I have come out heartily against a number of the Balenciaga Spring 2008 crazy shoes.  They still remind me most of weaving gimp lanyards at summer camp when I was a kid.

However, despite what the Fug Girls may say, I totally dig Rihanna’s skillful rocking of these hard-to-rock shoes on 106th and Park.

Rihanna Balenciaga

The problem with Jennifer Connelly in the above-linked picture is that she (one assumes out of loyalty–or, more likely contract–to the brand for whom she’s the advertising face) went Balenciaga head to toe.

Rihanna?  She’s working these nutso shoes by letting them be the focal point of the outfit instead of fighting with a patterned dress or a ton of huge jewelry.  My hat’s off to Rihanna, always a fashion risk-taker, often with gorgeous-yet-quirky results (my favorite kind… see Cate Blanchett).  It’s hard to pull off such outlandish footwear.

In fact, the last time we saw such skillful styling with such otherwise-hideous shoes, it was Beyonce, who also rocked a pair of wacked-out Balenciaga’s.