Louis Vuitton's fake leg boots are the strangest optical illusion of the year

The world of fashion can be intimidating, exclusive and downright confusing at times, but Louis Vuitton's latest release might be the strangest creation I've ever seen. The fashion house has created an optical illusion boot that emulates the look of a high-heeled shoe, for whatever reason that may be (although by the looks of it, it's certainly not for comfort). 

Even high fashion savants on social media have branded the boot as 'creepy' and it's not hard to see why. One thing's for certain, the future of fashion is certainly looking a little dystopian. (For more mind-bending art, take a look at our collection of must-see optical illusions). 

The luxury French fashion house is renowned for its classic style, so it's unusual to see such a strange design hit the runway. Lo and behold, the 'Illusion Boot' was displayed during the brand's Fall 2023 runway show, available in both below-the-knee and ankle boot styles. It emulates the look of a bare leg sporting white LV socks and black pump heels and comes in two skin tones – although I don't think the flesh-toned zips help the realism. 

Despite the strange design, the boots are hand-painted, showing a surprisingly bespoke (albeit bizarre) craftsmanship that's certainly praiseworthy. That's perhaps the reason that the boot retails for a cool $2,470 – apparently, it costs a lot of money to look this strange.  

The provocative shoes have caused a stir online, especially after fashion TikToker @izzipoopi bought the boots, hailing them as the "ultimate polly pocket shoe". Upon unboxing the shoes, Izzi burst into fits of laughter at the absurdity of the design. Her followers were equally amused and disturbed, with one writing "it’s like the uncanny valley for legs," while another commented, "Girl, you bought LV cankles?!" 

Despite the obvious odd design, I have to admit that I quite like these boots. I think it's interesting to see a classic fashion house embracing more unorthodox design and as far as optical illusions go, this is definitely the strangest I've seen all year. 

@izzipoopi

Ultimate pollypocket/trompe-loeil boots

♬ original sound - IZZI

For more eye-catching op-art take a look at the optical illusion sculpture that had the internet enamoured, or check out the creepy optical illusion that stumped TikTok users.