There’s a genre of TikTok video in which people attempt to turn objects into shoes. Inspired by the Iggy Azalea lyric, “Walk a mile in these Louboutins,” users will tape things to their feet — things like watermelons, Juul pods, and frosted cakes — and attempt to take a few small steps. These videos are the best of what TikTok has to offer, combining creativity, humor, competition, and downright stupidity. But they are only the latest in a long history of footwear-related art projects. For as long as humans have been putting shoes on their feet, they’ve been finding more and more extreme ways to fashion them.
Luxury brands are continuing this evolution. Maison Martin Margiela has always had a fetish for unusual footwear, as evidenced by the brand’s now-signature split-toe Tabi Boots. If the toe thing is too much for you, though, these Lucite heels containing flowers and cigarettes frozen in time are a funky alternative. And, yes, you could walk many, many miles in them.
Maison Margiela black satin ankle boots with rose/cigarette heel, $1,535 at Maison Margiela Store, 803 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10014.