Why You Need To Buy Christian Louboutins
With the Y2K trend kicking off and every fashion brand looking to the 90s for inspiration, its never been a better time to add Louboutins to your collection.
Christian Louboutin promoting his red sole shoes in Berlin
These shoes are amongst some of the most timeless of any designer brand. No designer shoe collection is complete without at least one pair of Louboutin shoes.
Although the red soles require a little TLC, Christian Louboutins shoes are ones that you can wear every season and for years to come.
These shoes have a reputation that sometimes can put people off. Christian Louboutin is famous for saying that his shoes are not designed to be comfortable.
While some styles are definitely dinner shoes to wear when jumping out of your uber and heading to dinner, other styles can lend themselves to all-day wear.
Its all about finding the perfect Louboutins that suit your needs and lifestyle. There is a style of Louboutins out there for everyone, whether you love skyscraper stilettoes or prefer to keep it casual in red bottom sneakers.
What Is Christian Louboutin Famous For
Red bottoms are a legend within the world of luxury fashion. Every woman set their sights on buying a pair of infamous red bottoms.
Christian Louboutin and a guest attend the The French Dispatch screening during the 74th annual Cannes Film Festival on July 12, 2021, in Cannes, France
Christian Louboutins are amongst the most recognizable shoes in the world. Theyve become a status symbol with a celebrity following.
Christian Louboutin shoes have become a part of pop culture, featuring in everything from rap songs to TV shows.
No designer shoe collection is complete without at least one pair of Christian Louboutins.
French-Egyptian fashion designer Christian Louboutin is famous for his shiny, red-lacquered soles
Whether youre loyal to red bottoms or buying your first pair, were rounding up everything you need to know about the brand. Were also sharing the most popular Christian Louboutin shoes of all time.
Make sure to bookmark this guide on Christian Louboutin shoes to help write your dream shoe list.
Why Are Christian Louboutin Shoes Red On The Bottom
What Christian Louboutin is most famous for is his iconic red soles, which first appeared in 1993.
Louboutin came up with the idea after using an assistants red nail polish to paint the soles of a sample to give the shoes extra energy.
Kelly Brook carries an authentic Christian Louboutin shopping bag
The signature red of Christian Louboutin soles has its own Pantone number, 1801663 TPX. Louboutin has taken on everyone from Zara to Yves Saint Laurent for using red soles on their shoes.
Christian Louboutins have been a hallmark in the world of designer shoes since the 1990s. Everyone from the Kardashians to Sarah Jessica Parker and Blake Lively is famous for their Louboutin collections.
Anytime we get a peek into a celebrity closet, they have rows upon rows of Louboutin shoes.
Everyone from Hollywood Royalty to Monegasque Royalty is famous for wearing Louboutin heels.
Christian Louboutin high heel pumps and sneakers displayed in his boutique located at Selfridges Exchange Square Store Manchester
Christian Louboutins most loyal client is the novelist Danielle Steel, who owned over 6,000 pairs of Louboutins in 2010. We can only imagine how many she has now.
The brand has now expanded to include everything from handbags to makeup and fragrances. Louboutin previously said he wanted to avoid his name being widely licensed, although its clear that the fashion house is expanding with various licenses.
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The Secret Science Behind Red Bottom Shoes
by Brianne Fleming | Oct 30, 2019 |
In my last podcast episode of Making the Brand, my guest Gina and I talked about what bloggers can learn from Sex and the City. One of the things we touched on was Carrie Bradshaws obsession with shoes, which really stems from Sarah Jessica Parkers real-life obsession with shoes.
But on the show, Carrie has no problem dropping hundreds of dollars on designer shoes. I guess you can say shoes are her guilty pleasure. Throughout the entire series, Carrie and the other characters touch on some of their favorite luxury brands from Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Gucci, Manolo Blahnik, Dior, Fendi, Prada, etc.
No pun intended here, but on the heels of that episode, I want to talk about another brand of heels that has become a huge part of popular culture, in large part thanks to Sex and the City. Im talking about what we know as red bottom shoes, which is a moniker for the real brand name, Christian Louboutin.
The Making Of A Legend
Christian Louboutin was born in France in 1963 and is said to have become obsessed with the silhouette of the stiletto heel at a young age. He credits watching Paris show girls in their fancy costumes and footwear for fueling this passion. He ultimately left school to pursue this interest, studying design and also traveling broadly. He landed an apprenticeship with famed shoemaker Roger Vivier, who is known for creating the stiletto heel and who taught Louboutin the craft of building a shoe. Louboutin also learned some of his design tricks under the tutorage of Chanel and Yves St Laurent, taking what he learned in these and other prestigious settings to eventually start his own brand. He opened his first boutique in Paris and his career took off from there.
