ROLLER BOY FLATS / LOUBI MENS FLAT PHOTO CREDIT: CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN
Yes, I’m still one of the men who is dying for these Louboutins. I’ve lusted for these for a few years – I even saw a few pairs in Europe when I was there back in 2009. Had I know then how these shoes would haunt me, I would have somehow coughed up the €625 to bring home a pair. Or maybe not. The truth is, beyond the red sole, what really is so haunting about this footwear? Everyone in the fashion industry knows the romanticized story of how Mr. Louboutin was anxious for his runway show and saw one of his assistants/interns painting her nails with the classic Chanel red. Voila! The iconic red sole was thus created. Though there are many speculations in this story (what kind of intern paints her nails in front of the designer before a big show?!), it does offer a nice ‘fashion’ story, right? If anyone has been following the controversy over the YSL vs. Louboutin lawsuit – where YSL was selling shoes with a red sole, and this was apparently an infringement of copyright – you’ll know that Loubs were not able to make their case, and that the court decided that it was absurd for any one designer to claim jurisdiction of one single color (not to mention a primary color like red). It was discussed that this offered an unfair monopoly in the shoe game, and in all honesty, the YSL customer shops within the same price range as the Louboutin customer, so this is true.
I was reading a while ago on Garance Dore‘s blog that her friends think the red sole is tacky – more of a trend piece as opposed to ‘real’ fashion – but still love the quality and design, and that one anonymous fashion editor actually buys Louboutins and paints the soles black. Ironic, no? And I do have to say, everyone that I’ve personally talked to in the industry thinks Christian Louboutins are the worst made, most uncomfortable shoes. They cite the fundamentals of supply and demand – as people ran to the stores to get their own red sole, the company increased output, while sacrificing design quality and comfort. Furthermore, I was reading an article on the recent spike in popularity of Manolo Blahniks in New York, contesting that women want permanent basics as opposed to screaming statement pieces, and also that wearing a red sole is not classy because while everyone else is struggling financially, you do not want to be the one woman who is ‘showing off’.
In truth, there are various shoe designers to choose from – high fashion Parisian shoemakers who have been making killer pumps for decades. Off hand, I think of Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent and Chanel, and two other ‘Christian’s: Christian Dior and Christian Lacroix. Italian shoes by Prada, Gucci and Salvatore Ferragamo are beautiful and more importantly, their pumps are actually comfortable. So why is all this hype around Louboutin?
Obviously, this is up for debate. What do you think? Are Christian Louboutins really becoming the trashy, badly-made, show off piece comparable to rocking Tiffany choker chains with Juicy Couture velour suits? And by the way, the men’s shoe game is completely different, so yes I still die for a pair.
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