Christian Louboutin shoes

                                                                   




If the "up-and-coming young man" is a familiar figure in the world of fashion, few have soared as quickly - and to such heights - as Christian Louboutin. Unknown four years ago, this footwear specialist's name is now mispronounced in virtually every language by the swarms of elegant women who, from Los Angeles to Paris, Singapore to Monte Carlo, make and destroy reputations. e has a boutique in Paris and another in New York, stacks of press articles and legions of imitators. And yet, no established house or family enterprise has put into orbit the twenty-nine-year-old designer who is on first-name terms with Caroline of Monaco and Catherine Deneuve and who, like his mentor Roger Vivier, adorns the feet of the wealthiest and wittiest of this world.

It all started when, as a child, he paused in front of a sign at the Museum of Oceanic Art in Paris. It showed a stiletto heel crossed out by two thick lines, reminding women visitors not to scratch the wooden floor. "It haunted me," he admits with the excited eccentricity that makes his company as charming as his shoes. "What purpose could such a fine, sharp heel have other than to prove you could create the unreal from something real? I spent most of my school years reproducing it on my exercise books and desktops."

Later, he immersed himself in the whirlwind of parties resounding throughout Paris, turning his obsession with shoes towards the music hall: "Besides feathers, the dancers wore virtually nothing except shoes. And it's the combination of shoes and the naked body that interests me. The photographer Helmut Newton also sensed this universe: none of the nudes in his shots wear flat shoes. So, in the meantime, I went round the music halls with my sketches of sandals. 'Sorry, darling,' they said 'we've no money...'" And so Christian Louboutin had to go back to school, to learn all the basics at Charles Jourdan, Maud Frizon, Chanel, Saint Laurent.

Louboutin later opened a boutique shop in Paris; his store became distinguished not only because of his clientele, but also because he offered free coffee to shoppers. Such other sellers as American company Neiman Marcus began to sell Louboutin's designs. Louboutin shoes also have a trademark red leather sole, making them instantly recognizable.

Louboutin, who has been interviewed by fashion reporters such as Jacques Brunel, has seen his celebrity status expand to such places like Monte Carlo, Singapore and the United States, among others. He includes Princess Caroline of Monaco and Catherine Deneuve among his friends.

Christian Louboutin currently has 3 boutiques in the United States. Two can be found in New York. One location is Downtown on Horatio Street and the other is on Madison Avenue. The third location is in Beverly Hills, California.

With their purple beaks and gold buttons, compressed buckles and soles inlaid with petals, they are not easily forgotten. "With Louboutins and a pair of jeans or an evening gown, you're dressed," says the designer, adding: "Women express themselves through their shoes" Christian Louboutin's clients have talent. When they come to him, they do not content themselves with a cup of coffee: they comment and advise They admit what appeals to them, what feels comfortable to wear "My boutique is a luxury that maintains that link."

Christian Louboutin no longer has a universe: he has put everything into his shoes. Styles range from Louis XV to Georgian and Oriental... Wedgwood porcelain... The deep purple of a periwinkle, the pale green of a moss, the bark of a birch and the delicacies of organised nature. He scribbles. If he dreams, he draws the dream. The year's 120 or so new models will sell in tens of thousands of pairs. But this enfant terrible no longer wants to be seen as the wizard of the eccentric. "Today, I'm more preoccupied by the overall line than an eye-catching detail. I draw freely, then reduce. And I evolve: certain models, like the sandal with the golden strap decorated with bows, are a synthesis of several shoes." Season after season, "the boy who drew shoes" became "the man with the gold leaf heels", "the man with the Guinness beer can heels", "the man with the shoes that say Love" (two letters per shoe) Today, "the incredible Mr Louboutin" is the man with the red soles. "I wanted to break the dullness of black or beige soles. And present a 'finished' object. All my soles are red." A trademark which he hopes will, as usual, be imitated...