Happy 20th Birthday Louboutin!

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Louboutin's "magnificent reign over the shoe kingdom", I thought I'd pen a little ode to my first ever pair of red-soled beauties:

When I got married, it was a case of “Love Me, Love My Shoes”, or rather, my shoe addiction. Since then, 200+ pairs later, the love affair hasn’t abated and the husband admits I have a disease he can’t control.

My very first pair of Louboutins were the Very Prive Paillette in the gorgeous salmon colour. Writing the London party pages for an international magazine coupled with my extravagant and cherished shoe collection meant that my friends had nicknamed me London’s Carrie Bradshaw.  So when the first SATC film was released, I just HAD to host cocktails (Cosmopolitans, of course!) and a private screening for 85 girlfriends.  Dress code? Your most fabulous shoes!

As the hostess, the pressure was on me to wear the ultimate shoes at the party.  I searched high and low for the ‘special’ pair that would be perfect for the event.  I’ll admit, the price was eye-wateringly high for me back then, but, taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes, handed over the credit card and hoped for the best.  The search for these shoes had taken me not only across London’s Louboutin stockists, but also online internationally, to find the correct size.  With baited breath I waited for my babies to arrive from America and the tension nearly killed me.  Would they arrive on time? Would Customs keep them from me?

When I finally opened the box, they were all I could have wished for and more. Perfect in every way, from every angle.  A work of wearable art. I feel like Cinderella every time I put them on and they never let me down. Understated opulent femininity yet always the centre of attention. I’ve been hooked on Louboutins ever since, but these will always hold a special place in my heart.