Julia Roberts Revisits Power Dressing in Patent Lace-Up Pumps at BFI London Film Festival

Julia Roberts knows how to make tailoring feel easy, especially pared with glossy, menswear-inspired pumps.

At the BFI London Film Festival at the Royal Festival Hall on Saturday night, she arrived for the “After the Hunt” premiere in a crisp black Bottega Veneta suit and a pair of black patent lace-up pumps that pulled the whole look into focus.

Her shoes mixed a pointed oxford shape with the height of a pump and the silhouette of a mule. Made from what appears to be black patent leather, the glossy mule-style pumps featured a three-eyelet lace-up front, narrow tongue and stitched cap toe on a slim, four-inch stiletto.

It’s not the first time this season that Roberts has leaned into the lace-up trend, either. Last month in New York, she paired Jimmy Choo’s corset-laced Scarlett pumps with a shirtdress and tie while promoting the same film. Catherine Zeta-Jones and Lily James have followed similar lines in Thom Browne and Jimmy Choo iterations, turning the structured lace-up into one of fall’s most visible hybrids.

Roberts kept the rest of the look pared back. Her Bottega Veneta jacket featured padded shoulders and a single front button. She paired the jacket with wide-leg trousers and layered De Beers pieces of jewelry — the Snow Dance Necklace in white gold, the Arpeggia Five Line Necklace in yellow gold and Db Classic diamond studs. The dainty necklaces added a trace of shine, a far cry from the brooch- and bauble-heavy looks she wore earlier in the week.

Directed by Luca Guadagnino, “After the Hunt” follows a Yale professor, played by Roberts, whose career begins to unravel after a student’s accusation threatens to expose her past. The film opened Oct. 10 to strong reviews and marks one of Roberts’ most quietly controlled performances to date.