Tessa Thompson’s celebrity crush

Just announced today – Tessa Thompson will receive the Spotlight Award at the Gotham Film Awards on December 1. Tessa is currently promoting her film Hedda, directed by Nia DaCosta (you can read Sarah’s review here) and is a contender in the Best Actress race, though still considered a long-ish shot. This, then, is definitely a boost for her campaign. 

The film releases tomorrow before streaming on Prime next week. And I hope it gets a similar kind of reaction that followed Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Favourite when it came out a few years ago, starring Olivia Colman (who won the Oscar), Rachel Weisz, and Emma Stone because Hedda also features c-nty women being weird and c-nty with each other. Queer social media was obsessed with it, and they should be the same with Tessa and her castmates. 

During the current press tour for the film, Tessa did the Deadline Take Ten, and was asked about who her guests would be if she hosted a talk show. Her answers below: 

She doesn’t say that Willem Dafoe is her celebrity crush but it’s a natural takeaway given her response. She actually giggles when she says his name. Also did we know that there’s going to be a Creed IV? I only knew because she talks about returning as Bianca. 

Anyway, here’s Tessa in NYC today continuing promotion in a f-cking banger of an outfit, all Tory Burch. A camel cardigan over a patent leather skirt, belted, and worn low on the waist. But the MVP of this look is the shoes. A lot of people would have been tempted to put on a higher heel (Tessa is tiny, like shorter than me) but she opted for chic. 

These elongated loafer low heels are so surprising to me because I don’t typically gravitate to this kind of shape but it totally makes the outfit. The key to these shoes is the elongated toe and of course the heel. Please note, this is not technically a kitten…but I concede that it’s close. So that might be the only way to tolerate the kitten heel in the search for dupes since Tessa’s aren’t available yet. 

That said, the low long-heel loafer has been having a moment. The Row’s Viv pump comes in black, brown, and red and is probably one of the brand’s footwear staples and gives the same energy as the Tory Burch. 

My pick for the closest to Tessa’s pair is the Khaite Celia patent leather pump. This shade of Bordeaux is exquisite.

Tessa was also seen a similar pair of low heels that were not true loafers but the vibe would have also fit this look. Mansur Gavriel’s Kiki point toe pumps are really popular with the fashion girls right now. 

Poche Paris has a loafer low heel option that’s more affordable relative to the previous ones above and brings the same edge. 

A more evergreen pair that would have worked too is the Bally Janelle, pricey but not *as* pricey. 

And I quite like Anthropologie’s version of this trend, the Intentionally Blank Sinna Loafer Heels can be dialed up or down on the attitude. 

Here’s the pair that I think about a lot, though, even before Tessa put on this outfit. Not necessarily a loafer but a loafer sibling: the monk strap, but also with an elongated toe. The Bottega Veneta Ventura Patent Leather Monk Strap is perfect shoe design. The way the heel slants forward from the back in alignment with the slope of the vamp in the front – it looks like a sleek car. This shoe is SO gorgeous, I look at this page every single day. 

Please note, this article contains affiliate links.