Yahoo Lifestyle The Modern Icon: Tory Burch's pierced mules
When it comes to investment-worthy designer accessories, you usually can't beat the classics, those designs which have continued to dominate and impress for decades. But, sometimes, something comes along which becomes an automatic heirloom. These are newer investment pieces that are destined to become future classics, which we celebrate in our franchise The Modern Icon. This time, we're looking at Tory Burch's pierced mule wedge.
At the moment of writing this, I have 14 piercings. Two of them I received at birth — my first set of stud earrings. The next two came during college during a period when I was feeling rebellious. The following eight have arrived one by one throughout the years, mostly as a result of working in fashion and having jewellery brands invite me to parties with a piercing station. But the most recent two are the most interesting because they’re on my feet and I can slip them off whenever I’d like.
If you are a fashion editor or even just someone remotely interested in fashion, then you might know what I’m getting at: the Tory Burch pierced mule wedge. The shoe was first seen on the spring/summer 2024 catwalk and looks exactly as it sounds, with a cut-out near the top of the foot and chunky toe-ring hardware that makes your feet look pierced. There are a handful of other iterations, like slingbacks, sandals, and pointed-toe mules.
Pierced 45mm Wedge Mules
90mm Pierced XL Pumps
Tory Burch Pierced Crystal mules
Pierced Slingback Sandals
Pierced 45mm Leather Pumps
Pierced Mules
The shoe was a hit from the moment it came down the catwalk. Like many of the guests at the show, I noticed it immediately — and I proceeded to think about it for days, maybe even weeks, afterward. It was one of those items from the blur of fashion month that truly sticks with you. Once it became available in stores, all the most stylish people I knew bought a pair. They became an 'If you know you know' item, something you would spot on the streets of New York and think, “That person gets it.”
The shoes are easy to love because, like a good piercing, they just look cool. The appeal of making a permanent hole in your ear is that it represents a sexy, unruly tendency. It may no longer be a punk calling card, but it’s still a signifier that you like to shake things up a little bit.
Sometimes, when I throw on a dress or a skirt, I struggle to truly identify with the look if it feels too straightforward and delicate. Slipping on these Tory Burch heels, which instantly add a little edge, makes even the simplest of pieces feel more me. It gives me that same rush I had when I was 17, away at college, feeling spicy and hungover and in desperate need of not one but two on-a-whim helix ear piercings.
Even though we are living in a more buttoned-up era, piercings will always represent the spirit of a punk subculture (one that could very well be inching back at some point soon, given the unprecedented cultural and political moment). There aren’t many things that make me feel like a naughty teen again, but these do — and that’s the kind of nostalgia that’s hard to bottle.
But, while they feel edgier than your typical mule, there’s also something kind of funny about walking around in 2024 as a full-fledged adult with two glorified toe rings. It’s saucy in the least serious of ways, like you’re not actually that badass but you’re also not really trying to be. You’re just having a little bit of fun — and maybe getting into the right amount of trouble.
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