The Tale of NYC's Maison Margiela Tabi Swiper Explained
![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.distractify.com/brand-img/MJ-J8m6gm/1200x628/tabi-swiper-nyc-explained-1693950454728.jpg)
Woman's Tinder Date Steals Her $1K Shoes and Vanishes — the Internet Helps Her Track Him Down
By Bianca PiazzaSep. 5 2023, Published 6:30 p.m. ET
When it comes to dating in NYC, now not much has modified since Carrie Bradshaw deemed the town that by no means sleeps her boyfriend, in poor health and drained of the roller coaster ride that is dating Manhattan males. Sure, the Sex and the City protagonist's lengthy checklist of sexcapades, amorous affairs, and heartbreaks passed off all the way through a time devoid of social media and courting apps (let's put out of your mind Max's reboot sequence And Just Like That...), however it's still rough in the market in 2023. In truth, it can be worse.
A particularly comical, SATC-coded dating nightmare plagued a fashion-forward Manhattan-based woman in September 2023, and he or she documented her distressing tale on TikTok. It involves a handsome, stylish Tinder fellow, beverages, a casual hookup, and Maison Margiela Tabis. Said guy has been nicknamed the "Tabi Swiper." Hold onto your priciest pair of shoes, and let's get into it.
Who is the NYC Tabi Swiper? Inside the viral shoe thievery scandal.
The mysterious "Tabi Swiper" did just that: He swiped his date's $990 Maison Margiela Mary Jane Tabis. Carrie Bradshaw could also be a shoe-napping sufferer — her treasured Manolo Blahniks, two times — however the culprits were not ever her suitors.
TikTok user, town dweller, and knitwear crafter @nextlevellexuss started her viral video with a PSA: "Ladies of NYC, [beware]: This man is out here on Tinder and Hinge and he will steal from you." Lex is going on to relay that this man — whose Tinder profile is plastered as the background of the video — did not simply scouse borrow any pair of Mary Jane Tabis; he stole a sentimental birthday reward from her father.
It all began with a glance. The then-strangers passed each different on the streets of Soho, locking eyes, as two attractive singles do. Later that evening, Lex was once stunned to obtain a Tinder message from a 23-year-old man named Joshua — the lovely man she'd made goo-goo eyes at hours prior. One thing led to any other and Lex and Joshua had been heading out for drinks and flirty dialog.
"He seems like a nice guy and like someone I would probably just hang out with for, like, a little fling and just, like, sleep with," she explains. Keeping it informal.
For Date No. 2, Lex invited Joshua to her rental, the place the two chatted about their mutual love for fashion. Joshua told Lex about how badly he sought after a couple of the polarizing split-toe footwear — particularly the Tabi Ankle Boots. Naturally, Lex pointed to her own shoe collection, which includes two pairs of Tabis (boots and Mary Janes).
Girls and gays of TikTok please get to paintings 😭 #nycdating #tinderhorrorstories #hingedating #margielatabis #nyc#greenscreen
♬ bad idea right? - Olivia Rodrigo Source: TikTok/@nextlevellexussCut to the morning after, Lex couldn't wait to ship Joshua on his approach. But sooner than he embarked on his "walk of shame," so that you could talk, Joshua insisted on introducing Lex to a killer Spotify playlist. Conveniently, Joshua did not have the tune service app on his telephone, prompting Lex handy over her unlocked phone. After some fumbling, he admitted defeat and returned Lex's phone, as he "couldn't find" the playlist.
"Hours pass, I'm on my computer, I look over to my shoe rack," she explains, pointing to the tower in the corner of the room. "He barely glanced at the Mary Janes, OK? I look over there, and they're gone."
Lex didn't want to bounce to conclusions or "be accusatory," so she tore her condominium aside looking for the luxurious footwear before attempting to contact Joshua.
Lex's strategic venture to retrieve her Tabis involved a hefty staff of web detectives.
"I go to Tinder to message him — unmatched, gone! I'm like, 'Oh no, this b---- stole my f------ shoes,'" she explains. Not most effective did he remove Lex from his listing of Tinder matches, however she believes Joshua deleted his own touch from her telephone.
Lex did not take her somber tale of stolen Tabis to TikTok to expose or "cancel" this shady dude; she needed assist, and she knew the internet sleuths would have her back.
Replying to @CallaKessler #greenscreenvideo #greenscreen Really recognize all the nice messages!! All the slut shaming thoooo… gotta move.
♬ original sound - Lex Source: TikTok/@nextlevellexussAs of this writing, her story-time video has been played nearly one million occasions — and that's the reason simply on TikTok. The saga also made its option to Twitter, spawning memes and jokes about NYC courting and men in the style house. One TikTok consumer commented on Lex's video, stating that "fashion guys are sinister."
In the finish, Lex's plan labored, as on-line detectives helped her track down Joshua's (if that's even his actual identify) Instagram account. But figuring out Lex was on his tail, Joshua made his page private. Sigh. Still decided to get back her swiped Tabis, Lex reached out to several people, including Joshua's sister.
The procurement of the tabis. The chuckling and shrug may be very 👹 #nycdating #tabigirl #tabigate #nyc
♬ original sound - Lex"He finally calls me two hours later, after he privated his account, and starts to gaslight me and tell me that he didn't steal them and he doesn't know how it happened," Lex says in an replace TikTok. "He's like 'That's just out of my character, I would never do that.'"
In an objectively odd move, Joshua introduced Lex money for brand spanking new Tabis, all whilst keeping up that he didn't clutch her unique ones. Hmm.
"The plot thickens. I find out he has a girlfriend and he gave my Tabis to his girlfriend," Lex continues.
After she despatched Joshua a screenshot of his supposed boo dressed in her Tabis in a reflect selfie, Lex gained the text she'd been looking forward to: "Ight, you got me, I'll get them back to you. Give me a time and place." The extraordinary text also asked that Lex take down her TikTok. As of this writing, all of Lex's Tabi-centered videos remain on her TikTok account. Good for her!
Just like Carrie and her silver Manolos in SATC Season 6, Episode 9, "A Woman's Right to Shoes," Lex were given her Mary Jane Tabis again. The Tabi Swiper "thought [he] could get away with it" and clearly underestimated the energy, tenacity, and resourcefulness of a shoe-obsessed woman.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pbXSramam6Ses7p6wqikaKhfqa6jtYysrqKolad6r8XCZpyxqJyWtq%2Bxww%3D%3D