Christian Louboutin Puts His Fashionable Footprint on DC

One beautiful fall morning, the Washington DC area got a little bit chicer thanks to Christian Louboutin, who had arrived in town to do a shoe signing at Neiman Marcus Tysons Galleria. Prior to the signing, he and his staff were sequestered in an executive suite, filled with pastries and breakfast fixings and shoes, preparing for the onslaught from the media, fans, and onlookers.

Mr. Louboutin was casually dressed in navy suit, open-collared white shirt, and leopard sneakers of his own design and graciously took time to answer questions about his work and visit to Washington, DC. He started off by saying that it was his first time to the U.S. capital and that he was surprised by “how wide the streets are and how tiny the White House is.” He laughingly shared that he’d “counted 16 windows in the White House” from his hotel room, but that he thought the Smithsonian specifically and the city in general were beautiful.

When asked for his shoe recommendation for the professional DC woman, he named his design called The Simple – a round-toed four-inch pump – as the best shoe for the professional Washingtoniennes. However, Mr. Louboutin demurred when asked to recommend a specific shoe to the most famous of all professional Washington women, First Lady Michelle Obama. He answered that he would “listen, not impose” and that she was capable of choosing “what she likes.”

At this point, the conversation became more personal, specifically regarding other art forms he enjoys, and he responded that he’s simply an “observer of things” and prefers to focus solely on top quality work. This caused him to remark that he has no plans to offer a budget-conscious line, like the Jimmy Choo and H&M collaboration. “I am lucky enough that it is my own company, and my primary concern is quality since I am very exacting.” When teased about being exacting with Barbie, he quickly clarified the Barbie “cankle” issue (Christian Louboutin is collaborating with Mattel Inc. to produce special pieces including dolls and accessories in honor of Barbie’s 50^th anniversary. His dissatisfaction with the first prototype of the doll led to a minor controversy). He stated that it was all “a misunderstanding,” and that it was not about cankles confiding, “I wasn’t even aware of the word,” but that he wanted her feet to be curvier.

Finally, when asked about this favorite muse, he sweetly shared that it was his adopted sister who has the most beautiful ankles and who bought him his first Barbie. With that,the interview with the charming Christian Louboutin concluded, and he went on to make the dreams of his real life customers come true.