I Miss U all my Blog: Sole Man ~

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Sole Man ~

Posted by pece at 10:04 PM

I believe each of us can agree that we have a love affair with Christian Louboutin. His red-soled shoes that is! The native parisian designer has become an icon, his designs capturing the eye, and hearts, of women everywhere.

Louboutin designed shoes for Barbie's 50th birthday

I can't explain it, the moment I slip on a pair I immediately feel more glamorous and feminine. I've always loved stilettos ~ the higher the heel, the better. The quality, comfort and sex appeal of Louboutin's designs speak volumes.

Most designers learn their craft from the ateliers of more seasoned designers, but Louboutin found his calling as a 17 yr old apprentice in the dressing rooms of Paris' famous cabaret Folies Bergère. "I would watch the girls going up and down the stairs with these very heavy headdresses on, and they never looked at their shoes," he says. "That's where I learned that shoes are all about posture and proportion." Once designing for Chanel, Roger Vivier, YSL, Charles Jourdan and Maud Frizon before opening his first boutique in 1991. He still runs his business from that same Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau address today.

However, it wasn't until 1992 that Louboutin's dazzling designs incorporated the shiny, red-lacquered soles that have become his signature. This happened by accident as he felt the shoes lacked energy so he applied an employees red nail varnish to the sole of the shoe. It was such a success that it became a permanent fixture.

Louboutin helped bring Stiletto's back into fashion. I immediately fell in deep love with Louboutin's when I saw the SATC episode "I Heart NY". Carrie paused when she saw the pink chiffon cascade heels in the boutique window. She wore them on her last date with Big before he moved to Napa. Oh, how I loved those shoes!

Louboutin partnered with Jean-Francois Lesage of the famed french embroidery house Lesage to create an exclusive line inspired by Marie Antoinette. There were only 36 pairs of this extravagant shoe made in colours yellow, pink and blue. Each pair came in their own specially created box. These little treasures sold for $6,295 per pair.

Marie Antoinette

Louboutin found the inspiration for his lethal-looking stilettos from an incident that occured in his early twenties. Upon entering a museum, he noticed a sign that forbade women to enter while wearing sharp stilettos, for fear of damage to the estensive wood flooring. "I wanted to defy that", Louboutin has said. "I wanted to create something that broke the rules and made women feel confident and empowered."

Louboutin also draws his inspiration from his passion for art, history and the world around him, including his own garden. Louboutin's distinctive red creations originally have roots back to the french court of King Louis XIV, in the 17th century. The king wore red soles which were known to draw attention to his legs and calves whilst dancing. Such was their popularity that he declared that only members of his court were able to wear red-soled shoes, a priviledge for the elite aristocracy.

Louboutin inspires a manicure

Louboutin launched his own champagne in partnership with champagne house Piper Heidsieck. To commemorate, they released a limited edition Le Rituel box set. The ritual, dating back to the 1880's, is emblematic of Europe at it's peak ~ drinking from the shoe of a woman. The crystal heel stiletto designed by Louboutin has the signature red sole.

Le Rituel

Christian Louboutin offers a luxurious line of handbags as well

Christian Louboutin has topped The Luxury Institute's annual Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) for three years; his designs were declared the Most Prestigious Women's Shoes in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Louboutin and Laduree

I purchased these whilst in Paris ~ they were delightful!

Many of Louboutin's styles are 120mm (4.72") and higher. The designer's professional goal is to "make a woman look sexy, beautiful, to make her legs look as long as (he) can."

While he does offer some lower heeled designs, Louboutin is typically associated with his eveningwear designs that incorporate feathers, bows, lace, bejeweled staps and other decorative touches.

The Anemone