silhouette.
- ✨ Margot Robbie carries Barbie pink from Versace tailoring to crystal-covered slingback pumps — Matching shoes, bag, and beauty details connect monochromatic dressing with one of fashion’s biggest pop-culture moments.
- 🌷 Kesha layers blush satin with pink Flor de Maria platform pumps — A Retrofête slip dress, flowing duster, fur stole, feathered headpiece, and towering satin heels take tonal pink in a more theatrical direction.