NEW YORK (Reuters) - When it comes to women's shoes made for style rather than walking, Christian Louboutin footwear with their distinctive red soles lead the pack, according to a survey of wealthy American consumers.
Shoes by Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo were rated second and third respectively in a survey of high net-worth consumers conducted by the New York-based Luxury Institute to find the most prestigious women's shoe."Women's luxury shoes are a hot item these days and this is reflected in the rankings of these three brands that were relatively unknown by the general public just a few years ago," said Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute.
"Designer shoe collecting and even obsession has become trendy and is touted in books, blogs and clubs devoted to the subject."
French designer Christian Louboutin opened his flagship boutique in Paris in 1992, hand crafting all his shoes in Italy. His shoes are now sold in upscale department stores and boutiques from Hong Kong to New York to Moscow with an average price of about $800.
Among his fans are actresses Nicole Kidman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Halle Berry and Salma Hayek.
I've been hip to a luxury shoe designer by the name of Christian Louboutin (pronounced "loo-boo-tuhn") for a while now, but I was so hype when I recently caught an episode of Oprah from this past week on TiVo and guess who she had on the show? None other than Mr. Louboutin himself (well, actually he was featured in video footage from a previous interview). If you missed it, Louboutin caught a cold that turned into bronchitis and was unfortunately unable to make the guest appearance in person after the The Oprah Winfrey Show crew interviewed him at the head offices in Paris. Instead, spokeswoman Shawna Rose told Oprah and her guests all about the shoes in an exclusive Louboutin fashion show right there on set.
During the interview, America learned how Louboutin's famous red soles are all hand glued, manufactured and constructed. The red soles came from his desire to change the way women's shoes usually are presented with black or beige soles. His goal was to "create a more polished finish" and start a trend he hopes will be imitated.
So of course, anytime Oprah loves something enough to air it on the show and it's as stylish, unique and popular as the shoes she wears, you'd better pay attention because Oprah's not playing. "I would take that shoe out of the box, and I would just sort of have it on the counter," she said to the audience about a pair of hot pink peek-a-boo Louboutins with three crystal straps over the toes. "I'm not kidding, y'all. I would put it on the shelf like a piece of sculpture to look at." That's exactly how I feel about these gorgeous shoes. Each shoe is literally a work of art on its own.
Ok, now for the punch. Exactly how does this alter the shoe scene here in the 'Nati? It changes things completely for the ladies prancing down Vine or walking the streets of West Chester who want fancy feet just like fashion divas Madonna, Beyonce, Christina Aguilera and J. Lo (wait-am I still supposed to call her that?). 'Nati girls can now find Louboutins and other designer shoes online at Foot Candy Shoes.
Now, anything worth having is going to cost you, so keep in mind these high heels (and I do mean high) are not the kind you'll find in Payless. In fact, you'll pay more than you think on these pricey pumps. Until we get a Nordstrom, you won't find anyone crazy enough to sell them here in Cincinnati. But as usual, The Style Maverick is keeping you fashionably forward and ahead of the local learning curve by telling you what's up in the industry. In the meantime, if you want to sport a pair of the hottest shoes in the game, online there are lots of sales to be found on these designer kicks.
So tickle your own foot fancy and get into Christian Louboutin!
tag: replica shoes
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