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Christian Louboutin Shoes For Men
Christian Louboutin shoes for men can be found in various styles, shapes, and textiles. Louboutin loafers, sneakers, espadrilles, and other styles feature designs and patterns.
What colors do Christian Louboutin men’s footwear come in?
Red and black are the brand’s signature colors, but men’s Louboutin shoes also come in leopard print, silver, white, caramel, navy, and all sorts of other hues depending on the style.
What styles are available in Christian Louboutin shoes for men?
This brand makes Oxfords, derbies, sneakers, ankle boots, boat shoes, and espadrilles. The following are just a few of the Christian Louboutin styles available for men:
- The Roxxxy Navy Man flat is a slip-on shoe in black suede that features white crystals applied all over the face, front, and back of the shoes. The soles have a slight platform and are white.
- The Rantus Flat is a high-top sneaker made of two different kinds of leather. White laces go all the way up the ankle and contrast with the other materials utilized.
- The Dandelion flat is a loafer-style shoe made with leopard print pony hair. Classic notch shapes in the tongue of the shoe lead to a rounded toe.
What materials are used for Christian Louboutin footwear for men?
Leather, suedes, velvets, embroidery, metal accents, canvas, patent leather, rubber, python snakeskin, and fabric laces are all utilized in the construction of Christian Louboutin men’s footwear. Materials will vary depending on the style of shoe.
Reaching For New Heights
Many Louboutin shoes are extraordinarily high , making walking in them quite a feat. . . or at least quite a strain on your feet. Recently, the designer even added an 8-inch heeled bootie to his range, which were touted as the worlds highest shoes, but critics point out that actually, other similarly high options have existed throughout the centuries, and have in fact been popular with professional strippers for many years. Some Louboutin fans do point out that the construction of Louboutin shoes, though, are made to make them easier to wear and to minimize strain on the wearers back.
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Reasons Why Christian Louboutin Heels Are Worth The Splurge
Christian Louboutin Shoes For Women
Early in the 1990s, Christian Louboutin, a French fashion designer, began his line of womens shoes. The shoes offer a wide range of styles to match just about any taste Christian Louboutin designs can be anything from a serious boot or work pump to an embellished sky high stiletto.
Why are the soles of Christian Louboutin shoes red?
After seeing his assistant Sarah painting her nails red, the designer grabbed the nail polish and painted the soles of a shoe red, then decided to add the iconic red bottom to his shoes. The red-soled shoe has been a staple of Christian Louboutin footwear since the early 1990s. To attach the red sole to the shoe, a technique called Blake Stitching is used, then the tip of the sole and the back of the heel are secured with nails.
What types of shoes does Christian Louboutin make?
Christian Louboutin shoes come in many designs including pumps, boots, sandals, stilettos, and peep toes. The range of materials includes Jonatina 100 PVC, patent leather, snakeskin, embossed leather, and even cork on the inside of the shoes sole for additional padding. Spiked embellishments, glitter, and many other designs are common, as Christian Louboutin shoes are handmade. Christian Louboutin shoemakers use a Patina dying process to add color to dress shoes, and the welt of the shoe, if it has a welt or hard border like in a flat dress shoe, is hand-painted.
What types of sneakers and flats does Christian Louboutin make?
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We’ve Rounded Up Some Tips For Finding Your Size In Five Of The Most Popular Red Bottoms
Shoes by Christian Louboutin, also known as red bottoms, are notoriously hard to fit. While the brand’s sizing is inconsistent, that hasn’t stopped the shoes from being glamorous, coveted, or high quality.
Were going to help you figure out your sizes in the most iconic shoes, but first, there a few things you should know. When you buy Louboutins and try them on, make sure you do so on carpet. If the red bottoms are scratched or show any sign of wear, you cant return them or may need to pay a fee.
Stylist extraordinaire and YouTuber Lauren Messiah also recommends taking your heels to a cobbler right after buying them. Take them and get the bottom resoled in red, she says. She recommends getting a red rubber sole, which keeps the entire shoe soles red while adding some grip and cushion to the balls of your feet.
Louboutins are not a shoe you can just willy nilly purchase online, Lauren says, at least not for your first pair. If you are buying online, she recommends buying a couple sizes to make sure you find the right fit even though this will be a temporary blow to your credit card. Chatting with Lobuoutins personal shoppers can be very helpful as well since they have extensive knowledge on fit and can give personalized feedback.
Meet the Expert
Lauren Messiah is a Los Angeles-based stylist, author, and influencer.
Beyond A Trend: Red Bottoms & Social Proof
Clearly red bottom shoes are a fashion statement, but it turns out there is a scientific reason that they are so popular.
