Haute couture may typically be revered as fashion’s most rarified arena, with this season as no exception. Take a closer peek at the details, though, and things start to get a bit trippy–especially when it comes to the footwear. No, your eyes aren’t fooling you; you aren’t high–fashion’s most recent couture runways have had some wild and whacky heels walking all over them, from Schiaparelli’s peacock-point pumps to the earthy toadstool-ettos that grounded Matthieu Blazy’s ethereally light Chanel couture debut.
Of course, high heels plucked straight from fantasy lands are hardly anything new in fashion, where trompe l’oeil is basically tradition. Nicolas Ghesquière’s spring 2007 Balenciaga Lego heels, Alexander McQueen’s spring 2010 Armadillo platforms, Y/Project’s Cinderella slippers–and, of course, Chanel’s very own history of mind-boggling shoe moments, as chronicled by Instagram’s favorite shoe archivist @larslala.
Indeed, footwear has always been native territory for freaky ideas–here, we look back on some of the most fantastical high heels in fashion history.
Michel Arnaud1/18Thierry Mugler fall 1984 goat hoof wedges
The late, great Thierry Mugler raised the benchmark when it comes to fantastical fashion, with the footwear he created being no exception. In the mid ’80s, at a blockbuster show staged at an arena in Paris, he debuted his game-changing “goat hoof,” a surreal platform boot with a concave heel, laying the groundwork for a number of the shoes you’ll see below.
Michel Arnaud/Getty Images2/18Jean Paul Gaultier spring 1994 cleat heels
The fashion-sport dialogue may be at a fever pitch, but back in the early ’90s, Jean Paul Gaultier’s cleat heels set the tone for the many sport shoe stilettos that have come since.
3/18Balenciaga fall 2007 Lego heels
In 2007, Nicolas Ghesquière’s future-forward, playful approach to design was epitomized by these brightly-hued stilettos, informally named after the Danish toy building blocks. Proof that if it can be thought of, it can be built!
4/18Alexander McQueen spring 2010 armadillo boots
One of the most revered wacky high heels in fashion, this convex, talon heel debuted in Plato’s Atlantis, Lee McQueen’s final collectsion before his tragic passing. A testament to his capacity for thinking beyond the parameters of the human form, they instantly earned a place in the fashion historical canon.
Elena Braghieri/Getty Images5/18Prada spring 2012 flame wedges
Prada always brings the heat. These iconic wedges from the early 2010s are a testament to the brand’s irreverence, and in their heyday, set every major street-style scene ablaze.
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Victor VIRGILE/Getty Images6/18Thom Browne spring 2020 dolphin heels
One of fashion’s great visual narrators, Thom Browne’s footwear has often prioritized fantasy over practicality, as these staggering dolphin heels show. Now, we wouldn’t ask anyone to walk a mile in these shoes, but their fantastical appeal can’t be denied.
Courtesy of Y/Project7/18Y/Project fall 2021 crystal slipper
Is there any tale more fantastical than Cinderella? In this collectsion, Glenn Martens brought the story’s iconic glass slipper to life, in collaboration with Brazilian rubber shoe brand Melissa.
Victor VIRGILE/Getty Images8/18Loewe spring 2022 egg heels
First debuting on Loewe’s spring 2022 runway, Jonathan Anderson’s cracked egg sandals raised the benchmark for surreal, trompe l’oeil footwear at first sight.
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Raimonda Kulikauskiene/Getty Images9/18Loewe fall 2022 balloon heels
The following season, Jonathan’s menagerie of freaky footwear expanded with the addition of the balloon heel. Looning goes luxe!
Peter White/Getty Images10/18Schiaparelli haute couture spring 2022 toenail heels
Outré, trompe l’œil treatments are part of the house of Schiaparelli’s DNA–a point adamantly made under Daniel Roseberry’s tenure at the house. The most out there of the maison’s footwear? These strappy heels with gnarled golden toenails are a hot contender.
Launchmetrics.com/spotlight11/18Moschino fall 2022 Rococo heeled dress shoe
Jeremy Scott is, of course, one of fashion’s foremost fantasists–as a glance over his footwear output across his decade-long tenure at Moschino well proves. This tongued dress shoe with a campy, gilt heel underscores the designer’s obsession with the baroque.
Launchmetrics.com/spotlight12/18Moschino spring 2023 inflatable flamingo pumps
It would be rude to pick just one shoe from Jeremy Scott’s Moschino, so here’s another. These heels from his beach inflatable-filled collectsion distill the pumped-up humor and levity that fuels his creative vision.
13/18McQueen fall 2024 hoof boots
Seán McGirr was off to the races from the moment he arrived at McQueen—as this immediately viral, pony-tailed boot implies. Since then, his fab footwear streak has continued, with the designer putting out no end of shoes spotted on a trot about town.
14/18Jacquemus fall 2024 double sandals
Seeing double? Your eyes aren’t fooling you! Stacking a strappy sandal on top of a kitten-heeled slide, these sassy shoes testify to Simon Porte Jacquemus’s playfulness and wit.
Launchmetrics.com/spotlight15/18Undercover fall 2025 bust heels
Jun Takahashi is gifted with one of the most expansive minds in fashion. For this collectsion, he teamed up with French artist Anne-Valérie Dupond, who created these eerie, handcrafted slippers with figures on the toecaps akin to crumbling gargoyles or Roman busts.
Launchmetrics.com/spotlight16/18Simone Rocha spring 2026 Crocs pump
Simone Rocha’s Crocs collaboration–first appearing in 2024–was an immediate viral hit, a pinnacle of off-kilter chic. Here, the practical clog got a lift, becoming a crystal-embellished pump.
Paolo Lanzi17/18Dsquared2 fall 2026 hockey boot heels
Dean and Dan Caten were the first to cash in on the Heated Rivalry hype this season, with Hudson Williams opening the kitsch-squared brand’s winter sport-themed show. A viral bit? Sure, but the designers never do things by half, sending a suite of hockey blade-inspired boots with floating heels down the runway, too.
Getty Images18/18Chanel haute couture spring 2026 toadstool heels
Couture isn’t typically considered down-to-earth, but for his first showing for Chanel, Matthieu Blazy anchored airy looks with twee, fungi heels.
