Bella Hadid Has Embraced Balenciaga’s Divisive Toe Shoes
Like Rihanna before her, the supermodel is dipping her toes into the waters of individually showcased digits.
While the rest of the world has been dragging their feet to embrace Balenciaga’s highly divisive toe heels, Bella Hadid is bringing them one step closer to entering the mainstream. On Thursday, fresh from walking the supermodel-filled runway of Kim Jones’s Fendi debut, the 24-year-old upheld the fashion week tradition of Instagramming all of her gifts from industry heavyweights. It would have been a standard haul—champagne and clearly expensive bouquets—if Demna Gvasalia hadn’t joined the fray. Balenciaga’s creative director gave Hadid the ability to individually showcase all 10 of her lower digits.
While Hadid has yet to be photographed actually wearing the shoes, there’s a good chance you’ll see them again soon. The supermodel has almost singlehandedly ensured that there’s street style at this season’s couture week, stepping out in five different ensembles in less than two days. (Highlights include a Bernie Sanders-like pair of knit gloves and head-to-toe cords.)
Receiving a Hadid endorsement is akin to hitting the jackpot of sartorial popularity. The same goes for Rihanna, who proved that the shoes are surprisingly versatile when she wore them at least twice in a week last year. Perhaps that’s why this is actually the second time they’ve resurfaced in 2021; Balenciaga campaign star Cardi B showed off the pink pair on Instagram earlier in January.
Still hesitant to follow suit? You can take baby steps with Maison Martin Margiela’s Reebok sneaker, which only isolates the big toe, or the heels at Matthew M. Williams’s debut Givenchy show, which up the number of digits to three.
