Rows upon rows of gorgeous shoes lined the walls in small windows carved out from the walls. Colourful sofas and seats lined the walls. A marble-tiled wall etched with letters and symbols from more than 32 world languages, was fitted with horizontal mirrors and, of course, adorned with shoes again.
Yes – I thought – this is what my ideal walk-in wardrobe would be! But for the time being, this is the new Christian Louboutin store in DLF Emporio, New Delhi.
At the risk of facing the wrath of other brands in the mall, none of the fashion brand stores have told a story or showed creativity in their store design. While they are certainly luxury with their minimalist décor, glass doors and sleek designs, they are not exactly enchanting.
The Christian Louboutin store is literally like a breath of freshness among the typically designed stores. While others have the quintessential large display windows and glass doors to greet its guests, Christian Louboutin chose to make the first look stunning with multicoloured reclaimed tin from old New England buildings on the façade which are juxtaposed with the gold edges of the entry door.
As the red carpet leads you in, the colourful store strikes you as an unexpected, but a pleasant wonderland. A large coffee table book, highlighting some of Christian Louboutin’s signature shoes, lies open as guests can browse through it. It’s also for sale for a reasonable price of INR 6,600.
The store is not just a convenient point to finally buy the ‘Loubis’, as the team fondly calls the shoes, but also an experience to revel in. The store, we predict, will soon turn into a must-visit as shoppers frequent it just to bask in the glory of those red soles.
The Red Soles
While each and every Louboutin shoe is a dream, it’s their India-inspired shoes that have floored everyone in the country. The Bollywoody suede platform pumps, for example, have delighted everyone with its bright pink and turquoise colours, embroidered with strass and lurex thread. The Devidas too, in red and black colours, has charmed Loubi fans all over. Interestingly, both the shoes are heavily reminiscent of traditional Jaipur embroidery, and very, very Indian. The embroidery house Lesage sure did its research well when embroidering these shoes!
The Mexibeads multicolour shoe is another lust-worthy creation from the Louboutin stable. Men too should peep into the store as it vends men’s collectionthough with a limited choice. Displaying the latest Spring Summer 2012 collection, Christian Louboutin sure launched the store at the perfect time.
The Fashionable 20 Years
Another reason why we are happy about the timing of the launch is a little selfish one I am afraid. Christian Louboutin celebrates 20 years of formal existence in 2012, and we can now be sure that India is going to be a part of it too!
The calendar does have many interesting events to look forward to. The brand recently unveiled its 20th Anniversary Capsule Collection which will hopefully be available in India soon. As we had put up, Christian Louboutin will debut its first show at the Crazy Horse, Paris in March. The month will also see the launch of their retrospective exhibition at the Design Museum in London. The brand is also going to spill out all its previous treasure of secrets when it opens its archives to the public in Champgillon, France in September.
“It is a shoe which will fit either a woman in an evening dress or a naked woman!” Mr Louboutin had said in a previous interview to LuxuryFacts in 2011. I am sure all Indian women are all titter to check this statement first-hand now!