Recreating the Valentino Rockstud Slingback: From Fail to Finish
There are some projects you go into thinking, this will be a nice straightforward make… and this was absolutely one of them. Just a heads up, this is not a shoemaking tutorial! I just wanted to show you that once you understand shoemaking, you can get creative with the techniques used and create (almost) any design your heart desires 😍
I’d been wanting to recreate the Valentino Rockstud slingback for a while. It’s such an iconic design, but when you really break it down, it feels quite achievable - a classic slingback shape, a few additional straps, and, of course, the signature studs.
Simple… in theory 👀
The Plan
I’d already drafted the patterns and worked out the construction, so I went into the first attempt feeling fairly confident. The upper is clean and structured, and the detailing really comes from the placement of the straps and studs - nothing too wild.
Or so I thought.
Attempt One: Where It All Went Wrong
The first issue came up almost immediately.
While stitching one of the straps, it somehow twisted… and not just slightly. Fully twisted and stitched in place. One of those moments where you just stare at it for a second hoping it’ll fix itself (it doesn’t).
So that had to be completely unpicked and redone. Annoying, but manageable.
The real downfall came when I started applying the studs.
I was using press studs for this first attempt, and for whatever reason, they just did not want to cooperate. As I secured them in place, the prongs bent out of shape, which meant the studs didn’t sit evenly on the upper.
Instead of that clean, uniform Rockstud look, they were slightly off - and once you see it, you can’t unsee it. Alsooo, they just kept falling off!! Not what you want when walking around in them 😅
At that point, I knew it wasn’t salvageable. The whole upper had to be scrapped.
Not ideal… but part of the process.
Attempt Two: Rethinking the Details
Going into the second attempt, I kept the foundation the same - the patterns were solid, so it was really about refining the execution.
I recut the upper and got back to where things had previously gone wrong: the studs.
This time, I switched to screw-in studs.
Straight away, this solved the original issue. No bending prongs, no uneven setting - everything sat exactly where it was supposed to.
But, of course, fixing one problem introduced another.
The Lining Problem
The screw-in studs have larger backs than press stud ones, which meant my original plan for finishing the lining no longer worked.
Initially, I’d planned to stitch the lining in a way that would cover the backs of the studs completely. But with the bulk of the screw backs sitting on the inside, there was no way to get the machine in cleanly - the needle and zipper foot would hit the metal.
So I had to switch the order of construction.
Instead of setting the studs first, I fully lined the upper and then went back in to insert each stud afterwards.
This does mean the backs of the screws are visible on the inside of the shoe. That said, they sit relatively flat, so in terms of wearability, it’s not actually an issue.
The Rest of the Process
Once the upper was complete, the rest of the make was - thankfully - much more straightforward.
The shoe was lasted, stiffeners were added for structure, and the heels were drilled and attached. All the steps that, on a normal day, feel like the “main event” ended up being the easiest part of the process.
Final Thoughts
Looking at the finished pair, it’s one of those projects that looks simple - and in many ways, it is.
But the small details really matter. Something as seemingly minor as the type of stud completely changed both the process and the outcome.
Would I call it an easy make?
Yes… but only if you ignore the first attempt entirely.
And honestly, that’s often how these projects go. Trial, error, adjustments - and eventually, something that works.
