The split toe comes from the jika-tabi, a Japanese work boot with a divided toe that gives grip and mirrors the traditional sock. Bringing it into a European fashion collection was a deliberate cultural displacement, and the reason it still provokes is that it changes the outline of the foot rather than decorating it. Almost nothing else in fashion does that. Thirty-seven years of continuous production has turned it from a provocation into a house signature without ever making it comfortable to look at, which is a rare achievement.

Tabi 60 leather ankle boots are the classic silhouette and the piece most people picture. Tabi 30 leather pumps and Tabi 30 leather sandals take the height down and open the shoe respectively. Tabi City leather sandals are the most summer-appropriate of these margiela tabi options and the suede clogs are the most casual. Split-toe ballerina flats and plain Tabi ballerina flats remove the heel entirely, and the MM6 split-toe suede ankle boot is the softer, easier entry into the shape.

You need tabi socks, and this is not optional advice, because a conventional sock inside a split toe bunches and blisters. The leather is stiff for the first several wears and then moulds unusually closely, which is why second-hand pairs rarely fit anyone else. Cylindrical heels wobble on uneven ground more than a block heel of the same height. The ballerina flats are the easiest entry point by a distance. If you take one thing away, start with the flat or the MM6 boot before committing to the classic heeled ankle boot. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Maison Margiela Tabi Shoes Are Still The Ultimate Test and Tabi Flats Are The Split Toe Without The Commitment.