A Thigh-High Ugg Just Debuted on the Y/Project Runway

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Photo: Courtesy of Jason Lloyd-Evans and Mitchell Sams

Just when we thought the ugly footwear trend had hit its peak, another so-bad-it’s-good shoe appears. Today at Paris Fashion Week Men’s, Y/Project revealed a deliciously warped collaboration with Ugg. The label’s creative director Glenn Martens took his signature exaggerated layers and added them to the guilty pleasure boot, beloved by children of the noughties, and busy moms. There were three versions worn by both men and women, including a pair of black Uggs turned into rippling cuissardes (Paris Hilton, eat your heart out!) and a tan version with more gargantuan proportions (think a soft, friendly Jabba the Hutt engulfing each thigh). The extreme height was meant to enhance an Ugg’s best quality: comfort. “Putting on Uggs is like putting your foot in a warm pot of butter, and I thought why not elevate that and immerse your full legs!” wrote Martens. “So we decided to design an Ugg boot that climbs up to the crotch and covers the whole leg.”

Photo: Courtesy of Jason Lloyd-Evans and Mitchell Sams

This isn’t the first time that Y/Project has churned out a peculiar yet chic shoe. For Spring 2018, there was a heel that coiled up to the pelvic bone and toe mules. Still, the Ugg felt like a new direction for a California label that has been known to twist everyday items into bizarre and runway-ready pieces, and a fun way to celebrate the California brand’s Paris runway debut. Talk about elevation—and proof that the basic Ugg need not be basic at all.