Zoe Saldaña leaned into soft-neutral detailing at the China premiere of “Avatar: Fire and Ash” on Monday in Sanya, pairing her lace gown with Saint Laurent’s Chandelle sandals.
Saldaña’s sandals featured the same soft, linear construction seen throughout the rest of her look. The nude satin crepe sandals featured three slim straps across the front that criss-crossed over each other and left the toes open. The back stayed open as well, held only by a thin ankle strap with a small gold buckle. The toe was almond-shaped, and the stiletto lifted in a straight, narrow line.
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Saldaña’s Erdem spring 2026 gown followed the same visual language. The dress featured layered ivory lace with vertical appliqué and soft textural shifts through the boned bodice and lace-paneled skirt. Cartier pieces — including the Love Unlimited, Love, Clash de Cartier and Libre Polymorph Metamorphose rings — added gold and diamond accents consistent with her ambassadorship for the jeweler. The look was styled once again by Petra Flannery, who has been working with Saldaña throughout the film’s promotion.
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The appearance builds on Saldaña’s recent footwear direction. At the “Elio” premiere in June, she chose Saint Laurent’s Miller wedges in glazed leather with a transparent plexiglas heel — a sharper, more angular silhouette than the Chandelle. Two days before the China premiere, she arrived at the film’s Paris event in custom Balmain with Saint Laurent’s La Scandale platforms under a structured velvet column. The shift to the softer Chandelle frame marked a change from the pointed, high-contrast shapes she has worn across the press tour.
Saint Laurent’s evening sandals have remained a consistent presence on carpets this year, ranging from plexiglas wedges to satin creepers and pared-back strap builds like the Chandelle. Their minimal uppers and linear heels have kept them in circulation across premieres where a clean, neutral base is needed to support more detailed gowns.
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” continues the James Cameron-helmed franchise’s focus on Pandora’s expanding clans, following Jake and Neytiri’s family as they encounter the Ash People and renewed conflict. Saldaña is set to appear in the next installments, with the fourth film already in production ahead of a 2029 release.