Wed Jul 18, 2007

SheFinds History Lesson: The Birth of Christian Louboutin’s Famous Red Soles

Move over Blahnik, it is all about le Louboutin. Christian Louboutin, that is, and his instantly recognizable red-soled shoes, which seem to have ascended to the top of the celebrity must-have list. This respected footwear designer has come a long way from his days of peddling shoes to showgirls, and now his finely crafted heels strut down the runways of such couturiers as Jean-Paul Gaultier and Yves Saint-Laurent.

But it turns out, his famous trademark, the glossy red varnish, actually came about by accident. “I did not really choose the red sole. It’s more like the red sole came to me and had to stay with me,” Louboutin explains. Apparently, after the first prototypes of his designs had arrived, he was pleased with them but felt that there was a little something missing. A girl who was there with him happened to be painting her nails next to him. Always drawing inspiration from pop art, Louboutin grabbed the nail polish, lacquered the sole of one of the prototypes bright red and voilà: a star was born.

Check out Louboutin’s full explanation of this happy accident and his thoughts on women and shoes in this video, (click on ‘The Shoes’). 

Feel the need to splurge? We know how you feel. Unfortunately, not everyone can afford the $500+ price tag, so in tribute to the man and the shoe, check out these originals and the look-alikes available at ShopStyle.com. Or if you’d rather, hit up the Louboutin 20% off sale at Bluefly.

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