20 Years of Christian Louboutin in 10 Shoes

A photograph of a poised but “super bored” Princess Diana gazing downward sparked the idea for this flat, which features a message readable only when the feet are placed together. “She had this royal posture, meaning the knees and feet were joined. I thought if she had something on her feet, that would make her feel better,” says Louboutin. An instant editors’ favourite, its runaway sales kept his fledgling business afloat for a full year. “I really loved designing that shoe but then after a year I was really fed up because everyone knew ‘ah this is the shop of the love shoe’ and it was the only one people were seeing. I learned a lot. I would order 14. They sold out and I said, What do you do? They said, Redo the shoe. I said OK. Then someone explained that you do not do 14 pairs again, but 30 instead, and more sold out quickly.”