{"id":80318,"date":"2023-09-06T17:10:48","date_gmt":"2023-09-06T07:10:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/?post_type=articles&p=238231"},"modified":"2023-09-07T22:34:02","modified_gmt":"2023-09-07T22:34:02","slug":"marc-jacobs-kiki-boots","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/marc-jacobs-kiki-boots\/","title":{"rendered":"Move Over Tabis, Marc Jacobs Kiki Boots Are The Latest Subcultural Shoes To Make It In The Mainstream"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Dua-Lipa-Kiki-Boots\"
Dua Lipa brought her Marc Jacobs Kiki Boots to her “endless summer holiday”. Here, we break down how the ‘anti fashion’ shoe has become the style du jour. Credit: Instagram\/@dualipa<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe higher the heel the closer to God,\u201d mused pop supernova, Dua Lipa<\/a>, in the caption of her latest Instagram photo. The bona fide fashion starlet is still on her endless summer vacation, but her latest sun-drenched and skin-tight fashion post offers us a reprieve from her signature slinky resort wear and micro bikinis.<\/a><\/p>\n

Perhaps in a subversive, Chlo\u00eb Sevigny-esque way, Lipa has quelled her tried-and-tested silhouette and offered us something the club kids would\u2019ve seen being doused in liquid on the dance floor at Tunnel or The Limelight.<\/p>\n

We are of course referring to Marc Jacobs\u2019 Kiki boots.<\/p>\n

Weighing in with a 4\u201d platform and 6.75″\u00a0inch heel\u2014quite a lot of mileage, despite what the sealed section of teen magazines<\/a> may tell you\u2014the vertiginous silhouette is a walking piece of fashion currency.<\/p>\n

Despite the pervasiveness of the style suggesting it\u2019s a cult piece plucked from fashion\u2019s archive, the Kiki boot first stepped out on the runway on Marc Jacobs\u2019 Fall\/Winter 2016 runway show<\/a>. Of course, the hypersonic speed<\/a> with which the style sells out and moves on the resale market would also suggest it\u2019s an insider secret from Jacobs\u2019 grunge days.<\/a><\/p>\n

Yet, despite the shoe’s frivolity and zaniness, Lipa’s post has reminded us that pieces once held sacred by the \u2018IYKYK\u2019 fashion sect, are now becoming revered as status symbols in the mainstream.<\/p>\n

In the years that followed Jacobs\u2019 FW16 show, both the thigh-high and ankle-grazing variations began their saturation from the wardrobes of Parsons graduates, SSENSE stylists and indie darlings alike into the zeitgeist.<\/p>\n

Now, no less than a decade later, the pieces are being packed into Lipa\u2019s holiday wardrobe.<\/a> They\u2019re making their debut at the Met Gala on Kendall Jenner. They even have a front-row seat to the Renaissance Tour<\/a>, showing up on the feet of Beyonce Giselle Knowles-Carter herself.<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Beyonce-Kiki-Boots.\"
Beyonc\u00e9 wore the Kiki Boots on stage at the Renaissance Tour. Credit: Instagram.com\/@marcjacobs<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

They\u2019ve become so prolific that Marc Jacobs<\/a> himself has even forgotten how many variations of the Victorian-esque boot he\u2019s designed, writing in an Instagram caption of the legendary LA-based vintage boutique, Pechuga Vintage,<\/a> how much he loved the colour of a distressed khaki green variant.<\/p>\n

The fashion archivist, stylist and fashion encyclopaedia behind Pechuga, Johnny Valencia<\/a>, argues that the shift from avant-garde pieces becoming a mainstream staple rather than a subculture phenomenon can be whittled down to a few reasons.<\/p>\n

(Just look at the MSCHF Red Boots<\/a> or JW Anderson Pigeon purse<\/a> breaking through the stealth wealth saturation to become some of the hottest fashion objects to own).<\/p>\n

\u201cThe anti-trend, trend. Our embrace of chaos,\u201d Valencia tells me over email from his L.A. office. \u201cI’ve stated this in the past, I think that surrealism and dada have taken centre stage, we revel in the random and we glorify the cringe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Pechuga-Vintage-Kiki-Boots\"
A viral interaction from Jacobs himself in the comment section of Pechuga Vintage’s Instagram post. Credit: Instagram\/@pechuga_vintage<\/a> and @yonnivalencia<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThink about what goes viral on our feeds. No one’s going to bat an eye at a homely penny loafer. That’s safe. We want conversation pieces, if the piece you’re wearing isn’t making a statement then what’s there to discuss, right?<\/p>\n

