Fashion fans are fiercely divided over Margaret Qualley’s latest red carpet look, which takes high fashion’s ‘naked shoe’ trend to its physical limits.
The Substance star stepped out at the London premiere of her new dystopian film The Dog Stars wearing a pair of Chanel’s viral ‘barefoot’ sandals — officially taking one of the French fashion house’s most absurd runway experiments into the real world.
Styling the controversial footwear with a fringed, ankle-grazing black Chanel gown, the 31-year-old actress turned heads as she walked the red carpet alongside co-star Jacob Elordi.
The micro-sandals consist of a tiny leather heel cap bearing the classic interlocking ‘CC’ logo, delicate thin ribbon ties wrapped around the ankle, and absolutely nothing else.
The entire front half of the foot, toes, and ball of the foot remain completely exposed.
Chanel’s viral barefoot heel caps do not have an officially confirmed retail price, but fashion industry estimates place them roughly between $1,500 and $2,700 USD (approx. $2,250 to $4,050 AUD).
How the ‘shoeless shoe’ was born
The bizarre footwear first sent social media into overdrive when it debuted during Chanel’s Resort 2027 show in Biarritz, France, under creative director Matthieu Blazy.
The collection was designed as a homage to the coastal seaside town where founder Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel opened her first couture house in 1915.
The heel is a high-fashion homage to walking along the sand with your shoes half-off.
It also marks the latest evolution of the house’s signature cap-toe shoe, famously created by Coco Chanel in 1957 to elongate the leg and shorten the foot.
While luxury brands have experimented with ‘naked dressing’ through sheer gowns and translucent mesh flats for years, Chanel’s extreme design raised immediate practical questions.
Qualley — a longtime Chanel ambassador — finally answered the questions we had all been wondering and paved the walkways of London to become the first celebrity to style them off the runway.
What is social media saying?
The look set comment sections ablaze across social platforms, with users torn over whether the luxury house went too far or pulled off a stroke of genius.
“How’s that for a toe violation?” one person asked on Instagram.
“Oh no. No, no, no,” a second person exclaimed.
“Not just toe violation … a visual violation,” a third person wrote.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” echoed a fourth.
“Absolutely not,” a fifth commented.
The look made its way to Reddit threads where spectators heavily disagreed with the actress’s choice of footwear and criticised the exorbitant price for half a shoe.
“Here is a gold microscopic thread. We lace it around your finger, and it costs $3,000,” one Reddit user commented.
“This is just too much. Ew,” a second person expressed.
“Fugly and impractical,” a third chimed in.
“If it’s half a shoe, it should cost half as much,” another user pointed out.
“OK those are stupid as hell,” another person argued.