Queen Letizia of Spain reached for a familiar formula on Tuesday, styling a crisp white pantsuit with black slingback pumps as she and King Felipe VI departed Madrid’s Adolfo Suárez Barajas Airport for an official visit to Egypt.
Queen Letizia of Spain and King Felipe VI of Spain depart for an official visit to Egypt at the Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas Airport on Sept. 16 in Madrid.
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Her heels were Massimo Dutti’s black leather slingbacks, set on a kitten heel. The pointed silhouette sat low on the vamp, anchored by a slim strap at the heel and a short stiletto. She paired the barely there silhouette with white wide-leg trousers and a single-breasted blazer. A black top-handle bag and sunglasses finished the sharp, minimalist look.
A closer look at the kitten heel slingbacks Queen Letizia wore at the Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas Airport.
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The pumps are a rewear, and one of Letizia’s quiet signatures. She leaned on the same Massimo Dutti pair at the “Euros De Tu Nomina” event in Madrid this past June, and before that for a tribute service in April 2024. Black slingbacks, in various forms, have become a through line in her rotation: Sézane Mary Jane slingbacks with block heels for Burela, Carolina Herrera’s pointed slingbacks for the Royal Collections Gallery and repeat Massimo Dutti appearances across engagements.
Massimo Dutti Kitten Heel Slingback Mules, $200
Massimo Dutti
That same silhouette has been circulating for non-royal engagements, too. Reese Witherspoon chose patent slingbacks with a navy skirt suit while promoting “The Morning Show” in New York last week. Last week, Gwyneth Paltrow went for kitten-heeled slingbacks in the Michael Kors front row during New York Fashion Week. Amal Clooney, Michelle Williams and Kim Kardashian have also leaned into the open-back pump in recent months. The pattern is clear: the slingback is in rotation again, across carpets, city streets and, in Letizia’s case, the tarmac.
The four-day visit will open with a reception at Cairo’s Ittihadiya Palace before King Felipe and Queen Letizia join Spain’s foreign minister for a slate of meetings. Talks are expected to build on the countries’ new strategic partnership, with a focus on trade, investment, regional stability in North Africa and humanitarian aid for Gaza.
