On Louboutins: how the legendary red sole appeared

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

After the scandalous song of the Leningrad group, even those girls who are far from Van Gogh's exhibitions and other cultural events began to dream of shoes from Christian Louboutin. A funny motive spun in everyone's language, and millions of netizens watched the life video. But do you know how the red soles appeared on those very "louboutins"?

Heels were not invented to be worn by women. This statement mercilessly destroys the established stereotypes, because what other element of a woman's wardrobe can compare with shoes in beauty and sexuality? However, it is worth looking through books about the history of European fashion to be convinced of the opposite: Louis XIV, known as the "sun king", became the trendsetter. It was he who, in the 17th century, issued a decree according to which shoes with red soles could be worn exclusively by the courtiers of the king. Thus, shoes became a special privilege, a marker that distinguished people of noble birth. The aristocrats of the 17th century massively changed into high-heeled shoes, but faced a problem: these shoes were completely unsuitable for everyday wear.

It turns out that Louis borrowed the design from … the Persian army. Are you surprised? Such shoes were indeed used in the Middle East for cavalry uniforms. Standing in a stirrup with heels, it was easier to maintain balance, to get a bow and arrow during a fight. Shah Abbas I tried with all his might to strengthen relations with Western Europe at the end of the 16th century, it was he who assembled the largest cavalry regiment in the world, and in 1599 he sent the first diplomatic mission from Persia to Europe.

The Persian "novelty" came to the taste of the European aristocracy, and in order to further emphasize its importance, the heels were made a little higher. It was almost impossible to walk on the street in such shoes, the shoes were not designed to be worn on bumpy roads. However, this did not bother anyone: aristocratic outfits have always been famous for pretentiousness and pomp with minimal functionality. Yes, and important persons did not walk on the streets, so they could afford to flaunt in shoes on the palace parquet.

Louis himself fell in love with heels because they made him visually taller. With a height of only 1.63 m, he wore 10-centimeter heels, which would be the envy of modern women of fashion. So he looked more convincing, posing for paintings with battle scenes. The sole has always been exceptionally red, because shoes were perceived as part of military uniforms. Soon such shoes became famous throughout Europe, for example, in 1661 Charles II sported such shoes during his coronation in England.

Interestingly, women adopted the heels as part of the men's outfit. The first attempts to walk in such shoes arose simultaneously with the experiments on wearing a short men's haircut and men's hats. Priorities changed only at the end of the 17th century, then the heel on women's shoes becomes thinner, and men are gradually abandoning it altogether. According to fashion historians, men chose functionality, while women remained faithful to the "recaptured" heels.

Every fashionista dreams of Louboutin shoes, but not everyone can afford them. In order not to be sad about this, you can please yourself Christian Louboutin heels, such a sweet gift will surely satisfy the melancholy!