If You Thought Kitten Heels Were Bad, You're Not Ready for This Shoe Trend

White, kitten heels, sock boots, elastic edges, V-neck courts, slip-on sneakers, glove shoes, cowboy boots, latticework leather—Céline's Phoebe Philo has kick-started almost every big shoe trend of the past decade. There's just no denying it when you look at the pictorial proof (and that's something I do a lot). I recall many of these must-haves started life on the lists of fashion editors almost instantaneously, while many others looked on in dismay. Would we really get the idea of white shoes being trashy out of our minds? Yes. Could kitten heels truly feel modern? Absolutely. Time and again this Parisian fashion house has broken down the preconceptions we've had for certain footwear trends, and here's another one we never knew we'd need to consider: the big-toe-covered high heel.

You read that correctly. Step in Céline's range of "Pirate" shoes: a selection of mules and strappy sandals that play a kind of fetishistic game with your toes, revealing your second, third, fourth and fifth little piggies but covering up your big toe.

Australian super-stylist Christine Centenera was one of the first insiders to be spotted in them, taking her white pair for a stroll during July's Haute Couture fashion week in Paris months before many even cottoned onto them.

Blogger Tamara Kalinic recently picked up a pair of the Pirate mules in black—look closely, and you'll see that this particular style also features a multicoloured snakeskin heel for extra oomph. In addition, we've learnt that the nappa leather of the main shoe means these are super comfy to slip on.

Related: These Boots Were Huge in 2017, But This Autumn, They Have Never Been Cooler