Nope, there’s nothing wrong with your screen and you haven’t accidentally time-warped to the 2010s. That’s just Dakota Johnson wearing Valentino Rockstud heels in the year 2026. So yeah, you could say we are so back, baby. But if Rockstuds are making a comeback, we should all probably start preparing our feet now, because these can be some punishing footwear—especially if you plan to wear them everywhere, as everyone did back when the style debuted.
Johnson was photographed wearing the iconic shoe at the Valentino Haute Couture show for Paris Fashion Week. Which she styled with some truly unexpected layering that somehow managed to look extremely chic. She wore sheer nude stockings with a floral pattern, lacy black hot pants, an animal-print blouse with a pussy bow, and a drapey metallic gold and brown jacket with shoulder pads and faux-fur cuffs. A lime green clutch and skinny cat-eye sunglasses completed oddly cohesive look.
The original Rockstud shoe debuted on Valentino’s 2010 fall runway, beginning with the familiar T-strap version. They were then adapted for a slew of shoe styles, from flats to pumps to sandals. Now, per WWD, Valentino’s current creative director, Alessandro Michele, has revived the Rockstud design for the pre-fall 2026 collection. And this is the version Johnson wears.
Unlike the red Rockstud heels worn by Meryl Streep in the teaser for The Devil Wears Prada 2, which were vintage, per The Guardian. These Valentino Rockstuds seemed an oddly backward-looking choice when the teaser trailer first dropped, but we should know better than to question the tastes of Miranda Priestley, who was apparently one step ahead of everyone.
If Dakota Johnson, who is normally a comfort-first kind of dresser, is wearing Valentino Rockstud heels in 2026, then it’s only a matter of time before we’re all back on that old bandwagon.
