SOLE CRUSHING

A-Lister Raises Eyebrows With ‘Unsanitary’ Red Carpet Shoes

The rest of the event’s attendees opted for regular footwear.

Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for COS

By Pia BelloUpdated Aug 21, 2026 2:19PM EDT

An actress toed the line between tacky and trendy with her bizarre choice of red-carpet footwear.

Margaret Qualley attended the London premiere of her new film, The Dog Stars, on August 20 wearing Chanel’s controversial “barefoot” sandals. The 31-year-old star, whose parents are actress Andie MacDowell and former model Paul Qualley, became the first major celebrity to wear the French fashion house’s divisive design.

Margaret Qualley at "The Dog Stars" premiere wearing simple makeup, silver earrings, and a straight, center-parted style. — Margaret Qualley kept her hair and makeup polished and pretty for the premiere of "The Dog Stars," but her shoes drew everyone's attention.
Karwai Tang/WireImage

She wore a black Chanel gown with a plunging V-neckline and allover fringe detailing for the occasion. She wore her deep-brown hair straight and kept her makeup simple, with a diffused rosy-brown lip color, a sheer wash of rose blush, and delicately winged black eyeliner.

But it was her footwear—or lack thereof—that immediately grabbed attention.

Margaret Qualley at 20th Century Studios' "The Dog Stars" World Premiere held at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on August 20, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Matt Crossick/Variety via Getty Images) — Margaret Qualley poses in head-to-toe Chanel at the London premiere of "The Dog Stars" held at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on August 20, 2026.
Variety/Variety via Getty Images

The style, often called “barefoot sandals,” features a minimalist leather heel cap with thin straps that tie around the ankle. It leaves the entire sole and toes completely bare.

Fashion commentator Nicky Campbell, whose followers call him “the Joan Rivers of TikTok,” quickly expressed his enthusiasm in an Instagram video.

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 20: Margaret Qualley, shoe detail, attends "The Dog Stars" World Premiere at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on August 20, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images) — Margaret Qualley picked French fashion house Chanel's divisive barely there footwear for the premiere.
Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images

Campbell, 29, said Qualley looks “stunning in Chanel,” adding that he is “deeply obsessed” with the style. His comment section was divided, however.

One follower wrote, “Shoes? They’re heel pads at best,” while another said, “Totally unusable. I get the whimsy, but these aren’t it.”

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 20: (L-R) Benedict Wong, Guy Pearce, Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin, Ridley Scott and Jacob Elordi attend the World Premiere of 20th Century Studios' 'The Dog Stars' at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square, London on August 20th, 2026 (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for The Walt Disney Company Limited) — Benedict Wong, Guy Pearce, Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin, Ridley Scott, and Jacob Elordi attended the London premiere of "The Dog Stars" on August 20th, 2026. The rest of the cast opted to wear normal shoes.
Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for The Walt Disney

Meanwhile, another commenter raised safety concerns, writing, “Not healthy for foot care,” noting “red carpets are nasty,” and worrying about accidentally stepping on glass or nails. Fellow critics deemed her footwear “unsanitary.”

BIARRITZ, FRANCE - APRIL 28: A model, fashion detail, walks the runway during the Chanel Cruise 2026/27 on April 28, 2026 in Biarritz, France. (Photo by Marc Piasecki/Getty Images) — Chanel creative director Matthieu Blazy said he “wanted to evoke the down-to-earth feeling of a woman coming out of the beach or the sea.”
Marc Piasecki/Getty Images

Still, others defended the Chanel shoe. Stylist Kim Russell wrote, “Everyone’s so close-minded. Can’t people have fun, weird, hideous shoes anymore?!”

Other commenters said they love the look, while one wrote, “Just fabulous.”

A supporter even praised celebrity stylist Danielle Goldberg, who dressed Qualley for the event, for being “bold enough to send these down a red carpet.”

Qualley, an official Chanel ambassador since 2020, first walked the runway for the brand in 2011 when she was 17 years old. Since then, the actress has also walked in the brand’s Haute Couture show in 2021 and opened the Spring/Summer Haute Couture 2024 collection in January that year as the bride.

From the front, the Chanel 2026-2027 Cruise collection shoes were undetectable, their straps resembling an anklet.
Vincent West/Reuters

The shoe sparked criticism when Chanel unveiled the style during its Cruise 2026/2027 show in Biarritz, France on April 26.

The French luxury fashion house wrote in the show notes that creative director Matthieu Blazy “wanted to evoke the down-to-earth feeling of a woman coming out of the beach or the sea.” It said that the design would achieve “shoes that almost look like jewelry.