When asked to write about the most photographed and desired shoe of the moment, Christian Louboutin’s concealed platform court, I decided to make a trip to the London store to see them for myself.I expected to leave feeling suitably angry about these ugly shoes and the fact that their wearers spend 600plus to totter around in them.Indeed, I did leave the Mount Street shop feeling sick, empty and in a panic — but not solely for the reason I expected. In fact, I left with a pair of nude shoes embellished with Swarovski crystals, a slim platform and that trademark bloodred sole like a lascivious tongue. They cost me 895.WAG mustWAG musthave: Louboutinshod Coleen Rooney (left) and Victoria Beckhamhave: Louboutinshod Coleen Rooney (left) and Victoria BeckhamWAG mustWAG musthave: Louboutinshod Coleen Rooney (left) and Victoria Beckhamhave: Louboutinshod Coleen Rooney (left) and Victoria BeckhamWAG musthave: Louboutinshod Coleen Rooney (left) and Victoria BeckhamStill, at least I didn’t fall for the gigantic concealed platform court shoe, custommade in satin with an 8in heel for Victoria Beckham for the Royal Wedding. Last week, Coleen Rooney wore the Daffodile (635) in nude.Off the peg, the concealed platform, which is nearly 4in thick, comes with a 6in heel — that’s 1in short of Posh’s stratospherically high version. Red Bottom Shoes More... Model outfit: Our guide to wearing yellow Skyhigh beauty: Firstclass tips on how to look as immaculate as Cheryl Cole and Victoria Beckham in arrivalsI find a similar silver pair in store and take them down, telling the sales assistant I want to try on a pair in black patent leather, too.‘Zat is the only one left,’ he tells me, putting it back carefully. ‘The patent and the satin have sold out.’I’m always a little bit dubious when highend brands tell me an item has sold out or has a waiting list. The effect is obvious: we
Red Sole Shoes want it simply because we can’t have it.Dizzy heights: Kim Kardashian is a fan of the skyscraper platform shoesEmma Roberts wears staggeringly high Louboutins while out in hollywoodDizzy heights: Kim Kardashian, left, and Emma Roberts are also fans of the style, wearing them out in Hollywood last weekI try on the silver hooves. I stand up, and my head is now in a place where there is little oxygen. Imagine my surprise to find that the shoes are very comfortable.But why on earth has such an ugly, extreme form of footwear become so beloved of stars, magazines, WAGS and the likes of you and me who can’t really afford themExtreme height: At 635, these Louboutins suggest it's price not taste that matters to the richExtreme height: At 635, these Louboutins suggest it's price not taste that matters to the richChristian Louboutin is a very clever brand, indeed — founded in Paris in 1992, it rode the great shoe wave of the late Nineties.So far this year, the 47yearold designer is defying the recession. Retail sales exceeded 154million
Red Bottoms in 2010. Louboutin says his secret is that he always stocks the classics.But Mr Louboutin needs to beware. If you make a brand too popular and ubiquitous, allow it to be worn by the supertanned rather than supermodels, you are in danger of devaluing it.Remember when Daniella Westbrook was seen dressed headtotoe in Burberry check This British brand’s credibility plummeted overnight and it took years of clever marketing, a new creative director and pushing the brand ever more crazily towards socalled ‘luxury’ to leave its less desirable customers floundering.Ah, but isn’t anyone’s credit card still money in the bank Not really. A luxury brand cannot shift the real money spinners (cosmetics and perfume) without an almost unattainable top end.That is why the Louboutin designs have become more extreme and, consequently, prices have skyrocketed. Because price, not taste, is the only thing that matters to the
Red Bottoms Shoes rich and famous.RED ALERTLouboutin first used nail polish to paint the soles of his shoes their distinctive red in 1992While I’m waiting in line, a blonde American woman has brought along a gold pair of shoeboots, which have a hole in the side.‘Do you have a puppy’ I ask, wondering if it was this that caused the damage.‘No, I wore them in Manhattan and another woman trod on me with a stiletto,’ she replied. A genuine fashion victim!If you want the Louboutin look, but can’t afford the prices (ie you are not insane), there’s a dead ringer for one of the brand’s midheel satin courts (375) in New Look for 20 — and you will still be able to afford food.As for me and my nearly 1,000 pair of nude Loubs I’m going back tomorrow to return them. Please God, don’t let them give me a credit note.