Lars Byrresen Petersen gives us his all-time favorite heels, from Margiela's Tabi to Balenciaga's Lego Sandal.
Looking forward at what designers have to offer in terms of footwear is what Lars Byrresen Petersen does best. A freelance fashion journalist and the owner of the cult status @larslala Instagram account, he documents a vast array of fabulous, avant-garde, and obscene shoes (and models’ poor feet as the struggle to walk in them.)
Petersen definitely knows a thing or two about shoes, and through roughly 800 images, a common denominator on his account is brands’ darkly comical deprioritization of the fit and functionality. His Instagram account embraces the battle between practicality and beauty, highlighting fashion’s obsession with low-brow pastiche and high-brow absurdity with cheeky captions. Here, Petersen curates his top five greatest shoes of all time.
“The Margiela Tabi will forever be my favorite shoes. I collect them and have too many pairs (I only really wear three of them.) They have been in style since the release in 1989, and they’ll remain in style forever. One thing you can count on when you wear Tabis: someone always has something to say—good or bad. I am not crazy about the amount the house is churning out right now but the more I see people wearing them, the more I love them and realize they look good with everything and on everyone. ”
Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer 2017
“When I look at fashion I want to be entertained; I want fun! Marc Jacobs does this brilliantly. From his love of pop culture and his unique sense of style, he truly creates the funnest footwear at the moment. My favorite pair, as of now, are the platforms from his SS17 collection. Can you imagine any of those super high platforms with a slick, tailored suit? Simple yet so EPIC.”
Nicolas Ghesquiere for Balenciaga Fall/Winter 2007
“The futurism in these shoes is amazing. I feel like these heels really changed the game. But then which of Ghesquiere’s designs for Balenciaga didn’t? I want to see a bionic human wear these in a very near future—it will be a visual orgasm!”
Glenn Martens for Y/Project Fall/Winter 2018
“The tartan scrunchy boots that Glenn Martens did for Y/Project’s FW18 collection are amazing. I love how they make the legs look extra long and slim, and I love how different they are from any other designer. ”
Kobi Levi Gum Heels
“Honestly, I find these shoes very ugly. But they make me laugh. I have always been a fan of people who manage to turn life’s most innocent problems into something brilliant. And that is exactly what Levi has managed to do with these shoes. Once I finally get my TikTok started, these will be in the first post!”
