I have never written a book. I have decided, however, that if I ever do write a book, I’d like to dress like Michelle Obama has been while promoting her memoir. On the latest stop of her book tour, Obama appeared onstage with Sarah Jessica Parker in Brooklyn, New York wearing the most glorious glitter boots I’d ever laid my eyes upon.
I had heard about these boots from Cardi B. rap about them—you know, those Balenciagas, the ones that look like socks). But the ones Obama wore on Wednesday night were even more spectacular than I could ever have imagined. I asked myself why I didn’t own the exact same boots. The answer: Because they’re $4,000..
Michelle Obama blinding the audience with her beauty, brains and glitter Balenciaga boots.
Dia Dipasupil
The unfortunate truth is you can spend none or all of the dollars and still not look as incredible as Michelle Obama did, in her full Balenciaga ensemble. You can, however, cop her footwear game—and for a lot less than $4K.
I’m sure I’m not the only one out there with a sudden desire for a pair of glittery knee-high boots. I want to wear them to work, to my next holiday party, to the supermarket—literally, anywhere and everywhere. It’s what Michelle Obama would want. Right? So, make her proud with one of the alternatives in the gallery ahead.
Michelle Obama has been promoting her autobiographical memoir, Becoming, in a literal stadium tour across the country. And for her most recent stop—at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York—she was interviewed on stage by Sarah Jessica Parker. But the real treat came in the form of her outfit for the evening, a full Balenciaga look so out of this world not even Princess Leia could have dreamed it.
Stars, suns, planets—stand down: The new center of our universe has taken her rightful place in the intergalactic realm. And she has on a pair of thigh-high gold boots so incandescent, scientists recommend the use of special sunglasses to gaze at them, lest we burn our retinas.
What I mean is: Michelle Obama wore a head-to-toe look from Balenciaga last night—a silky, long-sleeved yellow shirtdress with boots so gilded that I will soon file a petition to have the Oscar committee recast its statuette in their image.
Dia Dipasupil
There’s “getting dressed,” and then there’s slipping into this—so liquid and luscious that it seems to have molded around Obama. It’s an outfit that channels all the Marvel superheroes combined, but makes it fashion.
Dia Dipasupil
The dress was featured on Balenciaga’s Spring 2019 runway during Paris Fashion Week, which means it’s not even available for purchase yet.
Victor VIRGILE
Her pointed-toe, fully sequined, stiletto-heeled, over-the-knee boots, though, are—and they retail for a cool $3,900.
Balenciaga Knife Sequinned Over-the-knee Boots, $3,900, available at MyTheresa.
In all seriousness, Obama acknowledged in conversation with Parker that she knew no matter what she wanted the focus of her time in the White House to be, attention would be paid to her clothes. Given that, she and her team, including stylist Meredith Koop, decided to use their platform to celebrate newer and less-established designers who otherwise wouldn’t get the same level of exposure.
“You can change their lives, which is one of the reasons why we chose Jason Wu for my inaugural gown,” Obama said, adding that she made an extra effort to recognize work from a diverse range of brands and labels. “There are a whole lot of people out here who are trying to make it—young women and immigrants and black folk.” What good luck that Michelle Obama was there to literally and figuratively light the way.
Dia Dipasupil
While she was in the White House, Obama, like other First Ladies before and after her, occasionally faced criticism from the public for the price tag of a few designer garments she wore, which some thought were too expensive for a civil servant. Now that she’s a private citizen, though, she can wear all the runway Balenciaga she wants—and peoplearelovingit.
If there’s one thing about fashion week you can count on, it’s that a handful of designers will debut something so radical, jaw-dropping, or amazing that it’ll get people outside the industry talking—and tweeting. And this season, Balenciaga takes the cake, as it sent models down the runway in platform Crocs for its Spring 2018 show in Paris. Yep, those are Crocs. Except these came with a nearly four-inch platform and patch-like “charms” plugged into the shoe’s signature pinholes. Take a look.
Can’t decide how you feel about them? Neither can the Internet. As soon as yellow, pink, and grey versions of the platform clogs were seen in Paris on Sunday, people immediately went to Twitter to voice their reactions.
The fashion house actually teamed up with Crocs to create this “very innovative” foam shoe that, according to a press release, the Crocs team was very excited about and that they feel “once once again demonstrates the relevance of our iconic clog in today’s fashion and style world.”
They certainly are iconic. And some people seem to be really into the elevated (literally) version of these very not-fashion shoes.
It may seem like a crazy concept right now, but then again, white platform Tevas were one of 2016’s hottest shoes among street style stars. And who would have guessed that? These seem a bit less accessible, what with their super-high platform, super-bright color, and—we assume—super-high price tag, but we’ll all just have to wait until spring of next year when these are available for purchase to see if they can make it out in the real world—and not get mocked.
Kendall Jenner is stylish, no question about it—she wears jeans that look like ankle bracelets!—but we’re not so sure about her latest fashion choice. While rocking a denim-on-denim lewk, Ms. Jenner held the front of her jean jacket closed in a way that immediately prompted the question, “What’s happening?”
The answer, is turns out (per PopSugar!) is that Kendall was likely wearing a denim jacket from Balenciaga that, yes, buttons on the side. So, it’s supposed to be asymmetrical. And it costs $1,150.
For that much you could ask for the amount in ones, put them all in your bathtub, and take a money bath.
PHOTO: BACKGRID
Huh, by Kendall Jenner
Confusion, by Balenciaga.
Look, we get it. On the one hand, fashion is supposed to innovate and make the old new again and the people and brands at the forefront of a trend are always going to be make pricey items because they’re actually moving the sartorial conversation forward. But on the other hand, I literally spent an hour last night using a hair straightener to apply an iron-on patch to a fraying denim jacket that my mom bought at Banana Republic before I was born, so we’re just…confused…about why the world (or Kendall Jenner) needs a jean jacket that even have its buttons in the right place.
The patch on my jacket, by the way, looks great, and Kendall/Balenciaga, I’m happy to show you my methods, if y’all ever need any pointers.
