Author: JD

I LOVE HOW THEY DID THIS >> Famed still life photographer Peter Lippmann has collaborated with Christian Louboutin a number of times on campaigns, exploiting his still life set-up expertise.  I found the Flemish-style still lifes with shoes strewn over tables with goblets, grapes and skulls impressive in their execution and mimicry of those types of paintings.  It was also interesting to see that the shoe was not purposely made to be the centre of attention in the arrangements of objects.  Here, we have another Lippmann x Louboutin collaboration, with a series of portraits inspired by iconic and notably diverse pieces of art, all meant to celebrate different facets of femininity.  Each A/W 11-12 Louboutin shoe or accesory worked into the portrait also ties in with the character of the painting as well as the woman depicted. Re-enactment of famous artworks in a fashion editorial context isn’t anything new of course but there’s a certain distinct lushness that Lippmann brings to the portraits, and it is clear that he is interested in capturing the light and certain characteristics of the original paintings in his photographs as opposed to creating straight forward replicas.  There is also the surreal aspect of seeing a Louboutin shoe in say an 15th century Renaissance portrait or on Whistler’s mother’s lap (though that painting is well up there in the ‘Most Photoshopped’ chart) but it’s quite interesting to see when more traditionally symbolic or allegorical items such as a cross or a skull has been replaced by those famous red-sole shoes – something that the legions of women who worship at the alter of Louboutin won’t have a problem with. Marie-Guilleme Benoit – “Portrait d’une Negresse” Pictured with the nappa leather and patent Balda bootie. Jean Baptiste-Camille Corot – “Portrait of a Girl” Pictured with the Halte black patent shoe. Georges de la Tour – “Magdalene and the Flame” Pictured with the Puck boot. Francois Clouet – “Elizabeth of Austria” Pictured with the Madame au Pigalili gold spiked platform shoe and Catalina sequined clutch