Naomi Campbell has served some unforgettable looks throughout her career that spans almost five decades. And at the Loewe AW23 show at Paris Fashion Week on Wednesday, she made absolutely sure that her reputation still precedes her by wearing shoes covered in uninflated balloons.
She sat front row alongside Anna Wintour and Edward Enniful keeping her ever-chic sartorial agenda on top, wearing an all black shirt, creased trousers and longline leather jacket concoction paired with a grey Puzzle bag. She also channelled her inner Anna, donning a pair of chunky black frames that added an extra level of 'queen bee' to her look.
Naomi Campbell at Loewe's SS23
Her Comic balloon pumps boasted uninflated balloons in tones of pearlescent pink, blue, green and grey, giving the shoe an unexpedtedly sophisticated feel. The latex adorned pumps with a chunky heel absolutely made her feet the statement feature of her look.
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Perhaps she took style cues from fellow ‘big five’ powerhouse Cindy Crawford’s daughter, Kaia Gerber. It was only last week that fans were mocking the 21-year-old for wearing a pair a cream pair the balloon shoes in a photospread for iD.
Jonathan Anderson’s experimentation with footwear is unparalleled. After debuting the Comic Balloon Pumps at his Spring/Summer 23 show in September last year, fashion fans and critics alike had mixed reviews.
She wore Balloon shoes from the brand's SS23 collection
But it appears that ‘ugly’ shoes are a 2023 prerequisite for fashion’s crème de la crème.
The ante has certainly been upped on the ugly shoe front since the unrivalled return of Crocs, swiftly followed by Birkenstock clogs. At JW Anderson’s menswear show in January, Jonathan Anderson delivered a frog slipper that could easily be a contender for the ugliest shoe of 2023. Then came the cartoonish big red boot from MSCHF which is currently dominating the rogue shoe sphere. Now Naomi and Kaia have put the balloon pumps back on our radar.
Loewe SS23
The shoes at Loewe’s AW23 show was ‘tame’ compared to its balloon shoe collection. Court shoes and ultra slouchy boots dominated the runway, though its kitten-heeled loafers most definitely captured our attentions…
Love them or hate them, if a wacky shoe ensemble is a supermodel-approved look by Naomi Campbell and Kaia Gerber, they’re approved by us too.
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