Everything metal, everything black, everything sharp.
At the 52nd American Music Awards in Las Vegas, Bebe Rexha stepped onto the red carpet not merely dressed, but armored — every element of her look a deliberate act of aesthetic intention. At the center of it all were a pair of vintage 2015 Vicini sandals, their crystal scorpions a quiet but precise punctuation mark on an outfit built entirely from metal, leather, and edge. In choosing a resale-market piece over something new, Rexha joined a growing conversation about how history and authenticity are becoming as valuable on the red carpet as novelty itself.
- Rexha arrived at the MGM Grand Garden Arena with a fully realized vision — black, metal, and sharp from head to toe, leaving nothing to chance.
- The crystal scorpion sandals, sourced from the secondary market, threatened to steal the entire look, their rhinestone bodies and silver ankle chains cutting through the noise of the red carpet.
- Every layer of the outfit — corseted top, multi-belted leather skirt, skull-plate hardware, hanging chains — competed for attention while somehow remaining in lockstep with one another.
- The vintage Vicini heels, often misattributed to Giuseppe Zanotti, landed as the defining choice of the night: discontinued, deliberate, and impossible to replicate.
- The look signals a broader shift already underway — resale-market designer footwear is no longer a compromise but a statement of intent at the highest levels of red carpet dressing.
Bebe Rexha arrived at the 52nd American Music Awards with a singular aesthetic command: everything black, everything metal, everything sharp. Walking the red carpet at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, she built her look around hardware — corsets, stacked belts, oversized buckles, silver chains, and ornate metalwork layered through every piece. But the most precise element was underfoot: a pair of 2015 Vicini sandals in black satin, each one crowned with a rhinestone scorpion stretching across the top of the foot, its crystal tail curving toward the toe, a silver chain circling the ankle behind it.
The rest of the outfit held the same energy with relentless consistency. A plunging black corseted top with silver front closures gave way to a black leather skirt carrying most of the visual weight — multiple belts, large buckles, fringe, pleated panels, and a long trailing piece at the back. An ornate silver plate at the waist, skull-like at its center with curved horn scrollwork, added another flash of metal. The cumulative effect was something close to armor.
The sandals themselves were a considered choice rather than a convenient one. Frequently misattributed to Giuseppe Zanotti on the resale market — owing to Vicini's role in Zanotti's footwear business at the time — the vintage pieces were sourced from the secondary market, a decision that carries its own meaning in contemporary red carpet culture. Discontinued designer footwear, chosen for its specificity and history, has become a legitimate styling tool for major events. In this case, the scorpion sandals were exactly the right punctuation: intentional, memorable, and perfectly calibrated to an aesthetic built on controlled aggression and metallic shine.
Bebe Rexha arrived at the 52nd American Music Awards on Monday night in Las Vegas with a singular vision: everything metal, everything black, everything sharp. The singer walked the red carpet at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in an outfit built entirely around hardware—corsets and stacked belts, oversized buckles catching the light, silver chains and ornate metalwork threaded through every layer. But it was her feet that completed the statement most precisely: a pair of 2015 Vicini sandals, black satin open-toe, with a crystal scorpion stretched across the top of each foot.
The sandals themselves were architectural. A narrow toe strap held the foot in place, paired with a slim instep strap, while a rhinestone scorpion dominated the upper surface—its crystal body centered, legs and pincers extending outward, the curved tail dropping toward the toe. A silver chain circled the back of the ankle and hooked at the side, leaving a short extender behind the heel. Over black fishnet tights, the effect was unmistakable: the scorpion echoed the metalwork above it, tying the entire look into a cohesive, edgy statement.
The rest of the outfit reinforced that theme with relentless precision. Rexha wore a plunging black corseted top with wide straps and small silver front closures—the kind of piece that signals control and edge in equal measure. Below that sat a black leather skirt that carried most of the look's visual weight: multiple belts, large buckles, hanging straps, fringe, pleated panels, and a long trailing piece at the back. At the waist, an ornate silver plate with a skull-like center and curved, horn-like scrollwork added another flash of metal. Stacked belts, silver buckles, and hanging chains ran through the skirt, creating a layered, almost armor-like effect.
The Vicini sandals, often attributed to Giuseppe Zanotti on the resale market due to Vicini's role in Zanotti's footwear business at the time, represented a specific choice: not a new piece, but a vintage one, sourced from the secondary market. That decision itself carries weight in contemporary red carpet dressing. Designer footwear from the resale world has become a legitimate styling tool for major events, a way to access specific, often discontinued pieces that carry their own history and authenticity. In this case, the scorpion sandals were the perfect punctuation mark—specific enough to feel intentional, distinctive enough to be remembered, and cohesive enough to tie together an entire aesthetic built on controlled aggression and metallic shine.
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why the scorpion, specifically? It's not a random choice.
The scorpion is armor and threat at once. It's a creature that protects itself with weaponry. In the context of all that hardware—the belts, the chains, the buckles—it becomes a visual metaphor for the whole look. She's not just wearing metal; she's wearing something that stings.
And the fact that these are vintage Vicini sandals from 2015, not something new—does that matter?
It matters because it shows intention. You don't stumble onto a pair of crystal scorpion sandals from eleven years ago. You hunt for them. It's the difference between wearing fashion and curating a statement. The resale market gives you access to pieces that feel singular, pieces with a history.
The fishnet tights underneath—that's a detail that could feel costume-y, but it doesn't.
Because everything else is so controlled and architectural. The corset, the structured skirt, the precise belts. The fishnet is the only soft thing, and it's still dark, still part of the armor. It prevents the look from feeling too polished, too safe.
What does this red carpet moment say about how people are dressing now?
That specificity is currency. Generic glamour doesn't register anymore. You need a point of view, a detail that makes people stop and actually look. The scorpion sandals are that detail. They're the reason this outfit gets remembered.