What are these strange shoes that have been invading the catwalks for several seasons?

Rebellious and daring, shoes with turned-up toes are emerging as the new obsession of designers—and could well make the leap from the runways to our shoe closets.

Shoe tips are rising and pointing skyward: this is the new stylistic twist that is redefining footwear trends. Seen on the Spring/Summer 2025 catwalks, these bold curves notably marked the Prada show, where the tongue of heeled loafers was raised forward, injecting a rebellious touch into the preppy-chic style. The trend continues and intensifies during the Fall/Winter 2025-2026 season, where designers are pushing the idea to its paroxysm with sharp and exaggerated tips. Marc Jacobs delves into a whimsical and cartoonish world with his oversized boots with sharp ends , evoking a pirate silhouette. At Prada , the men’s collection revisits cowboy boots with outrageously raised toes, an exuberance also adopted by Balenciaga for its Pre-Fall 2025 collection, captured on an iPhone. Demna Gvasalia, the house’s creative director, imagines sculptural thigh-high boots whose turned-up toes reveal a metal plaque with a logo. In a more committed approach, Rei Kawakubo, for Comme des Garçons Homme, subverts the military aesthetic with leather boots whose front, abruptly bent at a right angle, seems to freeze a march stopped dead in its tracks—like a symbol of resistance in the face of war.

The raised tip and its origins

Historically, the turned-up toe has its roots in Mongolia, Russia and Central Asia, where extreme weather conditions required functional solutions. Designed to protect against the cold and erosion, it prevented snow and mud from seeping into nomads’ boots while slowing down their wear on rocky terrain. This particularity has since been reinterpreted throughout the ages, notably with cowboy boots, which have become the ultimate iconic boot of 2023/2024. Today, turned-up shoes are a playful and assertive detail, infusing a silhouette with character. While Marc Jacobs’ oversized versions are more of a fashion statement than an everyday one, slightly exaggerated pointed-toe boots are more easily integrated into a wardrobe. They pair perfectly with bootcut jeans—designed to be worn with boots, as the name suggests—or with a sleek skirt and wool coat, toning down their cartoonish appeal.