This unorthodox footwear is a shoe-in to be the most popular in Hollywood this season.
Sock shoes — that are, because the name implies, shoes that seem like socks — are the controversial footwear suddenly and bewilderingly preferred by comfort-chic-loving celebrities resembling Rihanna and Matty Healy.
The sight of bare socks hitting the pavement is jarring, to say the least, but has someway change into the head of minimalist chic.
“It gives good strange,” Amy Smilovic, the founder and inventive director of the luxe womenswear brand Tibi, told The Post.
The brand introduced its Borg sock shoe within the spring 2024 collection, which Smilovic described as a “natural migration” from the age-old socks and sandals combination.
Similarly, Rihanna was spotted in May wearing Bottega Veneta’s $1,100 iteration of the knit socks-with-soles, paired with an identical athleisure ensemble from the Latest York label Awake NY.
The 1975 frontman Healy was also photographed sporting a pair of the sock-shoe hybrids while out and about in Los Angeles earlier this month.
Just last week, Dick Van Dyke, 98, graced the red carpet at Carol Burnett’s handprint ceremony on the TCL Chinese Theatre in — you guessed it — orthopedic footwear akin to the highly divisive barefoot shoes which are beloved by running enthusiasts.
Tibi’s Borg shoe differs from its competitors’ in its shape — the addition of a leather exterior to mimic the looks of a low-profile ballet flat gives the illusion of two pieces while being functional footwear all built into one.
“Anything that makes me look twice and pique my curiosity is at all times going to win me over,” Smilovic said.
And Latest Yorkers are not any different. Wearing the Borg shoes down Sixth Avenue raised some eyebrows and even got a number of chuckles — though I’m unsure if it was the footwear or the brouhaha of my impromptu photoshoot.
Admittedly, I used to be prepared to bristle on the sight of the Frankenshoes, but they looked shockingly chic with a pair of butter-yellow mini shorts. The ballet flat and crew sock combination emulated the viral “balletcore” aesthetic beloved by Gen Z.
“The über femininity of a silky pleated skirt, or the bareness of a slip dress, is offset with the oddity of this constructed sock shoe,” Smilovic said.
The shoes were, unsurprisingly, quite comfortable — they’re principally socks, in spite of everything — however the jury’s still out on whether the comfort would last greater than a number of blocks during a June scorcher. In 90-degree heat, the sock shoes were a bit too warm for this busy Latest Yorker looking forward to air-con.
And Tibi isn’t the one brand that’s been one step ahead. Luxury labels have released their very own iterations of sock shoes over the past 12 months, lots of which mimic the looks of thermal ankle socks with a rubber sole slapped on the undercarriage.
Balenciaga has change into known for its form-fitting sock shoes through the years, but the style house unveiled a recent pair of sock sneakers in its fall 2024 collection, which retail for $975.
Bottega Veneta also sells multiple knit iterations of sock boots, lots of which are sold out, in addition to a heeled version. Meanwhile, retailers resembling Leset offer a sock boot, as does Kanye West’s brand Yeezy, which released the Yeezy Pods.
While you might wonder learn how to keep your sock shoes clean — as any Latest Yorker would know, even probably the most cautious sneakerhead will dirty their white kicks on the streets of Manhattan — it helps that the A-list wearers are chauffeured around the town, not subject to stained subway cars or garbage-ridden curbs.
As Vogue put it, the sock shoes could function “an off-the-cuff signaling of somebody’s status.”
I, nevertheless, didn’t have the posh of hopping into the backseat of a sleek SUV, and my plebeian social standing was apparent as I navigated the fast-paced sidewalks within the sweltering, midday heat.
The stares the shoes seemingly elicited, nevertheless, made me feel almost famous — or as near Rihanna as I’ll ever be.
This unorthodox footwear is a shoe-in to be the most popular in Hollywood this season.
Sock shoes — that are, because the name implies, shoes that seem like socks — are the controversial footwear suddenly and bewilderingly preferred by comfort-chic-loving celebrities resembling Rihanna and Matty Healy.
The sight of bare socks hitting the pavement is jarring, to say the least, but has someway change into the head of minimalist chic.
“It gives good strange,” Amy Smilovic, the founder and inventive director of the luxe womenswear brand Tibi, told The Post.
The brand introduced its Borg sock shoe within the spring 2024 collection, which Smilovic described as a “natural migration” from the age-old socks and sandals combination.
Similarly, Rihanna was spotted in May wearing Bottega Veneta’s $1,100 iteration of the knit socks-with-soles, paired with an identical athleisure ensemble from the Latest York label Awake NY.
The 1975 frontman Healy was also photographed sporting a pair of the sock-shoe hybrids while out and about in Los Angeles earlier this month.
Just last week, Dick Van Dyke, 98, graced the red carpet at Carol Burnett’s handprint ceremony on the TCL Chinese Theatre in — you guessed it — orthopedic footwear akin to the highly divisive barefoot shoes which are beloved by running enthusiasts.
Tibi’s Borg shoe differs from its competitors’ in its shape — the addition of a leather exterior to mimic the looks of a low-profile ballet flat gives the illusion of two pieces while being functional footwear all built into one.
“Anything that makes me look twice and pique my curiosity is at all times going to win me over,” Smilovic said.
And Latest Yorkers are not any different. Wearing the Borg shoes down Sixth Avenue raised some eyebrows and even got a number of chuckles — though I’m unsure if it was the footwear or the brouhaha of my impromptu photoshoot.
Admittedly, I used to be prepared to bristle on the sight of the Frankenshoes, but they looked shockingly chic with a pair of butter-yellow mini shorts. The ballet flat and crew sock combination emulated the viral “balletcore” aesthetic beloved by Gen Z.
“The über femininity of a silky pleated skirt, or the bareness of a slip dress, is offset with the oddity of this constructed sock shoe,” Smilovic said.
The shoes were, unsurprisingly, quite comfortable — they’re principally socks, in spite of everything — however the jury’s still out on whether the comfort would last greater than a number of blocks during a June scorcher. In 90-degree heat, the sock shoes were a bit too warm for this busy Latest Yorker looking forward to air-con.
And Tibi isn’t the one brand that’s been one step ahead. Luxury labels have released their very own iterations of sock shoes over the past 12 months, lots of which mimic the looks of thermal ankle socks with a rubber sole slapped on the undercarriage.
Balenciaga has change into known for its form-fitting sock shoes through the years, but the style house unveiled a recent pair of sock sneakers in its fall 2024 collection, which retail for $975.
Bottega Veneta also sells multiple knit iterations of sock boots, lots of which are sold out, in addition to a heeled version. Meanwhile, retailers resembling Leset offer a sock boot, as does Kanye West’s brand Yeezy, which released the Yeezy Pods.
While you might wonder learn how to keep your sock shoes clean — as any Latest Yorker would know, even probably the most cautious sneakerhead will dirty their white kicks on the streets of Manhattan — it helps that the A-list wearers are chauffeured around the town, not subject to stained subway cars or garbage-ridden curbs.
As Vogue put it, the sock shoes could function “an off-the-cuff signaling of somebody’s status.”
I, nevertheless, didn’t have the posh of hopping into the backseat of a sleek SUV, and my plebeian social standing was apparent as I navigated the fast-paced sidewalks within the sweltering, midday heat.
The stares the shoes seemingly elicited, nevertheless, made me feel almost famous — or as near Rihanna as I’ll ever be.
