One person's trash is another person's treasure, so goes the old adage. Not to get all Carrie Bradshaw about this but, when it comes to shoes, who's to say what one person's 'ugly' shoe will be? We've been living in the age of 'ugly' shoes for some time now, thanks to the astounding success of Birkenstocks, to name a shoe on the less extreme end of the ugly spectrum and Crocs which, for anyone with the gift of sight (sorry, please don't @ me), are fairly heinous indeed. Now, a new ugly shoe has been invented. I know what you're thinking – what a time to be alive this is! We can send Katy Perry to space and we can invent new ugly shoes. While Jeff Bezos can take credit for the former, erm, excitement, the latter is the brainchild of Balenciaga and Scholl.
The shoe in question is a Scholl sandal with a heel, complete with a Balenciaga logo on the buckle. The sole is ergonomic – Balenciaga promises it's fashion's 'most comfortable heel yet' – as well as cork-covered, and the price is £625. It's testament to Demna's ability to sell just about anything that he, outgoing creative director of Balenciaga who is set to take the helm at Gucci later this year, has managed to make what is essentially an orthopaedic shoe look like a sexy prospect.
So sexy in fact, that this particular pair of shoes from the collaboration – which also includes clog mules, flat sandals, knee high boots and a pair of shoe boots(!) – has almost sold out entirely, with the opportunity to pre-order your preferred size. To fulfil my dreams of producing Pulitzer prize-winning investigative journalism, I recruited my esteemed colleague Gavi Weiss, Grazia's senior fashion assistant, to road test these bad boys in order to determine, once and for all, whether or not these shoes live up to their comfortable promise.
'Ever dedicated to the fashion cause, I wore these heels for a full day of dancing in the fashion cupboard (by dancing, I mean unpacking suitcases, steaming clothes, re-packing suitcases and liaising with designers. There may also have been some actual dancing), running back and forth to the Grazia post room, and even for an Aperol Spritz after work,' says Gavi. 'Admittedly, I was quite skeptical since I usually can’t hack anything higher than a kitten heel, and I was fairly certain I’d be icing my feel by the end of the day, But honestly? They were insanely comfy. I love a funky twist on a classic, and this high-fashion spin on a practical staple has me totally obsessed.'
Ok, one person does not a fair test make. But the fact that the heel has not, according to Gavi, undermined the shoe's comfort levels, is nothing short of miraculous in my eyes. When I asked if she would part with her own hard-earned cash, Gavi said she absolutely would, in a world where she had £625 to spend on shoes. 'Personally, I think the world should be giving us more orthopaedic high heels,' says Gavi. 'At the age of 27, I feel like I'm already too old to suffer for my shoes. I would put orthopaedic insoles into all my heels if I could.'
There you have it, a life-changing ugly shoe. Of sorts. Just in case you're in the market for similar levels of comfort and fashion, shop Balenciaga's Scholl offering below. I've also included some wonderfully ugly and comfortable alternatives, should you find your size has sold out. Or maybe, like Gavi, you're saving some of that £625 to spend on Aperol Spritz this summer. Given our current state of affairs, I'd suggest you've got the right idea.
Shop: The Best 'Ugly' Shoes That You'll Want To Wear Every Day
www.balenciaga.com
Most sizes have already sold out, but you can pre-order now to avoid disappointment.
www.selfridges.com
Go to certain areas of London and you'll be hard-pressed to find someone not wearing these clogs. Now a best-seller for Birkenstock, you'll find these are so comfortable, you won't want to wear anything else.
www.schuh.co.uk
If you can't quite face a full clog (I respect you), try Crocs' summer-friendly flip flops instead. Still ugly, still comfortable, they're currently selling super-quickly.
www.harveynichols.com
I don't think I can remember a time when I left the house and didn't see someone wearing a pair of these slippers (most often with socks and skirts or cropped jeans).
www.mytheresa.com
The world first saw these shoes back in January 2023, but there are still some sizes left of these frog-faced shoes. Henrik Lischke, Grazia's senior fashion features editor, bought them as soon as they launched: 'You wouldn't expect this from a such a high-octane fashion-victim shoe, but these slippers might just be the most comfortable (and most ridiculous) soles I've ever invested into. They're cushioned and thus perfect for long weekend walks – but be aware of sweaty feet.'
www.ssense.com
One of my friends sent me a picture of these shoes demanding to know why fashion was trolling her but, I've got to tell you, I'm v into them. I love the avant-garde playfulness of Coperni's flats and, if I do finally commit and buy them, I'll wear with low-slung skirts and oversized tees.
www.fitflop.com
If you do want to introduce the benefits of an ergonomic shoe into your life, this pair of flip-flops is a surprisingly chic – and affordable – way to do so.
Hannah Banks-Walker is Grazia's head of fashion commerce. She has previously written for the likes of Harper's Bazaar, The Financial Times, Glamour, Stylist, The Telegraph, Red, i-D and The Pool on everything from fashion to curly hair (hi!) to the patriarchy. Not necessarily in that order. Find her on Instagram and Twitter. But please don't look for her MySpace profile, which until now was the last time she wrote about herself in the third person.