What is it about women and shoes? I was listening to the celebrated French shoe designer, Christian
Louboutin, a couple of weeks ago and my overwhelming reaction was: my God, this man takes himself seriously! But, to be fair to Louboutin, all the women who were also
listening to him, took him even more seriously than he did himself.
In case you don’t know who Louboutin is (and this is entirely possible – but don’t tell Louboutin) then he is the man who is widely regarded as being one of the world’s two leading shoe designers. Along with Manolo Blahnik, he follows a strict ‘no-advertising, only very high prices’ policy. It is hard to find his shoes outside of his own stores and when you do wander into a Louboutin store, you might faint with shock once you see the prices (about US dollars 1000 per pair is about the base price).
But no matter. Once a woman wears a Louboutin shoe, other women who are in the know will immediately recognise Louboutin’s trademark red soles and will gaze enviously at the shoe-wearer. Those of us who are not so au fait with the cult of the red sole may also recognise her: unless she is a pro at this sort of thing, she will be tottering awkwardly on very high heels.
Louboutin is witty and charming but he got annoyed when somebody asked him whether he felt like a bondage specialist or a torturer when he placed women in such uncomfortable high heels. He responded – correctly, I think – that nobody forced women to wear his shoes. If they paid good money for the high heels, then they must enjoy wearing them.
Most men will have difficulty in understanding the cult of the designer shoe. When we buy shoes, we look for comfort and then, for aesthetics. If a shoe is uncomfortable, we are unlikely to buy it no matter how good it looks. And while we have our weaknesses for designer labels – a Tods loafer is a must-have for some guys – there is no equivalent of Louboutin or Blahnik in the men’s market.
To be sure, there are bespoke shoe-makers like John Lobb (one branch of which is now owned by Hermes) and Berlutti (which is now part of the giant LVMH conglomerate) but they appeal to men in the know, do not have cult status, and their USP is that the shoes are incredibly comfortable because they are custom-made. No man I know would willingly splash out as much on a pair of shoes as a woman would on a pair of Louboutins or Blahnik. Moreover, even men who like shoes usually stop at 15 or 20 pairs. Women, on the other hand, have collections that go into the hundreds.
Obviously, a passion for shoes is one of those gender distinguishers. Around two decades ago, a woman called Tamara Mellon realised that there was room for a third brand to rival Louboutin and Blahnik. She enlisted the services of a London-based Chinese-Malaysian shoemaker called Jimmy Choo and launched a global brand in his name.
| "Women who are obsessed with shoes are not motivated by logic. They just know that they must have yet another pair of very expensive shoes. It is a compulsion rather than an obligation." |
Choo himself was only a small part of the equation and soon fell out with Mellon. Though the company has gone from owner to owner (usually equity funds) it has continued to grow in strength and today is regarded as the equivalent of Louboutin or Blahnik by people who don’t necessarily know any better.
The clearest expression of the I-love-shoes craze came in the TV show, Sex and the City, in which the central character obsessed about designer shoes. Though Blahnik got the most mentions, the very fact that Jimmy Choo was referred to helped promote the brand and turn it into a global phenomenon.
I’ve been trying to work out why women are so obsessive about shoes. Part of the reason must be that they need more shoes than men. They try and match their shoes to their outfits so they need a greater variety of options than men who will rarely venture beyond black, brown and sneakers. Part of the reason must also be that shoes, like sunglasses and handbags, are designer products that are shape-neutral. If a very fat woman walks into Chanel, she is unlikely to find anything that fits her. Designers tend to make clothes only for women who are tall and slim. But even a less than perfectly-proportioned woman can wear expensive shoes and beam with pleasure when her friends recognise her red soles.
But I do believe that it goes beyond rational thinking. Women who are obsessed with shoes are not motivated by logic. They just know that they must have yet another pair of very expensive shoes. It is a compulsion rather than an obligation.
Put it down to wiring. When God made men, He wired us differently. He told us not to worry too much about what we wore on our feet.
But when He made women, He threw in a shoe gene that made them lust after footwear irrespective of the price. And then He sent them Manolo Blahnik and Christian Louboutin to make their dreams come true.
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