Dandyism, or the art of making sure people understand that you appreciate the finer things in life, was the heart of the matter in the latest witty display by Christian Louboutin.
Staged inside one of Paris’s most elegant locations, the Salon des Aigles in the Hôtel de Crillon, his presentation of his top line was portrayed as 24 hours in the life of a dandy.
Where handsome, self-absorbed young men posed on an elegant metaphysical set of plywood steps and circles. On which perched four archetypes – a villain in a black suit; black 50’s jazz star; post punk in Stewart tartan kilt and white shirt; and a full denim clad rocker. Each pointedly avoided looking at guests.
One could understand a little of their conceit because of the footwear. Ranging from some dramatic Lord Chamberlain lace-up boots with double ankle straps on the Scottish laird punk, to butterfly embroidered Farfaman shoes incongruously worn by the rocker. The jazzman looked positively fetishistic in a very snappy pair of rhinestone encrusted Circus Booty Pearla boots. Leaving the final dark figure in Louvre grosgrain moccasins.
Two separate rooms included one given over to craftspeople displaying the three-dimensional burnish and deep finish of Christian’s shoes. Where there was also a remarkable display of limited-edition Farfajour and Farfanuit shoes beaded almost outlandishly in butterflies, courtesy of a long rapport with ace Paris embroiderer, Lesage.
A final salon, where myth has it Marie-Antoinette once practiced piano, featured uber cool Chambeliss gents boots and shoes. All finished with signature metal pins, culled from traditional shirt pins, where the Chambelimonk Boot got our vote for the footwear of this menswear season.
For dandies and assorted foot fantasists, this was pretty close to heaven.
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