Last weekend, I was minding my own business on the subway when a group of women began to laugh at my outfit. Perhaps you think I m full of myself for assuming these women with likely very full and exciting lives were spending their precious time together discussing little old me, but I knew they were—that s because they were pointing and staring at my feet. So, was I barefoot on the train? Wearing fish-shaped shoes? No, I was wearing a pair of chestnut brown knee-high boots once owned by Laura Reilly and purchased at a Liana Satenstein closet sale, to be exact. More importantly, they were Maison Margiela Tabi shoes.
One of the freakiest shoes in the history of mankind, Martin Margiela s Tabi shoe (born at his 1988 runway show) was inspired by the Japanese split-toe socks that date back to the 15th century. Slipping them on instantly transforms the wearer into a cloven-footed fashion provocateur. After countless cultural touchpoints that involve the shoe—think split-toe rhinestone slippers and a woman who had her hooved shoes stolen post-Tinder date—the Tabi has officially made it to our beauty routine. Meet the Tabi manicure.
Australian manicurist Molly Jones created her first Tabi manicure at the request of a client. “I had seen it floating around online and was very keen to try it out myself,” the founder of Maison Gel tells Vogue. To start the now-viral manicure, Molly used Aprés Gel X tips (think of them as extensions for your nails, but made of durable clear plastic) filed into a ballerina shape. “Then I painted the French manicure as normal with a cream polish, slightly following the curvature of Tabi flats. I mixed some powder with the same gel polish to thicken it in order to do the bow. Added a top coat, then used a needle-nose diamond drill bit to do the split. I did it slightly off center to mimic the big toe split on the shoes.” She calls it a “more wearable” version of the trend, whereas other nail creators like the Copenhagen-based Silke and Sabina de la Cruz have gone more literal.
Of course, much like reactions to the shoe, responses to the manicure have been mixed—even amongst the Tabi-obsessed themselves.
“Tabis were my gateway shoe to freakier pastures,” says fashion analyst Mandy Lee, known online as Old Loser in Brooklyn. “I ve been collecting them for five years. I m the mother of freaky shoes and love any pair that s fun and different.” And while she has six different pairs of the style, her ruling on trying out the nail trend is quick: “Nope. I’ve never been a big nail girl, so a simple, short one-color manicure is the only nail trend that suits my personal style.”
Maximalist fashion writer and jewelry designer Kristen Bateman, on the other hand, has this look at the top of her must-try list with manicurist Mei Kawajiri. (Her past manis have included 3D teeth and a tiny tea party fully equipped with cup and saucer). “I’ll try any unusual nail art idea at least once,” says Bateman, who owns seven pairs of Tabis and even a Margiela Tabi bag. “I think the best nails are unexpected and inspired by personal interests and real life. I usually show my nail artist photos of random things I love, instead of someone else’s nails, so naturally I love this trend.”
When Vogue s new HOEC, Chloe Malle, requested I try the manicure out for the story, I immediately declined. “Chloe, these are my real nails,” I said with pride, wiggling my extra-long rounded almond talons in the air. “I m not doing that to my real nails.” Tabis are for my feet, only.
