Naked Dressing Is Over—Margaret Qualley Introduces the Red Carpet to Naked Shoes
2 min readWhen Matthieu Blazy showed “barefoot heels”—toe-baring contraptions that looked more like jewelry for the foot than actual footwear—at Chanel’s cruise 2027 show in Biarritz, the question came to mind: which daring celebrity would debut them on the red carpet? Well, the fashion world has finally found its answer in Margaret Qualley.
Tonight in London, Qualley attended the premiere of The Dog Stars in, arguably, the most extreme take on the “wrong” shoe theory to date. Working with stylist Danielle Goldberg, the actress wore Blazy’s viral naked shoes straight from the runway—the first notable celebrity to do so—with their infamous bare toes and barely-there ribbon ties on full display.
Margaret Qualley at The Dog Stars premiere in London, August 20.
The minimalist style, basically a heel cap with two dainty ties affixed over the vamp, brought her matching pedicure into view and coordinated with her inky fringe dress, also by Chanel.
Margaret Qualley at The Dog Stars premiere in London, August 20.
During his tenure at the brand, Blazy has reworked house codes to the nth degree with cap-toe heels in candy hues inspired by Gabrielle Chanel’s cult two-tone slingbacks. But his latest twist on footwear comes without a toe (or really, much of a shoe) at all.
The barefoot heels caused an uproar online, mostly by those wondering who would actually wear them, and made the case that the red carpet phenomenon of naked dressing has been overtaken by something even more extreme: the naked shoe.
Chanel cruise 2027.
Meanwhile, the logistics of Qualley’s arrival remain a mystery: Did she walk the pavement in them? Change into them curbside? That’s for only Qualley (and Goldberg) to know.
The next test of this design’s staying power is whether someone is brave enough to take the naked shoe beyond the red carpet and onto the actual street. Any takers?