The Greenhouse Effect and "Dino Feet": YSL’s New Men's Shoes Leave the Public Horrified

As part of the iconic Saint Laurent Spring-Summer 2027 menswear show, the brand's creative director, Anthony Vaccarello, introduced a rather bizarre novelty: completely transparent men's dress shoes.

When the models hit the runway at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, walking through an immersive artificial fog installation, the audience was instantly distracted from the clothes. All eyes were glued to the eerie plastic footwear stepping through the haze. "I asked myself, 'Why do we torture women with plastic shoes and not men?'" Vaccarello commented with a smile after the show.

"A Little Creepy": Stylists Weigh In

Historically, menswear has always remained more conservative and rigid than womenswear. And one of Australia’s leading personal stylists argues there is a very good reason for that.

"When it comes to these new clear YSL shoes: men aren't exactly famous for having aesthetic feet or keeping up a strict foot-care routine," Jeff Lack said in an interview with news.com.au. "Personally, these shoes remind me of dinosaur feet, and it looks a little creepy."

The stylist added that, in his opinion, Vaccarello intentionally fueled the fire.

"The collection uses transparency for the sake of provocation, and it clearly worked—after all, you and I are talking about it right now."

A well-known Australian fashion blogger, who runs the Instagram account Fashion Critical, didn’t hold back either. In this case, the rule "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all" definitely didn't apply.

She immediately pointed her followers to the obvious issue: "Men walking in clear plastic dress shoes. I’ve long suspected that fashion designers are just trolling us, testing how much rich people are willing to shell out for downright ugly things.

The irony is that the show itself was called Beyond the Fog. That’s hilarious, because a real fog is about to roll in right inside those plastic shoes. Feet release moisture, you know. The moment they sweat even a little, the inside is going to fog up big time."

"I'm Calling the Police!": Social Media Reacts

Thousands of internet users agreed with the experts, noting that the sight of men's toes inside a plastic "fishbowl" was the last thing they ever wanted to see.

• "They must look incredibly 'luxurious' with all that sweat and condensation inside," one Instagram commenter ironized.

• "I just can't stop thinking about the smell," another added.

• "Imagine your husband waiting for you at the altar in those," a user wrote in horror, while another added, "I have never felt such severe secondhand embarrassment."

• "I'm calling the police!"

• Others noted that "high fashion just tests your patience sometimes."

The controversial footwear wasn't the only striking element of the show. Vaccarello broke traditional menswear norms with a few other touches: the runway featured plenty of gold, sheer tops, ultra-narrow (almost skinny) trousers, and vibrant parachute jackets.

One thing is for certain—Vaccarello absolutely succeeded in getting everyone talking.