When Chanel debuted its half-sandal during its cruise 2027 show in April, it divided the internet despite being sent down a pristine, tailor-made runway.
Now, actress Margaret Qualley has become one of the first to brave a red carpet wearing them, in London no less. For the world premiere of her new film – Ridley Scott's The Dog Stars – Qualley arrived in Leicester Square wearing a Chanel dress and its “barefoot shoe”.
Of course, novelty shoes are nothing new, as a foot clad in a weird creation is almost guaranteed to grab precious headlines. Alexander McQueen created the bulbous, 12-inch Armadillo heel for spring 2010, which smothered the whole foot in a strange, rounded form, while Gucci lined its slides with fur for autumn 2015.
In spring 2017, shoe designer Manolo Blahnik created high boots for Vetements that reached to the waist, while Balenciaga's collaboration with Crocs resulted in platform foam clogs for spring/summer 2018.
So why is this shoe causing such a furore? Cupping the heel and secured with two leather cords, it is delicate and charmingly pretty. Its beauty, however, does little to disguise its near-total uselessness as foot protection. With only the heel covered, the entire front half of the foot is left exposed.
For all the glamour associated with them, fashion weeks conceal an uncomfortable truth about beautiful but ridiculous shoes.
Away from the runway, show-goers can often be spotted switching from trainers to heels and back again as they race between venues. Certain brands are notorious for footwear that looks fabulous but is brutal on the appendage inside.
Chanel seems to be taking this contradiction to its logical extreme: a flat shoe, whilst practical and comfortable, is ridiculous and impractical if half of said shoe is missing. Wearing one is beautifully pointless, as the part of the foot left bare will get dirty.
Shoes are a complex language in themselves and can make or break a look, whether they are scruffy, pristine, elegant or ill-fitting. Having only half a shoe to judge, however, is certainly new.
A quick straw poll of colleagues raises some important questions. How would a half-shoe fare in the scorching heat of the UAE? And, as one colleague suggested, perhaps that is precisely the point. Is this the ultimate display of wealth: a shoe for someone so extravagantly rich that normal footwear rules simply no longer apply?
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