At Cannes women must wear heels. Forget that. Here are five elegant evening flats worthy of any red carpet

You may have seen recent images of actress Kristen Stewart taking off her sky-high Christian Louboutin heels in the middle of the Cannes red carpet in protest against the film festival’s outdated rule that women must wear heels to the event. Whether you like Stewart as an actress or not, the Chanel muse certainly has personality and strength of character, both in how she dresses and how she speaks about women and their place in the modern world. She unapologetically walked the red carpet barefoot in a gunmetal Chanel mini dress.

Don’t the organisers of Cannes know how fashionable flats have become these days?! Maybe if they read this post, they’ll revoke the ridiculous rule. In any event, here are five fabulous pairs of flats you could wear to any red-carpet event.

Smooth black suede and ribbed metallic leather makes for an elegant evening shoe. These chic slippers are modern in their simplicity, but they hark back to an ancient era when slippers were de rigueur for aristocratic women.

Leather and suede slippers, Aquazzura, €535 at net-a-porter.com

I always think there’s something quite regal about emerald green. Punctuated with pretty pearls, these floral evening flats will add elegance to any outfit.

Flat sandals with floral beaded detail, €39.95 at Zara

If these slippers aren’t glamorous enough for a red carpet, I don’t what is. The graduating shade of metallic blue through to silver is so understatedly chic, while the bow adds a very feminine touch as does the pointed toe design.

Gabie slippers, Jimmy Choo, €595 at farfetch.com

The embellished buckle on these backless mules feels very Scarlet Pimpernel. The stripes keep the shoe looking fresh and contemporary though. Evening flats don’t have to be metallic.

White stripe jewel buckle backless loafers, €47 at River Island

Gold and black is always a glamorous combination for evening wear. I love the twisted rope detailing on these Sandro sliders.

Crossover sandals with gold tone, €195 at Sandro