When Chanel launched its bizarre half-shoes, the world wondered who would actually wear them. Well, Margaret Qualley became the person we were all waiting for, stepping out in the viral shoes at the premiere of The Dog Stars in London on Thursday.

She paired the shoes with a black V-neck dress covered in fringe, letting the bizarre footwear do most of the talking. The shoes cover only the heel, leaving the toes and balls of the feet completely exposed. At first glance, it genuinely looks as though Qualley has walked onto the red carpet barefoot.

The only thing to be personally thankful for? At least they protect your heels.

The shoes first made an appearance on the runway in April this year, as part of Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel 2027 Cruise collection. Models walked in sandals that were less conventionally recognisable as shoes and more like a collection of thin straps, tiny heels and barely-there construction. There were several versions showcased on the runway, from metallic finishes to black and brown iterations, all seemingly designed to make us question what exactly qualifies as footwear.

The collection was an ode to Biarritz, the French seaside town where Coco Chanel opened her first couture salon in 1915. Resortwear was very much the biggest part of the collection, drawing from the relaxed glamour and coastal spirit associated with the destination.

Fshion has always been a tool to grab attntion and break rules. Perhaps for Blazy, the point was never to make a practical shoe. The half-shoes take the idea of a beach sandal and push it to its most absurd extreme, leaving the toes completely bare while giving the heel just enough coverage to technically call it footwear.

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But Qualley, naturally, had other plans.

She took one of the collection’s strangest pieces and brought it straight to the red carpet, proving that the boundary between runway experiment and celebrity styling is becoming increasingly blurry. And honestly, what better place to test out a pair of shoes that look like they forgot to finish than a film premiere?

There is something chaotic about the Chanel half-shoe – it’s fascinating as well. It is impractical-looking, slightly ridiculous and somehow still very fashion. Would I dare to call it chic? Not sure? I would definitely call anyone who wears them someone with guts. It has the sort of visual confusion that makes you stare twice, then question whether you hate it or desperately want to try it.

Qualley’s styling also keeps the look from becoming too costume-like. The simple black dress, with its sharp V-neck and cascading fringe, gives the shoes enough space to become the focal point without competing with them. The result is quintessential fashion-week logic applied to the red carpet: take something that makes absolutely no sense in everyday life and wear it with enough confidence that suddenly everyone else starts wondering if they have been doing shoes wrong.

And perhaps that is the real Chanel trick.

The half-shoe may leave most of your foot exposed, but it has certainly covered one thing: the internet’s attention.