theory

these photos have been making the rounds on a lot of the fashion-watching blogs and websites:

 

you've probably seen them. 

they're from the louis vuitton spring 12 show....

i'm pretty sure that i can explain what's going on here...

it's called crocking, and it's pretty common.

you've all seen it when you've put a bag with a red strap onto your white t-shirt clad shoulder, and gone for a walk on a warm summer's day....

i'm guessing that these girls were wearing a different style of shoe at another show earlier the same day, and that the shoe was of a red / purple / dark color. the simple fact is that there was probably a bit of sweat involved (i heard the temperatures during paris fashion week were off-the-charts hot), and the color rubbed off on her foot. once that happens, it can be pretty difficult to get off....

the fact that there are clearly two girls in the same show with similarly stained feet only strengthens my argument. it's very likely that the walked in the same show previously, and had similar colors rub off on their feet. the one on the left even looks like the shape of a boot!

also, since the shoes that the girls wear on the runway are not production quality, a lot of the materials used are not finished to prevent crocking.

don't worry. by the time the offending shoe gets on a selling floor, the materials will be perfected, and they won't make your feet look this way, i promise.

so, there... mystery solved. 

i'm not going to argue that modeling is a dangerous & unhealthy profession. however, spending 5 minutes walking down a runway in sample shoes that are not meant to be worn on the street is not doing these girls any harm.

i'd spend more time making sure they are above the age of 16, and are eating decent meals every day, before we freak out about a couple of ugly photos of feet!!