Brooks Nader’s Balenciaga pantaboots landed firmly in the “2026 is the new 2016” conversation on Tuesday night, when she arrived at Paris Hilton’s “Infinite Icon: A Visual Memoir” premiere at The Grove in Los Angeles in a head-to-toe black base topped with a plush gray jacket.
The “Love Thy Nader” star wore Balenciaga’s Knife stretch stiletto pantaboots in black, a hybrid shoe-and-legging design that merges second-skin jersey with pointed-toe pumps set on slim heels. The integrated silhouette formed a continuous line from waistband to toe, with the long, tapered fronts and narrow heels visible against the magenta carpet.
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She paired the pantaboots with a cropped gray faux-fur jacket layered over a simple black top. The combination set the leggings-and-heel unit as the look’s main structure, while small hoop earrings, a solitaire ring and black rectangular sunglasses completed the look.
Balenciaga introduced its spandex “boot pants” during Demna’s spring 2017 collection, part of a broader 2016-17 wave of sock-like boots from labels including Vetements and Balenciaga that replaced traditional leather shafts with stretch uppers. The style moved quickly into pop culture, from Cardi B rapping about “those Balenciagas, the ones that look like socks” on “I Like It” to Kim Kardashian adopting pantaboots across multiple Balenciaga appearances.
The timing tracks with the current “2026 is the new 2016” throwback wave moving across social feeds, which has pushed mid-2010s aesthetics back into everyday conversation — from filters to styling cues. In footwear terms, 2016 also marked Balenciaga’s broader sock-adjacent breakthrough, with the Speed Trainer debuting in November 2016 and helping cement the stretch, second-skin look as a luxury category.
The look also extends Nader’s recent run of pointed, leg-lengthening shoes, including Saint Laurent’s Casanova slingbacks with sheer hosiery at Z100’s Jingle Ball in December and the brand’s Apolline slingbacks at Elle’s Women in Hollywood celebration in November 2025, both built around tapered toes and slim, exposed structure.
Hilton’s premiere gathered Sofia Vergara, Demi Lovato and other guests to launch the documentary that traces Hilton’s path from childhood through her 2000s club era and current work as a DJ, author and entrepreneur.