posted Thu 02 Aug 2012 03:05 PM                 

One afternoon in early March, the shoe designer Christian Louboutin Sale decided to go for a ride on his Vespa. He had just had lunch at a brasserie near his office. The bike, a navy-blue model, was parked by the curb. Louboutin put on a helmet. He pushed the visor up and mounted the machine. I got on behind him. We accelerated tipsily and zoomed off into Paris traffic, dodging bollards and side mirrors.
For a long time, perfume sales powered the fashion world. Then it became jeans. Now, more than ever, it's shoes and bags, and it is no coincidence that Louboutin arrived in the 90s when this switch began. He, Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo's Tamara Mellon are the Holy Trinity of the luxury footwear market, having helped turn shoes from something you put on your feet to avoid splinters into fetish objects for women. Louboutin is now at the top of that triangle.
At this point Louboutin starts talking about "the construction of the shoe" and "the direction of the weight" and all the usual noises people make when trying to claim that a high-heeled shoe can be comfortable. But the fact is, no matter what the construction, the woman is hoicked up on her toes. The argument about whether or not high heels empower women is fruitless and, after all this time, a little tired. But evenCheap Christian Louboutin seems stumped by the contradiction.