\u201cKikis have transcended as a status symbol piece and have now, dare I say it, become a closet staple. Who doesn’t want the extra inches in height nowadays? Think about it. And cults are fun, we love a sense of community.”<\/p>\n

Oftentimes these polarising styles fall into two categories: kitsch or camp. But unlike other viral gaudy styles, Valencia thinks Kikis pave their own path. Similar to how Maison Margiela Tabis<\/a> (but these needn’t an introduction) have become synonymous with deconstruction and high-brow theoretical sartorialism, Jacobs\u2019 boots are just a tool for empowerment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s just no denying the extra boost of confidence that a good platform gives you when you’re out and about. I personally benefit from a good heel, your legs are elongated, and you stand upright, like a good corset, a good pair of shoes is enough to change your whole attitude.”<\/p>\n

\"Marc-Jacobs\"
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 01: (L-R) Paris Hilton, Marc Jacobs, Kendall Jenner, Anitta and Kim Petras attends The 2023 Met Gala Celebrating “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 01, 2023 in New York City. Notice the shoes? Marc’s muses are all wearing Kikis. (Photo by Arturo Holmes\/MG23\/Getty Images for The Met Museum\/Vogue)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Look at style savants like Nicola Peltz Beckham. Known more for her Y2K Posh and Becks cosplay street style<\/a> than rebellious choices, the actress looked to the Kiki boots to reign her 28th Birthday in, pairing them with another \u2018of the minute\u2019 viral piece, Fanci Club\u2019s<\/a> sheer ruffled dress.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI believe in wearing whatever you want,\u201d Valencia said when I asked him if there is a difference between people who wear them to appreciate Jacobs\u2019 subversive know-how versus people who wear them because they’re trying to get in on a slice of insider cool.<\/p>\n

“To the girlies who have just started wearing them all I gotta say is: What took you so long? Beyonc\u00e9, we’re looking at you! Did you see her wearing the crystal Kikis during her Renaissance tour? I mean, what a moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Valencia also adds that Pechuga is very anti-\u2018you can’t sit with us\u2019. \u201cWe\u2019re\u00a0more in the mindset of \u2018grab your Kikis and come join us!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 26: Olivia Rodrigo wearing her Marc Jacobs Kiki Boots for the \u201cArtists Inspired by Music: Interscope Reimagined\u201d Art Exhibit Presented by Interscope Records and LACMA on January 26, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stefanie Keenan\/Getty Images for Interscope Records)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Nicola-Peltz-Kiki-Boots\"
Nicola Peltz Beckham in her Kiki Boots at her 28th birthday party. Credit: Instagram\/@nicolaannepeltzbeckham<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI asked Marc if he ever imagined the Kikis becoming the phenomenon that they are now and even he told me that he didn’t see that one coming. Personally, I think that the Kikis are a combination of right place, right time,” Valencia adds.<\/p>\n

“Societally we’ve built this fascination with embodying dolls, I think the Kikis’ best attribute is the bloc heel, the boots give you this amazing Bratz-like proportion. Coupled with the varying colours and textiles the boots came in, I think the Kikis were destined to become a fan favourite due to their collectibility.<\/p>\n

“Also, Marc’s social media presence gave the Kikis a boost, as a designer he’s so loved and seeing him wear the boots out and about only added to their charm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, Valencia could be slightly biased, considering he did admit to me that the shoes stand to be one of his favourites of all time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI camped outside the Heaven store when Marc Jacobs announced that they would be selling their FW16 Kiki inventory. The lilac boots I got that morning would go on to appear on the Met Gala Red Carpet on Grimes, then Lalisa Manoban wore them when she released her first single “Lalisa” and literally broke the internet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a pair of black lurex Kiki boots that Adriana Lima wore (Adriana recognised the boots because she had walked the Marc Jacobs SS17 show where the lurex textile first debuted). Kali Uchis rode a mechanical bull wearing a pair of the Pechuga Kikis and Brazilian superstar Sabrina Sato stepped off an *actual* helicopter whilst wearing a pair of Kikis she purchased from Pechuga. You can’t make this up. Thank goodness we have the pics!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42674,"featured_media":80319,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[17,16],"yoast_head":"\nMarc Jacobs Kiki Boots Are The Latest 'Anti Fashion' Status Symbol<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"From Dua Lipa to Beyonc\u00e9, every corner of Hollywood is crawling with Marc Jacobs Kiki Boots. 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