Lippman x Louboutin
Whistler's Mother loves a good studs-and-leather combo.
Many women would argue that a Louboutin shoe is a work of art. Besides the fact that they cost about the same amount (up to $4000 per pair) there's also the extraordinary craftsmanship that goes in to each design. The aesthetic appeal of a pair of Louboutins is also, like a work of art, subjective - and surely there are more than a few people up in the air about a pair of shoes that resemble a transvestite Clydesdale.
But whether you're a die-hard Louboutin fan or you think the allure of the brand faded along with Carrie Bradshaw's semi-youthfulness, it's difficult to deny the appeal of their latest F/W campaign. This is the second time the infamous designer has collaborated with photographer Peter Lippman, this time producing a series of portraits using iconic works of art to put the shoes in context. The subjects of Marie-Guillemine Benoit's "Portrait d'une Negresse", Francois Clouet's "Elizabeth of Austria" and Georges de la Tour's "Magdalene and the Flame" are among those who have been given a modern makeover.
The images are stark and gaudy, yet the shoes themselves are not always the immediate centre of attention. Saint Dorothy's red dress grabs the eye more than the iconic red sole of the shoe she's carrying, and Whistler's Mother would look killer with those studded and feathered Tootsie roccia leather ankle boots peeping out from under the hem of her Victorian skirt. Baptiste-Camille Corot's girl cradles her Halte black patent shoe like a baby, and so she should. We're sure many Louboutins, regardless of how highly esteemed they may be, have suffered a fate similar to that the painting itself - last year the $1.3m original was lost due to drunkenness.
Words: Hannah Ongley
