Christian Louboutin knows how to make a splash at fashion week. Last season, he did that figuratively with a dance show at the historic Le Trianon theatre in Paris. This season, he decided to do things a little more literally – much to every fashion editor's delight.
The iconic shoe designer teamed up with artistic director David LaChapelle and choreographer Bianca Li to stage a pool party of epic proportions. The trio enlisted the French Olympic artistic swimming team to put on a performance like no other, at Paris's legendary Art Deco pool Piscine Molitor.
For the show, entitled 'Louboutin is Burning' (an homage to 1990 documentary, 'Paris is Burning') the space was transformed with lights, projections and the addition of huge façade, featuring alcoves for the performers, as well as a giant pair of red-soled shoes – one of which functioned as a slide.
Clad in a Fifi Chachnil bathing suit and a pair of matching, metallic Miss Z shoes – Louboutin's new, point-toe pump, rumoured to have been named after Zendaya – each performer glided down the shoe slide and into the pool, before joining in a synchronised performance, showcasing the shoes above the water. Add to that 14 on-stage dancers and a performance by singer-songwriter, LP.
Inspired by 1950s Hollywood water ballets, it was a totally fabulous spectacle that delivered serotonin as well as shoes.