Christian Louboutin not only designs women’s shoes, he redesigns the woman: slipping into a pair of Louboutins changes the line of her leg; walking in a pair of Louboutins changes how she carries herself. Result? A new woman.
Why the stiletto? Louboutin was born in Paris in 1963 to a cabinetmaker and a housewife. He grew up with three sisters that greatly influenced his perception of women and fashion. One day, in 1976, he visited the Musée des Arts Africains et Oceaniens on the Avenue Daumesnil near his home. The floors were parquet and mosaic, and to protect them, a sign outside forbade sharp heels.
“I had never seen these kind of shoes in the ’70s,” he recalled. “How could someone make a [drawing] of a shoe that no longer existed to tell people not to wear them? I became obsessed… I wanted to defy that… I wanted to create something that broke rules and made women feel confident and empowered.”
Louboutin was more than likely a poor student. At 12, he cut school often to go watch the Paris showgirls at the nightclubs because he loved their costumes.
“[The showgirls] influenced me a lot. If you like high heels, it’s really the ultimate high heel – it’s all about the legs, how they carry themselves, the embellishment of the body. They are the ultimate icons.”
As a teenager, he sketched shoes and was increasingly attracted by the fashion world. His schoolwork suffered and he was expelled several times. “I didn’t care, because I felt so different from my peers, ” he said. “I discovered Cher on television, and no one knew who she was, and I thought, I come from another culture—mine is Cher.” He went punk, and worked as an actor in several films, including Race d’ep (aka The Homosexual Century) a cult classic in 1979.
He decided to quit school after watching a Sophia Loren interview on television in which she explained that her sister left school when she was 12 but finished her degree when she was 50. When everyone applauded, he decided he would follow her example.
He studied decorative arts and drawing at the Academie Roederer. He ran away to see Egypt and also wandered around India for one year. In 1981, back in Paris, he put together a portfolio of his designs that he presented to various top designers. He was hired by Charles Jourdan. Afterward, he met Roger Vivier, the inventor of the stiletto, the image of which stayed with him since his visit to the museum. The stiletto, with its high, tapered, narrow heel takes its name from the slim-bladed knife. Vivier offered Louboutin the chance to apprentice with him. “Vivier taught me that the most important part of the shoe is the body and the heel, ” he said. “Like good bone structure, if you get that right, the rest is makeup.”
During the 1980s, Louboutin freelanced for Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel and Maud Frizon, among others. With the help of two financiers, he launched his own company and opened his first Paris store in 1991. One day, Princess Caroline of Monaco came in and praised his collection while a fashion columnist also happened to be there and the buzz was started. Other high profile clients included Catherine Deneuve and Diane Von Furstenburg, followed later by Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Lopez, who even wrote a song called, “Louboutins,” and Sarah Jessica Parker, who wore Louboutins on her wedding day.
Louboutin is credited with comeback of the stiletto at the end of the 1990s and into the 2000s. He created numerous styles with heels measuring a dizzying 4.5” (120 mm, and yes, he does design some shoes with lower heels). He wanted to “make a woman look sexy, beautiful, to make her legs look as long as I can.” He understood the essence of the high heel, the almost-supernatural power it had to render a woman sublime, and that the naked body is not really naked if dressed in heels.
“Aside from feathers, the dancers wore hardly anything else other than their shoes. And the shoe on a naked body fascinated me. Helmut Newton, the photographer, understood. He never photographed a nude in flat shoes. I went to all the music halls with my sketches, but everyone told me that there was no money…
He got the idea for the red soles while watching an employee paint her nails red, finding it very sexy. (He filed for U.S. trademark for his red soles in 2007.)
“In 1992 I incorporated the red sole into the design of my shoes. This happened by accident as I felt that the shoes lacked energy so I applied red nail polish to the sole of a shoe. This was such a success that it became a permanent fixture.”
Louboutin designs luxury women’s shoes famous for their exotic materials and finely
detailed trimmings. Immediately recognizable to the cognoscenti for their perfect red soles, his shoes have been coveted by fashionable women all over the world.
Louboutin’s LOVE shoes (called “inseparables” in the business because of the design that begins on the vamp of one shoe and finishes on the other) in the 1990s were the first to attract international attention. In 1993, he opened in New York City, and in 2002 in Moscow.
He has collaborated with the biggest stars in fashion, from Jean Paul Gaultier to Victor and Rolf to Lanvin. In 2002, YSL asked him to create the shoes for all his models for his show. It was the first time that a big designer associated his name with another creator, and it was a huge success. His handbag line was launched in 2003.
