Freaky shoe lovers, stand up.
Hybrid designs, cloven toes, chunky platforms, and furry and embellished creations are trending on TikTok. And the credit score for the newest footwear obsession on social media goes to Mandy Lee, the style author and analyst, also referred to as @oldloserinbrooklyn.
Past engagement together with her freaky shoe content material on platforms like TikTok, the idea has taken off to the purpose that The RealReal tapped Lee to curate an edit of freaky footwear — assume feathery Valentino boots, zebra-print Gucci platforms with a tail and the like.
“I’ve at all times been a shoe and coat woman; they’re my two favourite classes to gather, so it’s been a lifelong ardour,” Lee defined to FN, WWD’s sibling publication, by way of e-mail about how she acquired into freaky footwear.
Mandy Lee throughout NYFW spring 2026 on Sept. 14 in New York Metropolis.
Getty Pictures
Lee has cultivated an thrilling assortment of surprising footwear, which she shares together with her following. Take, as an illustration, the footwear she wore throughout this previous New York Vogue Week: Marni loafers with hoop piercings, Maison Margiela Tabi footwear with an open toe and Tory Burch Pierced pumps, amongst others.
Considering which is the freakiest of all her footwear, Lee stated, “Is determined by your freak barometer. Some would possibly say Vivienne Westwood animal paw boots from the ’90s, others would say brown leather-based and leopard fur Marni pierced loafers.”
Relating to styling freaky footwear, Lee provided sage knowledge: “My recommendation can be to have conviction in your style. In case you like a shoe, there’s no proper or incorrect approach to type them.”
These fascinated about exploring the unusual footwear market can discover inspiration from lately unveiled spring 2026 collections. Lee made a video concerning the clear-shoe development, adopted by the likes of Simone Rocha and Loewe for spring 2026; Loewe layered socks of various colours with clear kitten heels.
Lee had a backstage take a look at Tory Burch spring 2026 footwear, which embody a spin on a peep-toe with a skinny slit and a brand new tackle the model’s pierced embellishment, footwear with intricate, colourful beading and kinds with a singular chain embellishment draped on the vamp.
The choices appear countless relating to unconventional footwear. Sharing her favourite style of freaky shoe, Lee named a stylish type that she noticed coming years in the past: “Ballet sneaker hybrids for positive. Ballet sneakers have been considered one of my first development predictions that went viral on TikTok in 2021 and after I began getting actually into hybrid footwear. They may at all times be a signature type in my closet.”
Backstage on the Tory Burch trend present as a part of spring 2026 New York Vogue Week.
Weston Wells/WWD
Sure manufacturers stand out to Lee relating to making out-of-the-box footwear: “Sandy Liang and Tory Burch. Simone Rocha is thee underappreciated OG of feminine-leaning hybrid footwear and she or he deserves her flowers. There’s by no means been this a lot selection and bizarre choices on a mainstream degree.”
Lee’s content material has proven her love for the collaborative relationship between Simone Rocha and Crocs; the manufacturers dropped their spring 2026 assortment this month.
As for what she attributes the recognition of freaky footwear to, Lee joked, “Me,” then added, “On an actual notice, I believe trend inflicting shock and awe is kind of a factor of the previous. The bar for what disturbs and strikes us as people has been raised so excessive that manufacturers don’t actually have a alternative aside from experimentation to face out.”
The author and analyst added, “There’s additionally this demand for private type ‘authenticity’ in trend areas, which I consider will get misconstrued for uniqueness. You may be genuine and boring, you may be genuine and bizarre, you may be inauthentic and boring, you may be inauthentic and bizarre. It’s a good time to play and have enjoyable however it’s additionally a time the place attempting too laborious is extra apparent than ever.…Vibrams come to thoughts. The freak shoe sequence was born out of a love for gathering, curating and sharing my type with my viewers and it’s developed right into a world of its personal.”
