Metrosexuals will be spilling their moisturiser over the news that Christian Louboutin, French shoe and bag manufacturer extraordinaire, has opened a new men’s boutique in Mayfair, London.
Occupying a lovely old Georgian building and sporting an ornate bay shop window, the Dover Street outlet is a typically flamboyant affair that reflects the style of the designer’s products. Interior designers 212Box have rolled out the trademark Louboutin red carpet in what is apparently a more masculine hue than usual, with some geometric detailing around the edge that butches it up even more.
The walls are an ornate patchwork of displays. One, a panel of diamond-shaped leather reflecting the product material, is dotted with ornate plinths carrying occasional examples of footwear. Elsewhere tiles, neon and metal latticework do the job while failing admirably to overshadow the cornices of the original interior. Handmade seating from London firm Squint provides recuperative points for shoppers to rest in between exhausting bouts of browsing.
Flash, even brash, but with more than a dash of panache. One pair of spiked lamé loafers in size 11 for the editor, please…
Fans of Louboutin boutiques may like to have a look through StudioXAG’s revealing shop window creations we featured last month.
Photography, Susie Rea
