Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
FOOTWEAR fanatics can now step on to the 'red carpet' in more ways than one with the arrival of celebrated shoe designer Christian Louboutin to Bahrain.
His 'shop within a shop' has opened at Saks Fifth Avenue in Bahrain City Centre with displays and dŽcor that are said to 'reflect' his world.
A selection of classic and high fashion seasonal styles have been put on display in a 52 sq/m section enclosed in bespoke glass shelving displaying each shoe as a standalone piece.
Louboutin, 47, launched his line of high-end women's shoes in France in 1991.
Since 1992, his designs have incorporated the shiny, red-lacquered soles that have become his signature. "I wanted to create something that broke rules and made women feel confident and empowered," he explained.
He helped bring stilettos back into fashion, designing dozens of styles with heel heights of 120mm (4.72 inches) and higher. The designer's professed goal has been to 'make a woman look sexy, beautiful, to make her legs look as long as [he] can'.
While he does offer some lower-heeled styles, Louboutin is generally associated with his dressier eveningwear designs incorporating bejeweled straps, bows, feathers, patent leather and other, similar decorative touches.
As a child, he recalls discovering a drawing at the Museum of African art, which showed a woman's sharp-heeled shoe, crossed out with a vivid red line.
The image, which dated back to the 1950s and was intended to safeguard the museum's parquet floor, fascinated him.
In 2007, Louboutin filed an application for US trademark protection of this red sole design.
The inimitable style of his shoes with their light-hearted designs appeal to an ultra-feminine audience; the red sole is eye-catching, while the clear lines and perfect finish perpetuate the tradition of a luxury shoe designed to evoke the charm of a bygone era.
Leading Hollywood actresses such as Nicole Kidman, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Gwyneth Paltrow and Cate Blanchett are amongst the stars found wearing Louboutin's, while Madonna, Tina Turner, Gwen Stefani and Victoria Beckham are all huge fans.
A range of his women's shoe and handbag collections and men's styles are now on show in the upmarket US retail house's Bahrain store on mirrored, window shelving surrounded by plush, red carpeting, complimented by beautiful pebble and leather tables made of precious wood and furnishings made of the finest Italian fabric.
A pair of women's shoes will set you back anything from BD165 to BD495 and a handbag from BD255 to BD1,060.
