For some, seeing a Maison Margiela Tabi shoe for the first time was the sartorial equivalent to tasting your first olive; from that first whiff you knew you were on a long and loving path together. For others, they discovered an immediate distaste that has kept them on other ends of the table (or department store) from the provocateur since they first met.
Many that work in fashion have found themselves falling into a middle camp, having seen their initial distrust quietly usurped by a growing fondness, which in some cases has developed into outright devotion.
For those that have caught the Tabi bug, the symptoms are strong. As most of us have heard by now, there’s a Tabi swiper on the loose. This week in New York TikTok user Lex (@nextlevellexuss) took to the app to issue a public service announcement for bachelorettes in the city to “beware” a man named Joshua who she claimed had stolen her beloved pair of Mary-Jane Tabis. As it does, TikTok delivered its comeuppance to the thief who, it transpired, had stolen the shoes whilst at Lex’s house on a Tinder date to then gift to his girlfriend. For those concerned for the victim, worry not, her trusty Tabis have now been returned.
As fashion obsessions go, resorting to theft is an unsually high (and criminal) level to stoop to in order to come out with the goods, but the love of the Tabis runs strong. Spotted across London, Paris and New York, the cities bravest are styling the shoe trend on the regular. Whilst some editors cant thinks of any fate worse than strapping in to a pair of Mary-Jane Tabis, for others owning a pair it a fashion dream on par with attending the Met Gala and launching a capsule collection.
In the Who What Wear UK team we have editors who fall into both categories, and below have fought their corners for and against the divisive shoe.
“One thing that you should know about me, is that I love an ugly shoe. Furry clogs, crocs and kitten heels will always have a place in my shoe cupboard. But there is no shoe more divisive, ensures more second glances, than the Margiela Tabi. To some it’s a cute ballet flat or classic pair of boots that have been ruined by the toe split that—and let’s call it for what it is—resemble a camel toe. But to me, they’re a timeless fashion-girl It-shoe and supremely chic. There was a time we could have also applauded them for being the ultimate man repeller, but in light of recent happenings in New York, sadly this fact no longer stands. Personally, I just can’t help but love that they celebrate the absurdity of fashion—their questionable ugliness, impracticality and downright silliness means liking them and embracing the blisters between your toes makes you almost part of a club. If you know, you know, and if you don’t, well—you don’t!”
“There’s something about the Tabi that I find unsettling. Looking at it I immediately flash back to the time Orlando Bloom wore those mesh toe shoes, and it gives me shudders. Although I do think plenty of influencers and fashion people style them chicly—they are Margiela, after all—this is a shoe even this footwear-obsessed fashion editor just can’t get behind. Mary Janes without toe separators, however, get a yes from me.”
Love them or hate them, you can’t help but notice them. Shop fashion’s most divisive trend below.
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