Fashion lovers poke fun at Loewe’s new $1,450 ‘grandma’ shoes

‘Please not the mom at the beach shoes,’ one critic begs

Fashion fans are poking fun at Loewe’s $1,450 “grandma” shoes.

The Spanish luxury house - known for its unexampled, almost cartoon-like creations - showcased their spring/summer 2024 collection back in September, offering a line of big-buckle sandals, bedazzled flats, stormy polo dresses, and ballooned trouser shorts.

One shoe caught the attention of many by its apparent style resurgence. With its combination of Loewe’s emblem round-toe, an interlaced suede outer caging, and a 90mm heel, the campo wedge sandal reminded some of the footwear favoured by an older generation.

“My mom would love these,” one user quipped on X, formerly Twitter, under a picture of the Loewe wedges.

Another woman questioned: “Why is Loewe giving grandma?”

“Please not the mom at the beach shoes,” a third person jokingly pleaded, while another individual remarked: “Maybe when I retire.”

One harsh shoe critic commented: “Wedges are a plague.”

Despite the humoured fashion enthusiasts, a group of open-minded style fans admitted they’d probably become enamoured with the wedges if they were to actually own them, like one person who said: “I’d wear them for s***s and gigs but they would slowly become a staple in my closet.”

“I kinda need them they remind me of jellies,” a second X user wrote, while another added: “I just know if I styled them well they’d be a sick look.”

Though many online weren’t eager to splurge on Loewe’s campo wedges, the style was far from the brand’s most eccentric sandal.

In 2023, the house introduced a playful pair of heels that formed an unforeseen relationship between makeup and footwear. The petal brush heel - a strappy, open-toe design - replaced the usual block with a kitten heel made to look like a makeup brush. For $1,700, a buyer could walk about the city sweeping the sidewalks with the brush head, or dab the shoe bottom in blush for their cheeks.

Loewe’s fall/winter 2023 campaign featured brand ambassador Taylor Russell lightly polishing her neck with the heel. Meanwhile on TikTok, fashion influencers tested the strengths of the brush by using it to put on a full face of makeup.

“I expect a lot from my shoes,” creator Lara Violetta said in a November 2023 video, in which she coated her heel in setting powder before rubbing it under her eyes.