Best-selling author and Wharton School Professor, Jonah Berger, talks about this at length in his book called Contagious: Why Things Catch On. The book does an incredible job explaining what makes things go viral and why certain products or ideas become popular. He dissects the science of social influence and shares something he calls the STEPPS framework. Each letter in the acronym breaks down a social influencer: Social Currency, Triggers, Emotion, Practical Value, Public, and Stories.
While I wish I had some time go over every element of the framework, lets discuss the one that applies to Christian Louboutin shoes: Public
Jonah Berger describes Public as follows: If something is built to show, its built to grow. The more public something is, the more likely people will imitate it. He says, Design products and initiatives that advertise themselves and create some visible behavioral residue.
He uses the popularity of red bottom shoes as the perfect example to convey Public. Christian Louboutin found a way to make his shoes more visible by adding his signature red color to the soles. This not only makes the shoes look more fashionable, but it makes them more memorable. And as Jonah Berger says, because of this feature, they end up advertising themselves.
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When Did Christian Louboutin Shoes Become Popular
Christian Louboutin is an eponymous French shoe brand that is recognizable around the world for its iconic red sole.
Louboutin began sketching shoe designs during his teenage years before working for legendary fashion houses like Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent during the 1980s.
In 1991, the Christian Louboutin brand was born when the designer launched his Parisian shoe salon.
Red sole Christian Louboutin shoes signed by the designer himself
It quickly gained a celebrity following, with the brand becoming infamous for its skyscraper heels that were often over 120mm in height.
Louboutin said that his mission was to create shoes that make a woman look sexy, beautiful, to make her legs look as long as possible.
While more wearable designs have started to feature in the brands collection, Louboutin is synonymous with evening-wear shoes and special occasion styles.
Applying Public To Your Business
So think about your own business or brand. How can you apply the built to show, built to grow mentality? Is there some type of visual you can attach to your products to make them unmistakable, like the Christian Louboutins red soles? If you have a storefront, how can you turn your windows into a spectacle?
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Christian Louboutin Heels Are Handmade In Italy
Did you know Christian Louboutin heels are made in Italy?
Every pair begins with a sketch. Louboutin likes to conceive summer collections in warm locations, and winter collections in cold ones. Once the sketches are complete, they are sent to the Louboutin factory outside Milan. A team of artisans works many hours to translate Louboutins pen-and-paper fantasies into three dimensions.
Three weeks later, a set of prototypes will arrive at Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseaua sort of Santas workshop he opens for his private clients.
The Reason Why Those Red Bottoms Are So Expensive
Would you drop a stack on a pair of shoes? What if they have a red sole? Christian Louboutin shoes are back since Cardi B revised the popularity of the red bottom shoes with her song “Bodak Yellow,” and now women all over the globe are rocking the shoes again. I say again because “Lous” really took off over a decade ago. Yup, I had a couple pairs, one I sold for a fraction of a fraction of what I paid for, and the other pair I donated to a women’s group.
I’m going to keep it real. While Louboutin’s are a very, very pretty shoe, they are not comfortable at all. But there is something about that red bottom that gets us all excited and it’s also a status thing to rock them because they cost so much money — way too much. If they were more comfortable I wouldn’t be tripping but it seems as though they are unusually uncomfortable and I just can’t walk around in pain trying to be cute!
Check out the video to find out why the popular shoe is so expensive. I still have a pair of Christian Louboutin boots but I need to find them, I’m sure they’re somewhere in that shoe closet that probably needs to be cleaned out again soon.
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Why Is It Expensive: The Christian Louboutin Red Soles
If you know your fashion basics, youd know that every brand has a signature product that acts as its insignia, a sort of letimotif Bulgari has its Serpenti, Chanel its tweed, and Burberry its trench. Luxury shoe aficionados familiar with French designer Christian Louboutin will know that his most iconic offering are his red soles. Since the inception of the eponymous label in 1991, Louboutin has been at the forefront of footwear innovation, developing a cult following in a very short time. And the story of how in 1993 the designer launched these famed red soles is a popular one. Its said that Louboutin spotted one of his employees applying red nail polish, and he picked up the varnish and painted the soles of a prototype, red. The result? Exquisitely crafted heels with red-lacquered soles that youd recognise from a distance as being Loubs.
So how much do these red soles cost? Customised Louboutin red soles can touch a whopping US$6,000 . In 2009, an exclusive capsule collection from the brand was Marie Antoinette, of which only 36 pairs were created, priced at US$6,200 .
The customisation services start at US$4,000 , and when you have loyal clients such as novelist Danielle Steel who owns over 6,000 Louboutin pairs, there is hardly anything out of bounds. The only think to do is start thinking of what you want .
All images: Courtesy Christian Louboutin
