“I’m not buying anything Balenciaga for a very long time,” I call out from my Target sheet bed, wearing a Forever 21 top and Victoria’s Secret leggings as if I were the target market for this Spanish fashion house. The image on my iPhone screen I was trying to swallow was none other than the increasingly infamous Balenciaga platform Crocs. I have to admit that before my days of being a glamorous Stan Smith and mule wearing gal, I did own two pairs of those wretched rubber shoes. I even wore them with socks as if that made any sense at all. They were at a time acceptable to wear and I was the eager age of about eight at the time, so I may have had other influences besides my own not-so developed fashion sense. However, it is no longer my dark years people. This is the age of refinery and sophistication; if you’re going to slip on a pair of Crocs, you might as well slip on some mules, bub. The following image may be too graphic for audiences with a low tolerance for “What the hell were these designers thinking?”
Courtesy: The Cut
Now in my attempt to understand the minds behind Paris Fashion Week, I am hoping that there is a significance to this hideous pair of shoes. My thoughts are simple: Ugly is back. Mules, as much as I have mentioned, are not the most darling shoe you can get your hands on. They took a while to find their place beyond the ugly shoe stigma and into the every-blogger-has-gotta-have-em world.
What you need to know about this crazy Croc trend is that it is for real. This is not fake. My initial reaction was maybe this is a joke. It is not. This is seriously a thing. The “freaky footwear” as Forbes calls it, debuted in Paris, France for Balenciaga’s Spring Ready-to-Wear collection on October 1st. They were featured in the bright colors of yellow, green and pink. The platforms were about four inches high. When the brands were asked to comment, Balenciaga called them “the ‘Foam’ shoes,” and Crocs Senior Vice President of Global Product and Marketing Michelle Poole said, “Working with Balenciaga has been so much fun for our team, and once again demonstrates the relevance of our iconic clog in today’s fashion and design world, as well as allowing us to tap into the excitement and energy that comes from unexpected relationships.”
The shoes will not be available until spring of next year, but it should be noted that Urban Outfitters is also selling Crocs on their website. If you cannot wait until spring 2018 to get your hands on this lovely throwback of a shoe, there’s an option minus the platform and charms. All in all, fashion is a wild jungle of strangeness, and this probably could not have been predicted, but here it is. So, all Croc-loving, platform-wearing, all charmed up shoe fans, Balenciaga has got you covered.
As for me, this change in Balenciaga’s image has made me reconsider purchasing a nearly $2,000 bag from the brand. I was most likely not going to buy this slightly out of my college budget bag, but now I have a legitimate reason to justify my decision not to purchase.