Helen Mirren Still Loves Her 'Stripper Shoes'

The star has a "secret weapon" that's more than a little surprising

Photo: Getty; Filmmagic; AKM-GSI

What do Helen Mirren and Taylor Momsen have in common? No, Mirren never guest-starred on Gossip Girl. It turns out, they both have an affinity for clear lucite “stripper heels,” which Mirren wore to the premiere of Red 2 last night.

Surprised? Don’t be. Mirren has long had the shoes in her arsenal, telling Jay Leno in 2010 that the shoes were her “secret weapon.”

“They were stripper shoes I used to buy on Hollywood Boulevard,” she said. “Thirty-nine dollars, they cost me … They give you like, an immediate seven inches,” which she says she needs to keep up with all the tall actresses on the red carpet.

RELATED PHOTOS: Vote on more bold star style in Last Night’s Look!

She’s been sporting them for years now and has them in multiple styles, from the metallic ones she wore with a pencil skirt to an Oscar pre-party the year she won Best Actress for The Queen (just like the real Queen Elizabeth, right?) to the clear acrylic ones she stepped out in last night.

“Four-inch platforms give you great height and make your legs look unbelievably long,” Mirren has said, noting that other people may be onto her trick. “I used only to be able to get them in stripper shops, but now you can buy them everywhere.”

Tell us: What do you think of Mirren’s favorite shoe style? Would you try her leg-lengthening trick?

–Alex Apatoff