Lingerie dressing has picked up steam in recent months. While usually reserved for more casual (or, truly, intimate) settings, it’s been worn by stars to some pretty high-profile occasions—everywhere from the runways to the red carpets. The style has conjured up fads like visible bras and exposed thongs. But rarely have we seen lingerie detailing transferred to footwear.
Well, on Thursday in Paris, Suki Waterhouse did just that when she attended the Fendi couture fall/winter 2023 show. The actress stepped out to the event in a fairly straightforward black outfit upon first glance—a black cardigan, leather pencil skirt, and thigh-high boots. When posing at the photo call, the boots, yes, were interesting. However, they seemed to take a backseat to the rest of the outfit.
But an Instagram snap Waterhouse later shared made it known that they were truly the star of the whole look. The pair followed a pretty simple trajectory up until the knee area—a gold heel gave way to a classic leather boot shape. There were also a variety of gold buckles and accents on the bottom half.
When the shoe reached the knee, though, there was a sizable cut out followed by an almost thong-like triangle strap that wrapped around the same area. Is this Fendi’s attempt at making exposed whale tails and boots a thing? In any event, it’s a clever way to get it on the cut-out trend without exposing too much, and perhaps a sneaky commentary on the days when a woman showing even her knees was considered scandalous.
Up the entirety of the boot, there was also corset-style lacing and several leather straps. The pair, as well as Waterhouse’s look, were from Fendi’s fall/winter 2023 collection—she paired the sweater and skirt with gold sunglasses and the brand’s Peekaboo bag.
Knee-high boots, of course, aren’t groundbreaking in and of themselves. The closest similar pieces we’ve seen are probably Victoria Beckham’s exposed toe pair or Kylie Jenner’s thong Margiela boots, both of which nodded to more intimate styles. But Waterhouse’s had an added lingerie spin that we’ve rarely seen before.