Balenciaga Paris High Top in pierced, destroyed black canvas

The 'dirty'/faded distressed finish on the black Paris sneaker is produced by a washing and distressing process that is not identical across pairs, so the wash and wear marks (and how light or dark the black reads) can vary from pair to pair; a flagship-store representative described each washed/distressed piece as individually unique. Line-level finish note, not a buyer QC post.

Line-level hands-on coverage of the Paris distressed-canvas sneaker notes the upper is deliberately full of openings that do not protect the foot — water seeps through and dirt can stain socks — and the pierced variant adds further holes plus metal ring hardware through the canvas sides, so the upper should be expected to be non-water-resistant. Source reviews the distressed Paris line rather than this exact pierced SKU.

Public reaction to Balenciaga's distressed Paris sneaker (the base line of this listing) is strongly divided: many commenters criticize paying a luxury price for a deliberately torn, dirty, hole-punched look, while others defend it as intentional design; buyers should expect the look to attract strong opinions. This is commentary on the Paris distressed line rather than the pierced SKU specifically.

Line-level evidence (same Paris High Top destroyed-canvas construction: destroyed cotton upper, vulcanized sole, 8 eyelets, made in China, style 688752W3RC11090): Balenciaga's own product page carries the note that this shoe runs large and that buyers should choose one size smaller than usual. Note this is brand/official guidance rather than a buyer post, and the pierced variant listed here has no separate size note of its own.

Line-level buyer report for the black destroyed-canvas Paris High Top (style 688752W3RC11090, same line and construction as the pierced version): a reviewer who normally wears EU 41 ordered EU 40 and says it fit correctly, describing the shoe as running about one size large. Flagging explicitly that this is a different variant (non-pierced destroyed black) from the SKU in this listing.

Sizing guidance for the Paris High Top is inconsistent across retail listings: some product pages say the design 'fits true to size' while Balenciaga's own page for the black destroyed-canvas version tells buyers to size down, so it is worth checking measurements rather than relying on a single fit label. This is line-level (Paris High Top), not a pierced-variant-specific finding.

Line-level hands-on impression of the Paris sneaker describes a strong rubbery, plasticky new-shoe smell out of the box; the reviewer normally likes that scent but found it unpleasant on this model. Applies to the Paris line generally rather than this pierced SKU specifically.