Hilary Swank Takes Menswear-inspired Footwear Into Metallic Territory With Gold Oxfords at the Connecticut Children’s Gala

Metallic menswear took the lead in Hilary Swank’s look at the Connecticut Children’s Gala on Saturday, where she traded standard evening heels for a pair of mirrored gold oxford shoes — the most traditional dress-shoe silhouette to surface in the menswear-inspired shoe trend cycle dominating celebrity women’s wardrobes this fall.

The shoes follow a straight oxford build: five eyelets, black laces, a rounded toe and a low stacked heel with the brown outsole still visible at the edge. No brogueing, no cap toe, nothing decorative — just a mirrored gold upper that turns a standard dress shoe into the focal point. The silhouette stays flat and traditional, especially compared to the lace-up pumps and lug-sole loafers that have been circulating this fall.

Swank wore the metallic dress shoes with a burgundy puff-sleeve maxi dress cut with a V-neck and a structured waist. The unadorned fabric featured a matte finish, which left the shoes as the only high-shine part of the look.

Her choice lands further along the menswear spectrum than the loafers and lace-up pumps that have been driving the trend across celebrity shoe wardrobes this season. In late October, Amanda Seyfried wore Miu Miu’s brushed-leather penny loafers with a gold coin detail and gray ribbed socks at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, leaning into a school-uniform take on the look. Earlier in the month, Julia Roberts opted for patent lace-up pumps at the BFI London Film Festival — a pointed mule-heel hybrid with a three-eyelet front and stiletto base. Katie Holmes has circled the category too, appearing in tortoiseshell patent loafers from Franco Sarto during a New York outing, complete with a lug sole and metal bit detail.

Those shoes — loafers with hardware, lace-ups on heels, platform variations — all keep one foot in traditional womenswear silhouettes. Swank’s version drops the hybrid approach and goes straight to the source, using a textbook oxford shape and swapping only the color, not the form.

The Connecticut Children’s Gala took place Nov. 8 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, bringing together donors, hospital partners and special guests for a fundraising program supporting pediatric care across the state.