Not all of his ideas lead to commercial success. “I love the opposition of sleekness and something completely delicate being supported by something that is completely moveable,” he says. “And I love silk tassels.” Enter the Embrase Tassel — a shoe ostensibly held up by a curtain accessory. He believed in the tromp l’oeil so much that he declined the heel to form a sandal and later stuck it on a boot. “None of them worked,” he says. “Clearly people don’t want to walk on tassels.”
Twenty Years of Christian Louboutin
A brief history of the sexy and sophisticated soles coveted by everyone from fashion designers to Hollywood's most stylish celebrities.