Thigh-high Ugg boots resurface at Paris Fashion Week
Ugg and its relationship with high fashion is continuing to evolve and grow. Just last month, Y/Project debuted a collaboration with Ugg in the form of thigh-high Ugg boots. The boots have resurfaced in the brand’s latest FW18 womenswear show during Paris Fashion Week.
Y/Project’s creative director, Glenn Martens, has described the shoes as “like putting your foot in a warm pot of butter, and I thought why not elevate that and immerse your full legs!” It’s been hard to imagine Uggs incorporated in a high-fashion look that was both wearable and stylish — until today.
At London Fashion Week, it used to be about the Crocs and now it’s Z-Coil. British designer Christopher Kane is not stepping back from his reputation for launching the “ugly shoe” into the forefront of high fashion. During the designer’s London Fashion Week show on Monday, Kane unveiled clunky leather sneakers, each embellished with tiny crystals. Most noticeable were the sneakers’ springy heels, developed by Z-Coil, an orthopedic shoe company that touts itself as having “The World’s Leading Pain Relief Footwear” and notes that its spring-heel technology acts as both a shock absorber and a source of energy for the wearer. Only time will tell if these Z-Coil sneakers will be spotted all over the fashion “it” crowd, but if the past repeats itself, the “ugly” shoes will be everywhere.
Speaking of which … During NYFW, resident cool-label R13 debuted Ugg platform sneakers. The model who wore them had on a leopard print pantsuit, matching ball cap, and black turtleneck. And, dare we say, she looked chic in the shoes?
Yet there were some more outrageous shoe moments on the runway made by Jeremy Scott, who debuted his thigh-high moon boots, and they’re just as crazy as you would imagine.
Designer Tom Ford took a more subtle approach debuting a new kind of footwear during his Fall/Winter 2018 menswear show: a hybrid between a slipper and a sneaker. Its top exterior looked like any other pair of luxurious, wear-at-home slippers. It featured a red velvety texture accentuated by a pair of black interlocking tassels. Yet its mid and outer soles were white and black, and both had a rubbery texture similar to a pair of Nike kicks. The hybrid footwear was styled with a snakeskin print bomber jacket, a black turtleneck, black zip hoodie, black cargo trousers, and sleek black sunglasses. Perhaps, this was Ford’s take on a new, glamorous athleisure look for men?
But if past Fashion Weeks have taught us anything, these are likely to be the first of many eccentric shoes to come down the runway.
During Fashion Week last season, Balenciaga sent models down the runway wearing bedazzled platform Croc shoes, which surprisingly sold out before they were even released. Christopher Kane, who first pioneered the “high-fashion” version of Crocs, debuted spongy heels. More recently, Chinese menswear label Sankuanz created sandal sneakers, aka velcro sandals styled over sneakers (yes, really).
But who could forget the kind of fantasy footwear Alexander McQueen helped cultivate in the industry, such as his iconic armadillo boots that Lady Gaga famously wore during her Bad Romance video? The singer later bought three pairs of the armadillo boots for charity, spending a grand total of $300,000.
Check back as we continue to update with the most eccentric shoes of the season.
Read More from Yahoo Lifestyle:
• Rainbow pride, mad plaid, and cheeky slogans: 4 top trends from London Fashion Week
• The complete NYFW trend guide for fall 2018
• All the prettiest, boldest, and most powerful pantsuits from New York Fashion Week
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