Christian Louboutin Exhibit, Paris.
Just before confinement started in Paris, a friend and I decided to visit the Christian Louboutin exhibit. It was being held at the Palais de la Porte Doree. As the two of us climbed into a taxi, to go to the exhibit, we questioned the wisdom of doing so in light of the pandemic. We opened the back windows in the taxi and talked nervously, wondering if it was a mistake to go. We still didn’t know that much about COVID, but we knew it was around and that we could possible come down with it.
At the exhibit, there was a fair number of people and although we enjoyed seeing everything, we didn’t linger longer than necessary.
Louboutin, you’ll most likely know, is the designer famous for his red soled shoes. Apparently he got the idea when he saw his assistant’s red nail polish and was inspired to paint it on the outer sole of a shoe and the rest, as they say, is history.
Louboutin, was born in 1963, in the 12th arrondissement, and so it had special significance, for him to hold the exhibit at the Palais de la Porte Doree because it is located in the 12th arrondissement. It’s a very beautiful building, but only worth visiting if you have extra time in Paris, because it is out of the way. It was also poignant for him to have an exhibit there because growing up in that neighborhood, there was a sign that he would see, which forbid high-heeled shoes. It’s the viewing of this sign, that he credits, for the inspiration for his 2004 “Pigalle” shoe, a black stiletto with the red outer sole.
The exhibit was beautifully curated with some never before seen shoes. It highlighted how he worked with women’s skin tones to produce his range of nude tone shoes, well ahead of the other designers. There was also an interactive aspect, with Louboutin depicted, (see below) in a very whimsical way, on several screens that were scattered through out the exhibit showing the designing and the making of his shoes.
The exhibit hadn’t been open that many days, when we visited and was closed shortly after we had seen it, due to the pandemic. It was supposed to run into June of that year.
I’ve never owned a pair of Louboutin’s and most likely never will. I’m not a fan of extremely high heels because of how unhealthy they are for our backs and because if worn regularly, they cause terrible foot problems. Louboutin, himself, never apologizes for the very high shoes. He maintains it’s all about beauty, not comfort. Of the red colour he uses on the soles of his shoes, he calls it “flirtatious, memorable”, and that “red means love, passion, blood“.
You might be asking, if I’d never own a pair, why would I see the exhibit? Well, I appreciate the creativity and imagination that goes into his shoes!
Here is a link to his website, if you want to see some of his current designs:
Next weeks blog post: what I did when we got home from Paris - art - and I’ll share some of my paintings!