So why all the fuss? “I love the aesthetic of these boots, they’re totally crazy…between Cruella and Barbarella,” says Trochu. “With their quirky look and pointed toe, the Cagoles stretch the leg and draw a killer silhouette.” For Fashion Projects Editor Julia Hobbs, it goes beyond the flattering silhouette these dangerously skinny stilettos provide. “I like to think that Balenciaga’s spiked Cagole boots are here to avenge the wholesome appeal of high-end hiking sandals that have dominated our summer shoe choices for the past five years,” says Hobbs. “Paying homage to the house’s splashy Cagole It-bag, these witchy tassel knee-highs are the sleeper hit of summer 2022 precisely because they don’t profess a feel-good lifestyle.” Their appeal, she adds, is that they’re naughty, nocturnal and speak directly to the motorcycle trend, which Demna has been doing for a long time but is now all over Instagram.
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While Balenciaga’s creative director and his stylist right-hand man Lotta Volkova have styled the Cagoles with loose, waterfall-hem dresses and grungy hoodie and coat combos, the consensus among industry insiders is that micro- hemlines are best for framing these racy shoes. The boot length, coupled with the fact that you’ll be wearing a leather jacket over your shoulders, means there’s actually less exposed skin than the miniskirt trend suggests. Cheek-grazing fashion not your thing? “I also like to wear them under a loose cargo skirt that skims the ankle on days when I’m pretending to be low-key,” adds Hobbs, who cites the Mis-Teeq girls as his muses: “They really knew how to wear a pointed knee.
