Dakota Johnson baring all ten of her toes in fishnet slippers was not the strangest thing to happen to cult fashion footwear this weekend. The internet spent a significant amount of time arguing about the Tabi Swiper—that is, a man who robbed his Hinge date of her cloven-toed Mary Janes and gifted them to his actual girlfriend—which inspired fear in Ssense shoppers and confusion in fair-weather fashion fans who still think of Margiela’s most famous creation as “school girl hoofs.”
Less concerned with the moral implications of theft, conversations online centered on whether Tabi boots—which have gone from niche art school attire to a celeb staple—are “hideous” or not. And are you a philistine for not recognizing their appeal? Johnson clearly understands just how divisive—and therefore potent—an aesthetically challenging shoe can be. Just after slipping into a ’70s-style crochet dress at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado, the actor wore some semi-transparent Alaïa flats with a Gucci chore jacket, wide-cut trousers, and Bottega Veneta’s Andiamo handbag. You can see the full look here.
Photographed sitting on a lawned area of the film convention, Dakota Johnson is a woman who likes to feel the wind (and the grass) between her toes. So too do Sofia Richie, Jennifer Lawrence, and various fashion editors. “The moment I saw them, I was in love!” British Vogue fashion editor Eniola Dare said of her Alaïa flats. “They are the perfect summer—and holiday-ready—shoes. As well as being super comfy, they can literally be worn with anything.”
Here’s hoping that Johnson has them safe in a high-security vault, perhaps with a panopticon of CCTV cameras and a human-size mouse trap.
This article originally appeared in British Vogue.
