TikTok’s Viral ‘Tabi Swiper’ Theft: How A Woman’s Date Stole Her Shoes — and Social Media Came to the Rescue
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“They weren’t just after money anymore — they were after fashion,” Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) famously said in “Sex and the City’s” third season after a thief stole her Manolo Blahnik sandals off her feet in broad daylight. However, that incident has become reality on TikTok this week — and sparked outrage from fashionistas everywhere.
On Friday, designer Alexis Dougé — founder of knitwear brand Maddi & Danii — shared a true dating horror story on TikTok: a male Tinder date named Josh had stolen her Maison Margiela Tabi Mary-Janes. The $990 shoes, which Dougé’s father had bought her for her birthday, were initially lost forever after Josh deleted their phone history and “unmatched” himself from Tinder. Subsequently, Dougé took to social media to ask for help tracking down her stolen shoes.
“Ladies of NYC, be-f-cking-ware — this man is out here on Tinder and Hinge, and he will steal from you,” Dougé began her video, which has amassed over 710,000 views since being posted.
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In the days since, fashion-loving New Yorkers have rallied around Dougé, sleuthed the internet and sent her information to help recollect her shoes. However, in a series of dramatic twists, the thief attempted to avoid Dougé by setting his social media accounts to “private,” gaslighting her by proclaiming his innocence on a phone call and offered to pay her $1,000 to remove her video. Eventually, Dougé discovered the thief had a girlfriend who he gifted her shoes to — which eventually made him admit to the crime and return them to her at Grand Central Station, all of which was virally documented on TikTok.
As to how the thief stole the Tabis from her apartment? Dougé believes the man hid them in his wide-leg cargo trousers’ waistband or pockets, likely due to the Mary Jane shoes’ thin silhouette.
Following the incident, influencers, stylists and editors have taken to Instagram and TikTok to memorialize the moment online. Stars including I Deserve Couture’s Hanan Besovic, Amanda Murray, Kim Russell and more have responded with humorous comments and shared imagery — including photoshopping Tabis in the original “SATC” shoe theft scene, which preceded Dougé’s incident over 20 years ago. Currently, the same Maison Margiela Tabi Mary-Jane style is available on Margiela’s website, as well as platforms including Farfetch, FWRD and Shopbop.
Footwear News has reached out to Dougé for comment, and will update this story as it develops.
About the Author:
Aaron Royce is the Digital Editor for Footwear News, where he writes stories on trending news, celebrity style, collaborations and in-depth profile interviews. Prior to joining Footwear News, Aaron wrote and interned for publications including PAPER, Grazia and the Daily Front Row. He currently holds a B.S. in mass communications from Virginia Commonwealth University.
