There’s a new revenge dress in town, and it’s pants. And… It's also a shoe. It’s actually both! Kim Kardashian’s post-breakup fashion staple — the pantashoe — is essentially the 21st century version of Princess Diana’s 1994 Christina Stambolian off-shoulder number, widely deemed as the ultimate revenge couture. Much like the iconic noughties number, the pantashoes too, are designed to highlight your gait, plays with the idea of covering-up and is ideally meant to be a power statement, rather than a party number.
Though Kim Kardashian has been relying on the curious hybrid trend to explore her post-breakup style, the pantashoe isn’t exactly new. Balenciaga’s Demna Gvasalia designed the hip-hugging, spandex bottoms for his A/W 2017 show. The ’80s-inspired pull-up styling was the designer’s take on fetish wear and isn’t exactly meant to be relatable. It’s essentially A-lister-wear.
Stylist duo Pranay Jaitly and Shounak Amonkar of Who Wore What When who have styled almost every celebrity from Vidya Balan to Kalki Koechlin, find this new trend to be quite versatile. “We used a lovely pair of Gucci pantashoe in one of our shoots, and we've styled it for other shoots as well. It may appear to be uncomfortable at first, but it’s definitely wearable,” they share.
For those who love thigh-high boots or even the full-body ‘catsuit,’ the pantashoe is quite a breakthrough. But how usable is it really? In an age of utility-first fashion, it may be a dud but then again, it’s peak celebrity fashion. You never know when you’ll need to take off your shoe (what if it starts raining or you need to visit your boss’s house, or worse, a Starbucks bathroom?). But Kim Kardashian and Beyonce probably never have to worry about this. Plus, they have private bathrooms (and possibly a mini squad to help them take the complicated shoe-pants off of them).
Jaitly and Amonkar, however, swear by the efficiency of this particular styling. “It's functional because, at the end of the day, it's pants. It's also convenient for the wearer when they don't want to take off their boots to wear pants. They are essentially high boots that can be worn once and then taken off as a single piece of clothing. It makes quite a statement,” shares the stylist duo.
Even if we do believe in the merits of the pantashoe, can we get our hands on one this season?
For the much-anticipated luxury collaboration The Hacker Project which infuses Balenciaga silhouettes with Gucci style codes, Alessandro Michele introduced limited-edition pantaleggings that come with attached shoes, an elastic waistband and zip and button closure. However, this number is only available in Gucci stores since it needs a made-to-measure service. So, any Gucci flagship is a good place to start.
Uncut Gems star Julia Fox, who has been seeing Kim’s famous ex, Kanye West, recently wore a pair of relaxed high-waist, denim pants that morph directly into a boot. But the brand’s Spring/Summer 22 line isn’t available for purchase yet. So, the closest you can get to a pantashoe this season is by splurging on the highest boot you can find, so it gives the illusion of pants. Diesel’s D-YUCCA OTK thigh-high boots can be of use. They’re available for purchase here.
You can also opt for a classical Lanvin pair or sky-scraping Zanotti boots that are much easier to take off and probably more usable as party picks.