Valentino is doubling down on its controversial Rockstud

Last month, we saw the first trailer for the highly anticipated The Devil Wears Prada 2, but what should’ve been a moment of collective excitement quickly turned into a moment of collective rage. “I’m no fashion expert, but even I know Miranda Priestly wearing Valentino Rockstud shoes in 2025 is a diabolical move and not in a good way,” wrote creator @newswithlils.

The focus of the trailer quickly became the (seemingly) outdated shoe selection, identifying Miranda as a character out of touch and stuck in the mid-2010s. However, what we seem to have overlooked is that The Devil Wears Prada 2 comes out in 2026, not 2025. Its story takes place 20 years after the original film (released in 2006), so the fashion that we’re seeing on screen is a prediction of what might be trending next May. 

Today, Valentino creative director Alessandro Michele gave us reason to believe that Miranda Priestly might still have her finger on the pulse after all. After taking the helm at the Italian house last year, the designer is officially bringing back the Rockstud, as revealed with the brand’s pre-fall 2026 collection. “I didn’t want to do this the day after I arrived here, because I found it weird and I didn’t know this territory so well,” Michele told WWD. “My idea of what’s Valentino, what I do and what I can also keep from what’s been done by my predecessors.”

When former co-creative directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli first introduced the Rockstud for AW10, the shoes quickly sold out, and the company doubled its revenue. Now reinterpreted by Michele, it seems the controversial heels are back with a vengeance – and Miranda Priestly might be about to prove everyone wrong. Props to the film’s costume designer, Molly Rogers, if so. 

Elsewhere in fashion this week, we met Bhavitha Mandava, the history-making, hobbymaxxing Chanel model, as well as Michael Schmidt, the designer making clothes with wool from gay sheep. Plus, we brought you the 2025 trend report, featuring hot pants, pubes and protest t-shirts. Here’s everything else you need to catch up on…