Margot Robbie makes culottes and heels the chic heatwave formula

At RH’s new flagship space on Burlington Gardens in Mayfair, Margot Robbie wore polished culottes with black court shoes. With the Met Office issuing red warnings for extreme heat and the city’s style set drifting toward summer dresses, sandals, and sunglasses, she made the case for a cleaner, more architectural way to get dressed when the temperature climbs.

The new heatwave uniform

Culottes work in hot weather because they give you air without surrendering structure. They have the looseness of shorts, but the longer hem and fuller shape make them feel considered, not casual in the lazy, beachy way that can flatten a summer wardrobe. On Robbie, the silhouette looked polished rather than playful at the Mayfair unveiling.

The appeal is in the tension: the leg line stays uncovered enough to keep the look summer-appropriate, but the shape is tailored enough to hold its own beside a sharp venue and a high-profile guest list.

Why the heels matter as much as the shorts

Black court shoes do most of the quiet work here. They anchor the volume of the culotte, keep the outfit from drifting into resort territory, and draw the eye into one uninterrupted, streamlined column. A flat sandal would have softened the whole mood; the heel gives the look intention, making the hem feel crisp rather than awkward.

This is the styling trick that separates a polished shorts-and-heels outfit from something that looks assembled in a rush. The shoe needs enough coverage and shape to stand up to the fabric’s movement, especially with a wider leg. Robbie’s black court shoes did exactly that, giving the ensemble a tailored finish.

Proportion is the real luxury

The reason this outfit works is not the novelty of wearing shorts with heels. It is proportion. Culottes sit best when the top half stays disciplined, so the silhouette can breathe without swallowing the body. Even when the rest of the outfit is pared back, the balance has to feel deliberate, with enough space through the leg and enough precision elsewhere to keep the shape elegant.

That sense of precision has become a clear thread in Robbie’s London style run. She recently wore a Napoleon-era military jacket for the debut of 1536, the West End transfer set in Tudor England at the Ambassadors Theatre, where it is running from May 2 to August 1, 2026.

A heatwave look that still feels dressed

Robbie has already shown that culottes can read chic in more than one register. During her Wuthering Heights press tour, she wore them at the airport with mesh shoes and a crew-neck tee from Australian brand Beare Park, a look that proved the shape can work with both casual and refined elements. The airport styling was easier, lighter, more off-duty; the RH appearance was sharper, stripped down, and more exacting.

They can move from travel to an event, from a tee to a court shoe.

How to build the formula without the fuss

The easiest mistake with hot-weather dressing is over-correcting for the heat and ending up underdressed. Robbie’s outfit shows a better route: choose one strong tailored piece, keep the footwear intentional, and let proportion do the styling.

A few rules make the look work:

• Choose culottes with enough structure to hold their shape, especially at the waist and hem.

• Keep the top half clean and compact, so the volume in the leg feels purposeful.

• Use a closed-toe heel or court shoe when you want the outfit to read sleek rather than beachy.

• Stay disciplined with color, because a restrained palette makes the silhouette look sharper.

• Treat accessories as punctuation, not a rescue act. In a heatwave, sunglasses and sandals can become a default uniform.

Why this felt so right in June

London was in the middle of a record-breaking heatwave, and the broader June 2026 fashion conversation was crowded with stories about summer shoes, shorts, and throw-on dresses.