Kanye Wests latest controversy: Wearing hospital slippers to 2 Chainzs wedding
Over the weekend, the rapper 2 Chainz (real name: Tauheed Epps) married his longtime girlfriend, Kesha Ward, at the Villa Casa Casuarina, the Miami Beach mansion that once belonged to designer Gianni Versace. Their wedding featured a white tiger in a cage and cost $300,000, according to TMZ.
But it was quickly upstaged by Kanye West, who arrived in a pair of slip-on sandals that were oddly undersized for his feet. The gray slides, described by some Twitter users as resembling orthopedic shoes, were so small that his heels dangled over the edge. West paired them with a mint green Louis Vuitton suit that he wore without a shirt and, in true Miami retiree style, light-colored socks.
Like many things that West does, the sandals quickly became a source of debate.
On Twitter, one faction mocked the shoes for resembling “air mattresses” or “hospital slippers.” Some jokingly suggested that he had borrowed them from his wife or toddler daughter, or that he had accidentally left his dress shoes behind at the airport. Others commented that West looked like someone who had thrown on the first pair of shoes they saw on their way to take out the trash or help get the groceries out of the car.
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“He looks like he just pulled out the nursing home with his geriatric slides,” wrote one critic.
Kanye West wrong for wearing those Orthopedic velcro slippers with his heels spilling off the back
— Rogue Black Man (@Illform) August 19, 2018Kanye really walking around here looking fresh off of bunion surgery and y'all have the nerve to call him "edgy." I just...
— April (@ReignOfApril) August 20, 2018Others suggested that the casual choice of footwear was disrespectful to his hosts — it was a wedding, after all.
This man Kanye really wore a suit jacket with no shirt underneath and some slides to 2 Chainz wedding..I would’ve kicked him out if that was me 😂
— S. Meyers 🥷🏾 (@iGoBySter) August 19, 2018If anybody showed up to my wedding in slides and no shirt, security will kindly escort you out the door. Kanye Lost his mind
— J Butler 🏁, CFP (@jbutler718) August 19, 2018There is more talk of Kanye's sandals at 2 chainz' wedding than there is about 2 chainz' actual wedding.
— Kev (@callmekigz) August 19, 2018West’s defenders, on the other hand, praised his ability to “get away with” wearing the equivalent of bedroom slippers. Some even liked the look.
Kanye effortlessly wore Yeezy slides and a suit to 2Chainz wedding and looked immaculate, who is KANYE WEST?!
— Big Chief Quan 🐳 (@LrdQuan) August 19, 2018Then, there was the faction that thought West’s shoes looked comfortable and pointed out that wearing casual slip-on sandals to an expensive wedding was the ultimate “power move” for someone rich and famous enough to do as he pleases.
“If I understand Kanye West, I think he’s literally trying to prove that he can do whatever ... he wants with his existence and that includes wearing a slide on an expensive suit that looks like it wasn’t ironed while walking [with] his wife who looks like a million bucks,” theorized one Twitter user based in Nigeria.
The biggest news story rn is that @kanyewest wore slippers to @2Chainz wedding?! Really? I’d wear slippers to everything if I was Kanye too
— Mel Zee (@xmelzeex) August 19, 2018The Saturday wedding marked one of West’s first appearances since he went on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Aug. 9 and seemed to be stumped when Kimmel asked whether President Trump cares about the black community. West later claimed in follow-up tweets that he had not, in fact, been stumped but just hadn’t gotten enough time to answer the question. He did not answer the question.
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It’s not the first time that his clothing choices have straddled the line between high fashion and “What is he wearing?” As early as 2012, he was performing in bizarre beaded and feathered face masks. More recently, he was photographed at Paris Fashion Week in head-to-toe tie-dye and a shirt with a giant bluebird on it.
West’s own Yeezy line, a sneaker partnership with Adidas, is known for its so-ugly-that-it’s-cool approach to style. From dad sneakers to slides that look like gummy snacks, past releases have sold out despite being described as “hideous” and “like your dad’s lawn mowing sneakers.”
Share this articleShareIn fact, the shoes that West wore Saturday appear to be from Yeezy Season 6. An identical pair of gray nylon slippers is not currently in stock on the site, but a similar pair, in a dark reddish-brown color, sells for $150.
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That led to another theory: Were the ill-fitting shoes just a viral marketing stunt?
“Kanye was like yo congrats #2Chainz on ur wedding i’ma let you finish but 1st let me make ur special day about me by wearing slides too small for me to get ppl talking about my brand for free,” wrote Instagram comic Violet Benson.
Headline: Kanye West attends 2 Chainz Wedding Wearing Slippers Too Small for His Feet.
Say what you want, but he's a smart guy. Now people are talking about his shoes (Yeezy Slides) that he recently introduced, but I bet they wouldn't be if he wore the correct size. pic.twitter.com/3O4mH67j2F
— Joe D. (@joenahnah) August 19, 2018If so, well done, Kanye. It worked.
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