Margaret Qualley steps out in £2,200 Chanel ‘barefoot sandals’ at London premiere of her new film The Dog Stars
One of summer’s greatest pleasures is walking barefoot on the beach. Back in the real world, most of us can’t put our shoes on again fast enough.
It’s one thing to feel the sand between your toes, and quite another to feel a shard of glass or lump of chewing gum.
But American actress Margaret Qualley proved she’s happy to walk where angels and most mortals fear to tread.
At the premiere of her film The Dog Stars, Ms Qualley, the 31-year-old daughter of Four Weddings And A Funeral star Andie MacDowell, traversed Leicester Square in a pair of ‘barefoot sandals’ comprised of nothing more than two thin leather straps and a tiny heel cap, leaving most of her foot bare to the elements – and the pavement.
Before you suggest that these sandals couldn’t possibly catch on, it’s worth knowing they were designed by Matthieu Blazy for Chanel, and shown as part of his debut Resort 2027 collection unveiled in Biarritz in April.
While it’s not yet known whether they’ll be made available to buy, so fervent is the hype surrounding Chanel since Blazy took over as artistic director last year that you wouldn’t bet against there already being a waiting list.
American actress Margaret Qualley proved she’s happy to walk where angels and most mortals fear to tread
At the premiere of her film The Dog Stars, Ms Qualley traversed Leicester Square in a pair of ‘barefoot sandals’
The sandals comprised of nothing more than two thin leather straps and a tiny heel cap, leaving most of her foot bare to the elements – and the pavement
As a former ballet dancer, Ms Qualley’s feet are certainly more used to being put through their paces than most women’s
The actress donned a pair of quirky Chanel ‘barefoot’ sandals from the brand’s 2027 collection as she walked the red carpet at the event
The feeding frenzy at Chanel, dubbed ‘Blazymania’, has seen operating profits rise by 5 per cent to £3.4billion since he took the helm.
Fashion is no stranger to the ‘silly’ shoe. Take Balenciaga’s platform Crocs – a snip at £720 – and Golden Goose’s ‘distressed’ leather sneakers, which cost £420 and are deliberately covered in scuff marks and dirt.
As a former ballet dancer, Ms Qualley’s feet are certainly more used to being put through their paces than most women’s.
After so many hours ‘en pointe’, perhaps walking London’s pavements barefoot was a cinch.
Or perhaps, after a challenging time, she simply wanted to feel grounded again – last month she announced her separation from her husband of three years, record producer Jack Antonoff, 42, a close friend of Taylor Swift.
Rather than teaming her invisible sandals with an invisible dress, Qualley wore a long black cap-sleeved Chanel gown with fluttering black paillettes. The actress has been a Chanel ambassador since the age of 16.
Judging by her enthusiasm for toeing the line, her contract looks sure to last for a good while longer.
