Christian Louboutin would rather read gardening magazines than fashion glossies

“When we talked with Nicolas Ghesquière about the extraordinary talents we would like to approach we simply went to those who are among the best in their fields,” says Delphine Arnault, executive vice President of Louis Vuitton, who came up with the idea alongside Ghesquière.
She added: “We were interested in people who work with their minds and their hands. I thought it was so interesting – and fun! – to have all of these different points of view on the Monogram. It is inspiring to see how they envision things, to see their perspectives. This is a group of geniuses.”
The monogram was created in 1896 by Georges Vuitton as a tribute to his late father Louis, who had died four years previously, and was considered revolutionary in its time.
The house has previously conceived collaborations with artist Yayoi Kusama, film director Sofia Coppola, Takashi Murakami and Stephen Sprouse, but it is the first time that a group of creatives have come together under one project.
EN Fashion – Christian Louboutin would rather read gardening magazines than fashion glossies.
The French footwear designer has become known for his gorgeous shoes with the iconic red sole. Despite dressing the feet of some of Hollywood’s hottest stars, his reading material is anything but glamorous.
“To be truly honest, not so often,” he told designboom.com when asked if he reads fashion or design publications.
“I have a bit of a weakness for the American Vanity Fair but my bible is Gardens Illustrated, which I look through every month – it’s a very, very good magazine.”
Christian may specialise in shoes, but he also has his eye on clothing trends. He revealed the things he likes to see while out and about and the items he wouldn’t be caught dead in.
“Context is everything. I prefer girls to wear dresses because I like how dresses influence a woman’s body language. I also love skirts; one of my favourite pieces of clothing is the pencil skirt because it obliges the wearer to have a pretty attitude. I like anything that shows a woman’s legs because I love to see her skin and how she walks,” he explained.
“[I avoid] anything baggy – that’s never been my thing. I cringe at the thought of something that I did as a teenager and that many people still do today, which is to wear laced-up shoes without socks. I have to admit another thing: I hate ankle socks. I have a big issue with them!”
The 51-year-old designer added that he would describe his style as “flirty” and that he has always been very interested in detail when creating.
When Christian designs, he always has both sexes in mind.
“Really good shoes have to seduce both men and women,” he revealed.
“I’m mixing two lines of thought really; me as a designer for women and then me as a man. At the start of the design process, it’s the designer for women that comes to the fore – sketching and revising the silhouette. Then the man comes into the picture – and I look at the shoe from a very masculine point of view. Then there is a conflict between the two sides of me. Sometimes the man wins and sometimes the designer wins.”