Kim Kardashian Carries Balenciaga's Confusing Shoe Clutch
The piece looks like a stiletto—but it's actually a bag.
If you were wondering about the current state of Kim Kardashian's relationship with Balenciaga, look no further than her purse. Yesterday, the Skims founder posted a series of glamour shots on Instagram, showing off her all-black Prada look and her Balenciaga shoe clutch.
The Balenciaga "Shoe Knife" leather clutch bag is exactly what it sounds like: a clutch shaped like a stiletto high heel, with a zipper where the foot should go. In the photos, Kardashian holds her bejeweled shoe purse in the same hand as her phone (because the device apparently can't fit inside).
For the photoshoot, Kardashian wore a long black fur coat, a matching maxi skirt, and a bra-adjacent top that reads as a half-corset, fastened at the front with a plastic buckle. The outfit is classic Kim: black on black, mixed textures, slightly edgy but still safe. And, the star loves a long fur coat. She likely worked with her new stylist, Dani Levi, on the look.
This isn't the first we've seen of Kardashian's crystallized stiletto clutch. Last December, she carried her shoe bag while sitting court-side at a Lakers game. The heel clutch, a newer addition to the Balenciaga It-Bag canon, comes from the brand's pre-fall 2024 collection. It debuted on the runway a few days before Kardashian was spotted carrying it the first time. The silhouette, modeled and named after the label's famous "knife" high heel, also comes in black.
Balenciaga has released several shoe bags, ranging from stiletto-shaped iterations like Kim's to chunkier Oxford brogue-inspired pieces.
Kardashian has long been associated with the luxury fashion house, and became a brand ambassador for the second time in January 2024. The reunion followed a brief period apart, while Kardashian was "re-evaluating" her ties to Balenciaga after its 2022 scandal. The brand was accused of "child abuse" and "pedophilia" over a Christmas ad campaign featuring young children holding teddy bear backpacks wrapped in "bondage gear."
"For several years now, Balenciaga's designs have been a part of my many looks—and some of my most iconic fashion moments," Kardashian said in a statement after announcing her partnership earlier this year. "For me, this long-standing relationship is built on mutual trust and a commitment to doing what's right. I'm excited about this next chapter for the brand and to become their ambassador."
