Louboutin Heels: The Red Sole Story, From Pumps to Mules

Louboutin Heels: The Red Sole Story, From Pumps to Mules

A first-person guide to Christian Louboutin heels, from the red sole story to the pumps, heeled sandals, slingbacks and mules worth knowing. It covers Louboutin styles and how to try them on.

Let me start with a bottle of nail polish. In the early 1990s, Christian Louboutin looked at a prototype that felt lacking in energy, grabbed his assistant's red nail varnish and painted the underside lacquer red. He has said he knew right away it would work. The brand dates the red sole to 1992, though I will stay with early 1990s.

 

That is the origin of louboutin heels as most of us know them, and it is worth remembering how young the whole thing is. His first boutique opened in Paris in 1991, in the Galerie Véro-Dodat near the Louvre. Before that he had worked at the Folies Bergère music hall, helping the dancers and sketching shoes for them in his spare time. You can feel that stage background in the shoes: they are made to be looked at from across a room, and from behind as you walk away.

 

The red sole has also been tested in court. In 2012 a US appeals court ruled that the red sole is protected as a trademark when the rest of the shoe is a different color, which meant a rival house could still sell an all-red shoe. In 2018 the European Court of Justice ruled that a color on the sole of a high-heeled shoe is not exclusively a shape. I find it funny that a lacquer-red underside needed that much legal attention.

 

Now the pumps. If you are shopping Christian Louboutin heels for the first time, this is where I would begin. The La Pigalle 100 mm Pumps and the plain La Pigalle Pumps are the clean, pointed line, the pair I think of as the brand's grammar. Kate has a story too: the brand says the Kate pump was created in 2012 as a tribute to Kate Moss. The Kate 70mm Pumps are the lower, easier height, the Kate Max in black suede and the Kate 100mm patent pumps go taller, and the Sporty Kate leather pumps in beige and Sporty Kate 85mm Pumps add a sportier twist.

 

If you want a smaller heel, the Miss Sab 55mm Pumps, the Jane Nina 55 mm Pump and the Cassia 55mm crêpe satin pumps are where I would look. The Fannylove 85mm Pumps and the Iriza 85mm suede pumps sit in the middle, and the Lady Fanny patent leather slingback pumps in black are the polished one, with a strap that holds the heel in place. The Cassia 100 crêpe satin pumps in neutrals and the Cassia Lace Up 100 satin crêpe pumps in black are the dressy end, with ties that make them look like ballet shoes with ambition.

 

For the nights when you want height, the Maria 160mm satin pumps and the Dolly Alta 160mm platform pumps are the ones that make an entrance, while the Fanny Demie in snake-effect leather, the Fannylove Alta at 120 mm and the Giddylina buckle pumps are tall without going all the way up.

A collage of Christian Louboutin pumps, heeled sandals, slingbacks and mules, and a mood photo of red pointed slingbacks with black cropped leggings.
Christian Louboutin pumps, heeled sandals, slingbacks and mules in one place.

Pumps

Heeled sandals with a point of view

Heeled sandals are where Louboutin gets playful, and I think they are the best argument for owning one pair that is not black. Strappy shoes show your foot, so the straps need to sit properly. My fitting-room test is simple: stand up, walk to the mirror and back, and see whether the ankle strap moves. If it slides, move on.

 

The Miss Z tie dye patent leather sandals and the Miss Z Sandal Du Désert crêpe satin sandals are the loudest of the group. Both are multicoloured, and both want a plain outfit: white jeans, a black slip dress, a trench in camel. Let the shoes do the talking. The Rosa Z patent leather sandals in black are the sensible cousin, with the same glossy surface and none of the noise.

 

For evening, the Fanny embellished metallic leather sandals in transparent and the Fanny Jolly embellished leather sandals in black are the ones with sparkle. I would wear them with very simple tailoring, a straight black trouser with the hem just grazing the strap. The Cora leather sandals in gold and the Mulazee Cross metallic leather sandals in gold are the metallic pair for a summer wedding or a dinner outside, and the Mulazee Cross leather sandals in white are the quiet option for linen and bare legs.

 

Then there are the Janes. The Jane crêpe satin sandals in black are softer and more evening, while the Jane Nandina crêpe satin sandals in multicoloured are the one for a plain black dress that needs an argument. The Jane leather sandals, in beige and in black, are simpler: beige is the one I would pick if you want something that lengthens the leg with almost any skin tone and any outfit, and black is the one you will wear until the straps give up.

 

The Sandaloo 130 suede sandals in black are the tall ones, so try them with the heel height in mind, and the Sandaloo patent leather platform sandals in black give some lift at the front if a high heel scares you. The party pairs are the Meryl crystal crêpe-satin sandals, the Arch Queen embellished suede sandals, the Rosa Fruit satin sandals and the Rosalie embellished satin slingback sandals in green, which I would let be the only green thing in the room. The Alta 160 and Loubi Queen Alta platform sandals are for anyone who wants real height with a platform to take the edge off.

 

I keep coming back to the idea that sandals like these work best with one thing at a time. One metallic, one bright color, one shiny black. Pick your moment and let everything else behave.

Heeled sandals

Slingbacks and mules, the easy way in

Slingbacks and mules are the easiest way into Christian Louboutin if the pump feels like too much commitment. The Condoroline 55mm patent leather slingbacks in silver and the Condora 85mm slingbacks in nude are the polished ones, with a strap that holds the heel in place and a glossy finish that looks sharp with a trench or a gray suit.

 

Mules are looser and more casual. The Me Dolly 100mm Mules and the Me Dolly metallic leather mules in gold are the dressier ones, a bit of shine for a dinner when you do not want straps at all. The Milena leather mules in black are the pair I would wear on a regular Tuesday, with jeans and a white shirt. The Calakala 85mm platform mules in black are the casual cousin, and the Miss Z 80mm metallic mules in silver bring a pointed toe and some shine.

 

The Just Nothing leather platform mules in pink and the Just Nothing leather-trimmed TPU mules in metallic are the fun ones. Clear and shiny, they look a little like something you would find at a party after midnight. I like them with a long coat and bare ankles, or with tailored shorts and a crisp shirt. Try them with the foot sitting fully in the shoe, because a mule that slips at the heel will feel wrong all night.

 

Further down the grid are the dressier mules. The Affabula and Mulazee taffeta mules and the Cassia metallic mules are the ones with a bit of shine, and the Amali 130mm patent mules are the tall option. For colder months, the Bootytiag metallic western boots, the Miss Z leopard pony hair ankle boots and the So Kate croc-effect ankle boots keep the same heel and the same red sole.

 

What I would skip: pairing a loud slingback with a very busy dress, or wearing a metallic mule with other metallics. Let the shoe carry the shine, and keep the bag and jewelry quiet. Also skip any pair you have only tried sitting down. Walk the length of the room, take the stairs if there are stairs, and see how you move.

Slingbacks, mules and boots

How I would choose a pair

Choosing a pair is easier than it sounds if you decide the job first. If it is the everyday pair, start with a black pump or mule, because it will go with the most. If it is the party pair, look at the metallic sandals or the embellished slingbacks. If you want something to change a plain outfit, go for a color or a pattern, and keep the rest quiet.

 

Try them on late in the day, walk on a hard floor, and look at them from behind in the mirror, because that is how the rest of the room sees them. Check the strap, the toe and the heel height against what you will really do in them. Keep the sole red and clean by saving them for the right outfit. Then let one pair become the one that people remember you in. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Red Bottom Heels And The Most Recognisable Sole In Fashion and Brown Heels.