Images courtesy of Rizzoli NewYork
H
is elegant and beautifully
designed shoes and famously
renowned, highly vertical
stilettos have adorned the feet of
many women around the world,
including red carpet celebrities such
as Lady Gaga, Madonna, Rihanna, Blake
Lively and Jennifer Lopez. In the second
Sex andThe City
movie, actresses Kristin
Davis and Sarah Jessica Parker are seen
showing off the signature lacquer-
red soles of their Christian Louboutin
shoes on the streets of NewYork with a
sexuality that could only be derived from
a Christian Louboutin creation.
The book
Christian Louboutin,
an
extraordinary monograph created by
the shoe designer himself, involves an
in-depth interview between novelist
and artistic director Eric Reinhardt and
Christian Louboutin. It reveals a personal
account of the designer’s life, travels and
inspirations from his laid back teenage
days in Paris, the start of his design
career at Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent
and the opening of his first boutique in
1992.
Brilliantly written and extremely
creative, this intriguing biography gives
an in-depth account of the man behind
many eclectic and exotic designs such as
the Pansies series which started off the
signature red sole, the classic Pigalle, the
Yves Saint Laurent shoe with the brand’s
insignia, Maralena inspired by the figure
of German-American actress Marlene
Dietrich and Dolly Forever, inspired by
the legs of singer Tina Turner.
The book also features images of
Louboutin boutiques from around the
world, the spectacular interior of his
homes in Paris and Luxor, Egypt and a
chapter on “20 years of design”, which
highlights the artistry and theatricality
of his shoe designs over the years with
still-life photography captured by French
fine art and commercial photographer
Philippe Garcia. The “Fetish” chapter
focuses on his creative collaboration
with American filmmaker and visual
artist David Lynch, showcasing Louboutin
limited-edition shoes which are merely
for display rather than to be worn and
limited-edition photos by Lynch. The last
chapter is a complete catalogue raisonne
of his work, with photos of all 120 shoe
designs.
The foreword given by actor and
producer John Malkovich, who is
also a fashion designer with his label,
Technobohemian, details his first contact
with Christian Louboutin. It was at an
award ceremony in Paris that his eyes
fell upon the most extraordinary pair of
shoes he had ever seen, worn by a well-
known French novelist. Upon
questioning the novelist on
who had designed the shoes,
she revealed it was made by
a young French shoemaker
called Christian Louboutin
and explained that it would
be too difficult for her to
express what made this
designer’s work so special,
striking and unique. She suggested he pass
by the designer’s shop on rue Jean-Jacques
Rousseau and see for himself. “The next
morning I did just that,” he writes, “and I
remember the distinct feeling that I was
looking at the artistry of someone who
was doing what no one else was.”
From that moment onwards, John
Malkovich followed Christian Louboutin’s
work and has also had the privilege of
working with him on a few small projects
in fashion and cinema. “One of the most
rare and attractive qualities in an artist are
when he has a love of work:love of creation,
love of invention, love of imagination,
and, of course, love of detail. All of these
qualities are in abundance in the work of
Christian Louboutin.” Ending his foreword
he says,“I’ve always loved to walk into one
of his stores – and he has more than a
few around the world now – and take the
time to view Christian’s collections piece
by piece, looking at the overall concept,
the styles, the materials, the forms, and,
of course, the effect. His wit and style
and passion and inventiveness mark him
as one of the leading
designers of our time.
Christian always seems
to challenge himself with
every collection, and may
it ever be thus.”
The book contains
an account of the many
people and events that
have influenced and
played a major part
in Louboutin’s life. Included in these
accounts was a documentary that
Louboutin saw on Italian actress Sophia
Loren’s life which showed her sister
receiving a diploma at fifty years of age
(
which led him to the conclusion that if he
ever regretted leaving school at sixteen
with no qualifications, he’ll do like Sophia
Loren’s sister and go back at fifty to earn
his diploma). Also, Christian Dior fashion
director Hélène de Mortemart who
got Louboutin an internship at Charles
Jourdan, the manufacturer for Christian
Dior shoes at the time, French fashion
designer Roger Vivier who specialised
in shoes, created the stiletto heel and
taught the young Louboutin a few valuable
lessons, and, of course, the many women
whose femininity has provided the basis
for Christian Louboutin’s beautifully
designed and creative shoes.
A must-have for shoe enthusiasts,
Christian Louboutin is published by
Rizzoli NewYork.
www.rizzoliusa.com
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