There was once a time when the mere sight of a split-toe shoe stood for pure and utter freakdom—an era when wearing a pair of tabis was all it took to instantly telegraph your fashion edginess to the world. Originating from traditional Japanese split-toe socks known as jika-tabi, the design was famously subverted by Martin Margiela for his debut runway collection in 1989, where models walked across a white canvas leaving behind bloody, hoof-like footprints. For decades, the tabi remained a polarizing underground staple, adored by avant-garde purists and viewed with skepticism by the mainstream.
Now, with their alternative status largely a thing of the past and split-toe silhouettes regularly dominating street style and commercial footwear trends, it takes a little bit more to genuinely pervert footwear. Enter Zendaya, an ardent tabi fab herself, who is currently on a persistent quest to funk up her already formidable shoe collection and keep the avant-garde spirit of the design alive.
The multi-hyphenate actor has spent the past week making waves in the French capital. After attending the Louis Vuitton spring 2027 ready-to-wear show in Paris earlier this week—where she notably delighted fashion enthusiasts by successfully rewearing one of her memorable press tour looks from her upcoming project The Odyssey—the star opted to stick around town rather than immediately jetting off to her next commitment. The extended stay in the global fashion capital has given street style photographers plenty of material, as the actor continues to demonstrate why she remains one of the industry’s most closely watched style icons.
Today, Z and her longtime assistant, Darnell Appling, were spotted taking a break from their busy schedule to stop by the renowned French concept store Merci, located in the historic Marais district of Paris. Known as a cultural hub for design, fashion, and home goods, the sprawling concept boutique provided the perfect backdrop for a casual afternoon outing. True to form, the actor used the low-key retail excursion as an opportunity to showcase an effortlessly cool outfit, effortlessly zhuzing up a classic, time-tested daytime look with a series of distinct, statement-making fashion choices.
Zendaya’s foundational base layer for the Paris afternoon was as classic as they come, relying on wardrobe staples that form the backbone of off-duty dressing across the globe. She stepped out in a pair of relaxed, light-wash denim jeans paired with a crisp, simple white shirt—a combination that is universally recognized as the ultimate blank canvas for elevated styling. However, with the European autumn weather settling in and the actor clearly ready to break out her cold-weather wardrobe, she decided to add a major layer of dramatic outerwear over the top to completely transform the casual ensemble.
Reaching into the archives, Zendaya topped her white shirt and light-wash jeans with a striking black leather Prada duster coat sourced directly from the fashion house’s storied fall 1999 collection. The heavy, dark outerwear piece brought an unmistakable Matrix-esque aesthetic to the sidewalk outing. With its tough, utilitarian leather construction and futuristic touches that defined late-90s runway collections, the duster coat possessed a commanding visual presence that demanded a footwear choice of equal weight and attitude. A standard pair of sneakers or classic black pumps simply would not have sufficed against the coat’s heavy, cinematic energy.
Zendaya found the exact footwear match she needed in her preferred avant-garde arsenal: a pair of Maison Margiela tabi wedge heels. While her expansive closet reportedly houses a wide variety of split-toe options—ranging from traditional tabi flats and classic ankle boots to structured loafers—she opted for the height and dramatic flair of the black leather wedge variation for her afternoon at Merci.
The choice of footwear also taps into a broader seasonal footwear trajectory. The summer of 2026 proved to be a major renaissance period for the humble wedge sandal, as designers and trendsetters alike resurrected the polarizing silhouette after years of minimal flat dominance. Now, by stepping out in leather tabi wedges on the cobblestone streets of Paris as autumn takes hold, Zendaya is signaling her hope that the wedge heel will successfully make the transition from warm-weather staple into her fall rotation.
The sighting outside the French concept store serves yet another reminder of the actor’s ongoing collaborative relationship with bold, archive-driven fashion, proving that even a simple trip to run errands in Paris can become an unexpected masterclass in high-low styling and contemporary footwear subversion.