Stella McCartney Revives Her Most Controversial Shoe - And Gen Z Is Obsessed.

Graziadaily

3 days ago

Fashion's necromantic tendencies - its compulsive need to to resurrect the dead - can be equal part revelation and regret. Some silhouettes require a respectful dormancy to build desire again, while others deserve to stay buried in the murky depths of a mothballed wardrobe. And yet, here we are, brushing off a shoe that once loomed large in the collective Tumblr consciousness: Stella McCartney's Elyse platform.
From L-R: Kendall Jenner; Rihanna ©Getty
Yes, those shoes. The architectural, vegan brogues-on-stilts that looked part orthopaedic fantasy, part Spice Girls tour memorabilia. The kind of footwear that walked so Margiela's Tabi boots could sprint through Tik Tok. And now, they're back - in a limited edition capsule of four styles, made using mycelium-based faux snakeskin and apple waste masquerading as cruelty-free croc. Which feels suitably 2025, doesn't it?
Stella McCartney Autumn/Winter '14 ©Stella McCartney
The always vegan Elyse first appeared on McCartney's Autumn/Winter '14 runway, a moment of maximalism wedged between normcore and streetwear taking over. It was also around the time that Kim K broke the internet with her Paper Magazine cover, and the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge poured all over our feeds. Back then, the Elyse had cultural pull: Rihanna wore them, Kendall wore them, Gigi wore them. And by proxy, you wanted to wear them too, even if they made stairs a risky sport.
Are they comfortable? Yes. Are they chic in the traditional sense? Absolutely not. But that's never been the point. The Elyse is less about refinement and more about sartorial punctuation. It's the kind of shoe that makes people stare (and occasionally trip). It's the same oddball appeal as Marant's wedge trainers or the return of Dior's early-aughts monogram saddle bags. So ugly they transcend. So try-hard they circle back to cool.
Which is exactly what makes them ripe for revival. If Gen Z can embrace five-toed Vibramswith a straight face and the wrong-shoe-theory (never mind camel toe Nike trainers), then there's room on the shelf (albeit a reinforced one) for Stella's Frankenstein creepers.
Now the reincarnated Elyse arrives with a freshly filtered face: Amelia Gray, model du jour and walking FYP, fronts the campaign. It's the stamp of approval that turns retro into relevant, and signals to a new generation that fashion is most fun when it doesn't take itself too seriously.
In short: we're in. Again, just watch your ankles. 1.
Stella McCartney, Elyse Platform 2.
Stella McCartney, Elyse Platform 3.
Stella McCartney, Elyse Platform
Henrik Lischke is the senior fashion news and features editor at Grazia. Prior to that, he worked at British Vogue, and was junior fashion editor at The Sunday Times Style.