In the bustling streets of New York City, a seemingly ordinary encounter between a girl and a boy took place. As fate would have it, their initial interaction in SoHo led to a series of dates, culminating in an intimate night together at the girl’s apartment.
However, the story takes an unexpected twist the morning after. What begins as a romantic comedy quickly transforms into a gripping mystery thriller, involving a pair of missing designer shoes worth $1,000, a public shaming on TikTok, a community of fashion-obsessed internet detectives, potential infidelity, gaslighting, numerous media reports, and a stroke of luck for a small knitwear brand.
Alexis Dougé, a 25-year-old social media coordinator at Chillhouse, a wellness company, recounts how she crossed paths with a captivating stranger while walking through downtown New York City. Later that evening, an unexpected message appeared on her Tinder from none other than the silver-nosed, mustachioed boy she had previously matched with. His name was Josh, and he expressed interest in grabbing a drink. Intrigued, Ms. Dougé agreed. (These details were shared by Ms. Dougé during an interview with The New York Times; Josh, unfortunately, declined to comment.)
Over a conversation on their shared passion for fashion, Ms. Dougé and Josh discovered their mutual affinity for Margiela, the luxury fashion house renowned for their Tabis line of shoes. These distinctive shoes, with their cloven toe design, tend to divide opinions – one either loves them or loathes them. For Ms. Dougé and Josh, their admiration ran deep.
As their connection blossomed, they eventually woke up together in Ms. Dougé’s apartment after a passionate night. However, as Josh prepared to leave, he mentioned wanting to share a Spotify playlist with her. Little did Ms. Dougé know that this innocent gesture would lead to the discovery of her missing Tabis. After searching high and low, she realized they were nowhere to be found. In a TikTok video expressing her confusion, she pondered whether to inquire about the missing shoes with Josh, given their recent conversation. To her dismay, she discovered that Josh had unmatched her on Tinder, leaving her with no means to contact him.
Unable to call him due to his number being deleted from her phone, Ms. Dougé turned to TikTok to share her ordeal, warning fellow fashion enthusiasts to be wary. Within hours of posting the video, TikTok and Twitter users bombarded Ms. Dougé with details about Josh: his name, Instagram handle, and phone number. They also provided a startling revelation – Josh had a girlfriend, who had recently posted a photo on Instagram wearing the same Tabis that had mysteriously vanished from Ms. Dougé’s apartment.
Confronted with irrefutable evidence, Josh initially denied taking the Tabis. However, upon receiving a screenshot of his girlfriend flaunting the stolen shoes, he finally confessed. “Ight you got me,” he texted Ms. Dougé, admitting his guilt and promising to return the shoes. He requested a meeting to hand them over and politely asked for the TikTok video to be removed. To lighten the mood, he sent her a guilty-looking shrug meme.
Ms. Dougé and Josh arranged a street exchange for the Tabis, which she documented and shared on TikTok. In the video, she can be seen holding the shoes while having a conversation with a nonchalant young man on a bike. When she questioned his motives, he simply shrugged and smiled, stating that he didn’t expect to be caught. This peculiar tale of the TikTok Tabi thief may not have the wide-reaching impact of other viral stories, but it has captivated a specific group of young, internet-savvy New Yorkers. With its attractive characters, twisted scam, flirtation with infidelity, and a satisfying resolution (the shoes were recovered), the story remains intriguing, leaving questions about the girlfriend’s perspective.
While internet fame has its downsides, Ms. Dougé has noticed an unexpected positive outcome for Margiela. Since her viral post, numerous commenters have expressed their desperate search for a pair of Mary-Jane Tabis, inadvertently boosting the brand’s popularity. Ssense, an online store, even reached out to offer her a replacement pair of Tabis as a precaution. (Ssense and Margiela did not respond to requests for comment by The New York Times.)
Regarding her dating app choice, Ms. Dougé revealed that she has deleted Tinder. However, she remains open to connections on platforms like Hinge or Raya. Nevertheless, she now keeps her cherished shoe collection under lock and key, especially her coveted Sandy Liang Salomons, predicting they will be next season’s highly sought-after style.
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