Katie Holmes was honored at the American Ballet Theatre’s 2026 Spring Gala on May 20 at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York, wearing $915 Herbert Levine “Kiss and Tell” thong sandals and a white two-piece look from Ashlyn. The actress, cited by ABT as “a longtime friend of the company,” accepted her tribute alongside honorary chair Caroline Kennedy in front of a guest list spanning fashion, film and design.
Holmes Honored at American Ballet Theatre’s 2026 Spring Gala
The May 20 evening at Cipriani 42nd Street drew a cross-industry crowd. Iris Apatow, Constance Wu, Zac Posen, Fernando Garcia, Katie Couric, Jeremiah Brent, Nate Berkus, Michael and Victoria Imperioli, Ivy Getty and Anaïs Mitchell were among the guests. Holmes attended with her mother, Kathleen A. Stothers-Holmes.
The program included a preview of a newly staged Don Quixote by ABT Artistic Director Susan Jaffe. Holmes received a Lladró dancer figurine as part of her tribute. ABT cited her as “a longtime friend of the company” in announcing the honor.
The ABT Spring Gala joins a string of high-profile New York fashion moments this spring, following Fendi’s recent New York celebrity event and the ACM Awards 2026 red carpet earlier in the season.
Herbert Levine ‘Kiss and Tell’ Sandals: $915, From a Revived Heritage Brand
Holmes’s shoes were the Herbert Levine “Kiss and Tell” 100mm suede thong sandal in soft beige. The design features a thin thong strap with a gold-toned strass mini-buckle, a 100mm coned stiletto heel, a round toe and a slip-on backless construction. The style retails for $915 and is also offered in black satin, pink suede, mint green suede and bright orange suede. Each pair is crafted in Italy in the Marche shoemaking region.
Herbert Levine was founded in New York in 1948 by Herbert and Beth Levine and closed in 1975. The label is the second most-collected shoe brand in The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute archive after Roger Vivier and remains the only footwear label to win the Coty American Fashion Critics’ Award twice, in 1965 and 1967.
Investment firm Luvanis, led by Arnaud de Lummen, relaunched Herbert Levine in 2025 and named Trevor Houston creative director. Houston has described the new direction as “refined and elegant, but with an edge.” Full Herbert Levine’s brand history is available via the relaunched brand site. The revival lands amid heightened heritage luxury footwear activity, including the Balenciaga x Manolo Blahnik crystal-embellished heels.
The Full Look: Ashlyn Spring 2026 and Arielle Ratner Jewels
Holmes wore a white two-piece from Ashlyn — the line founded by designer Ashlynn Park — pulled from the brand’s spring 2026 collection. The outfit consisted of a textured spaghetti-strap peplum top and a matching white maxiskirt.
Jewelry came from Arielle Ratner: diamond Gatsby earrings and a Gatsby collier together valued at roughly $80,000. Holmes added a silver necklace, a black clutch and the beige Herbert Levine sandals. Stylist Brie Welch built the look.
The all-white styling and the choice of a $915 archival heritage shoe over a marquee luxury brand made the look one of the night’s defining fashion images — echoing the New York fashion-meets-celebrity tone seen recently around Taylor Swift’s Aquazzura mules.
Thong Sandals Lead Summer 2026’s Footwear Moment
The Herbert Levine pick lands as the heeled thong sandal becomes summer 2026’s defining footwear silhouette. The style appeared across spring/summer 2026 runways at Chanel, Miu Miu, Calvin Klein, Celine, Fforme, Bottega Veneta and Sacai. Marie Claire, Who What Wear and WWD have each cited the heeled thong as the season’s lead trend.
Celebrity adoption is widespread. Riley Keough wore Alaïa heeled thong sandals at Cannes 2026 — a parallel moment to Bella Hadid’s Jimmy Choo moment at Cannes. Gwyneth Paltrow wore Proenza Schouler thong sandals at the AFI Awards. Hailey Bieber has worn the silhouette repeatedly off-duty throughout 2025 and early 2026.
The 2026 iteration is sleeker than the chunky early-2000s version: a narrow low heel, a Y-shaped thong strap and minimal hardware. The shape sits alongside the broader open-toe wave shaping the season, including the wedge sandal trend of 2026, the Havaianas x Isabel Marant flip-flop collaboration, and Selena Gomez’s satin heels fueling the pump trend — together signaling a fully open-foot, minimalist summer.
