Kim Kardashian makes a point to never wear the same designer twice to the Met Gala — Margiela this year, Schiaparelli last year, Balenciaga, Mugler. But she has worn the same brand of shoes twice: Pleasers, a line of stripper heels that retail for about $50 to $100. In 2022, she wore a pair of $50 clear plastic mules with Marilyn Monroe’s historically significant, extremely flammable nude rhinestone dress. This year, she wore the brand’s heel-less platforms, which have the shape of a digitigrade horse hoof, to avoid poking a stiletto through her skirt’s metal filigree. “That was the issue of walking,” she said in a Vogue video. “I think we really need the height on this look, so we gotta do what we gotta do.”
Kardashian wasn’t the only Met Gala attendee wearing Pleasers on Monday night — Doja Cat also wore a pair of the brand’s clear plastic platforms, as did Janelle Monáe. (You can spot them from the telltale black rubberized tread on the sole and heel.) It’s not a surprise to see them in a fashion context; as a see-through shoe that adds approximately 6 inches to the wearer’s height, they’re a very useful styling tool, almost a neutral. (I have a pair and wear them to take photos for my Depop listings.) It did surprise me to see Pleasers at the Met Gala, but it makes sense: for looks with a lot else going on, they add height without pulling focus. And they’re basically occupational footwear — walking in heel-less platforms is hard, but I’d trust Pleasers for structural soundness over any one else.
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