Balenciaga selling £1,795 rubber skirt that looks like a car carpet protector

Is it a skirt or a glorified car mat?

(Rex Features)

Fashion meets utility in Balenciaga’s new “embossed leather skirt,” which looks remarkably like a rubber car carpet protector.

However, at £1,795, this is not just any old automobile accessory.

First seen on the label’s autumn/winter 2017 runway, the skirt-gone- Skoda is likely to be quite the conversation starter.

According to luxury shopping site MyTheresa, the questionable item “transforms the functional into the formal” with snap buttons and neoprene backing for a “utilitarian aesthetic.”

What could be more useful than a £1,795 skirt that has people questioning your ability to distinguish between an item of clothing and a carpet protector?

If the high waist is an issue for you, fear not, as the website also explains that the waistband can be folded over “for a lower rise” look – because what's better than a rubber skirt? A folded rubber skirt, duh #clunkychic.

(Rex Features (Rex Features)

However, if you do have concerns that wearing the skirt might raise eyebrows at the extent of your “utilitarian aesthetic” – and you don’t even like cars that much – don’t worry, because the savvy designers at Balenciaga have been so kind as to emblazon the skirt with its signature logo so as not to confuse it with anything other than a luxurious and exclusive high fashion staple.

Phew.

(MyTheresa (MyTheresa)

While you might see the skirt fitting in very nicely at the foot of your passenger seat, stylists at MyTheresa suggest pairing it with the label’s signature knife boots – a good idea, as every woman loves to drive in stilettos and the stiff rubber would undoubtedly provide some stable balance to the heel when you change gears.

Naturally, the skirt is styled with a pair of turquoise tights (to attract attention, obvs) and a wine-coloured turtleneck.

Sceptics have been quick to mock the French fashion house for its innovative skirt, with Money Saving Expert sharing pictures of a Halfords car mat which looks remarkably like a DIY skirt in waiting and costs just £40.

Whether you take the thrifty option or not, Balenciaga’s latest offering is the perfect sartorial statement for those who want to bring fashion to the roads, and vice versa.