He takes inspiration from traveling. “I like to go to countries that are almost forbidden, like Syria or Uzbekistan. It’s like traveling in the 19th century: There’s no one around, and you discover things.” When he returns to his studio in Paris, he uses the fabrics and colors he saw during his travels and puts them into his creations. Source
Why the stiletto? Louboutin was born in Paris in 1963 to a cabinetmaker and a housewife. He grew up with three sisters that greatly influenced his perception of women and fashion. One day, in 1976, he visited the Musée des Arts Africains et Oceaniens on the Avenue Daumesnil near his home. The floors were parquet and mosaic, and to protect them, a sign outside forbade sharp heels.
“I had never seen these kind of shoes in the ’70s,” he recalled. “How could someone make a [drawing] of a shoe that no longer existed to tell people not to wear them? I became obsessed… I wanted to defy that… I wanted to create something that broke rules and made women feel confident and empowered.”
Louboutin was more than likely a poor student. At 12, he cut school often to go watch the Paris showgirls at the nightclubs because he loved their costumes.
“[The showgirls] influenced me a lot. If you like high heels, it’s really the ultimate high heel – it’s all about the legs, how they carry themselves, the embellishment of the body. They are the ultimate icons.”
As a teenager, he sketched shoes and was increasingly attracted by the fashion world. His schoolwork suffered and he was expelled several times. “I didn’t care, because I felt so different from my peers, ” he said. “I discovered Cher on television, and no one knew who she was, and I thought, I come from another culture—mine is Cher.” He went punk, and worked as an actor in several films, including Race d’ep (aka The Homosexual Century) a cult classic in 1979.
He decided to quit school after watching a Sophia Loren interview on television in which she explained that her sister left school when she was 12 but finished her degree when she was 50. When everyone applauded, he decided he would follow her example.
He studied decorative arts and drawing at the Academie Roederer. He ran away to see Egypt and also wandered around India for one year. In 1981, back in Paris, he put together a portfolio of his designs that he presented to various top designers. He was hired by Charles Jourdan. Afterward, he met Roger Vivier, the inventor of the stiletto, the image of which stayed with him since his visit to the museum. The stiletto, with its high, tapered, narrow heel takes its name from the slim-bladed knife. Vivier offered Louboutin the chance to apprentice with him. “Vivier taught me that the most important part of the shoe is the body and the heel, ” he said. “Like good bone structure, if you get that right, the rest is makeup.”
During the 1980s, Louboutin freelanced for Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel and Maud Frizon, among others. With the help of two financiers, he launched his own company and opened his first Paris store in 1991. One day, Princess Caroline of Monaco came in and praised his collection while a fashion columnist also happened to be there and the buzz was started. Other high profile clients included Catherine Deneuve and Diane Von Furstenburg, followed later by Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Lopez, who even wrote a song called, “Louboutins,” and Sarah Jessica Parker, who wore Louboutins on her wedding day.
Louboutin is credited with comeback of the stiletto at the end of the 1990s and into the 2000s. He created numerous styles with heels measuring a dizzying 4.5” (120 mm, and yes, he does design some shoes with lower heels). He wanted to “make a woman look sexy, beautiful, to make her legs look as long as I can.” He understood the essence of the high heel, the almost-supernatural power it had to render a woman sublime, and that the naked body is not really naked if dressed in heels.
“Aside from feathers, the dancers wore hardly anything else other than their shoes. And the shoe on a naked body fascinated me. Helmut Newton, the photographer, understood. He never photographed a nude in flat shoes. I went to all the music halls with my sketches, but everyone told me that there was no money…
He got the idea for the red soles while watching an employee paint her nails red, finding it very sexy. (He filed for U.S. trademark for his red soles in 2007.)
“In 1992 I incorporated the red sole into the design of my shoes. This happened by accident as I felt that the shoes lacked energy so I applied red nail polish to the sole of a shoe. This was such a success that it became a permanent fixture.”
Louboutin designs luxury women’s shoes famous for their exotic materials and finely
detailed trimmings. Immediately recognizable to the cognoscenti for their perfect red soles, his shoes have been coveted by fashionable women all over the world.
Louboutin’s LOVE shoes (called “inseparables” in the business because of the design that begins on the vamp of one shoe and finishes on the other) in the 1990s were the first to attract international attention. In 1993, he opened in New York City, and in 2002 in Moscow.
He has collaborated with the biggest stars in fashion, from Jean Paul Gaultier to Victor and Rolf to Lanvin. In 2002, YSL asked him to create the shoes for all his models for his show. It was the first time that a big designer associated his name with another creator, and it was a huge success. His handbag line was launched in 2003.
He takes inspiration from traveling. “I like to go to countries that are almost forbidden, like Syria or Uzbekistan. It’s like traveling in the 19th century: There’s no one around, and you discover things.” When he returns to his studio in Paris, he uses the fabrics and colors he saw during his travels and puts them into his creations. Source
Designer Shoes | Christian Louboutin Shoes
Reviewed by Delet
Published :
Rating : 4.5
Published :
Rating : 4.5
