Actress Margaret Qualley has stepped onto the red carpet in London wearing Chanel's controversial barefoot heels for the premiere of her movie The Dog Stars.
Qualley, who has maintained a close relationship with the French luxury house for years, made the unusual footwear the central focus of her outfit at the event.
The footwear design was created by Matthieu Blazy for Chanel's Cruise 2026-2027 collection, which debuted in Biarritz at the end of April. Biarritz is a historic seaside resort town in southwestern France where founder Coco Chanel opened her first couture house outside Paris in 1915.
When the collection was shown on the catwalk, the shoes immediately drew attention away from the clothing because the models appeared to be walking almost entirely barefoot.
Dubbed barefoot heels, the design quickly generated intense debate among fashion observers over whether the experimental style would ever be worn outside fashion shows.
Design of the barefoot heels
Rather than covering the foot, the footwear practically disappears on the wearer. It consists only of a heel and delicate black straps that tie over the instep and wrap around the ankle, leaving the toes and upper foot exposed.
Viewed from a short distance, the design resembles a piece of jewelry fitted around the foot rather than a conventional shoe.
Qualley became the first major actress to wear the shoes for a high-profile public appearance. She complemented the open design with a dark pedicure, drawing further attention to areas of the foot usually concealed by standard footwear.
The design reflects Blazy's ongoing work with Chanel's historic design codes. While the house established the classic two-tone shoe as one of its defining symbols, Blazy has reinterpreted the concept by removing structural elements rather than adding them.
Styling at the London premiere
Qualley was styled for the premiere by Hollywood fashion stylist Danielle Goldberg, who kept the rest of the look strictly within the Chanel collection.
The actress wore a floor-length black gown featuring a deep V-neckline. The surface of the dress was decorated with small circular details and fringes that created movement as she walked.
The gown was also drawn from the Cruise 2026-2027 collection shown in Biarritz, where it was originally presented with different runway accessories.
Qualley wore her hair loose, kept her jewelry minimal, and did not carry a prominent handbag, allowing the gown and the footwear to remain the focus of the ensemble.
The red carpet moment follows seasons where sheer fabrics and naked dresses have dominated celebrity fashion. Chanel's new approach offers a different interpretation of revealing design by paring footwear down to its bare essentials.
