fashionologie

Christian Louboutin - and Friends - Fete 20 Years of Shoes with Barneys

fashionologie — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 10:38:59 PDT

>> Last night, Christian Louboutin joined up with Barneys to fete the launch of his eponymous book - as well as the 20th anniversary of his brand - in New York.

The designer's longtime friends (Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen), collaborators (Marchesa's Keren Craig), and design peers (Calvin Klein, who left with an autographed copy of the tome) showed up in support. As did more than a few fans - sporting their Louboutin heels, of course. "I'm wearing my very first pair from 1997," Amanda Brooks told Style.com of her strappy red sandals. "He gave them to me as a thank you because I used to work at the Gagosian Gallery, across from the Carlyle, and he would call me on my lunch break to come over and model the shoes for him."

Blake Lively, who made headlines a year ago for carting 40 pairs of Louboutins away from the designer's sample sale, also stopped by: "My first pair was basic black, and after that, it was love - now I have hundreds." Clearly the feeling is mutual - Louboutin whisked her off her feet and carried her away after the event.

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Manolo Blahnik Makes a Comeback, Is Again in Demand

fashionologie — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:29:37 PDT

>> After being overtaken for a few years by Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik is back in the spotlight. Recent deliveries of a particular Manolo pump sold out so fast, Bergdorf Goodman had to institute a waiting list. “Manolo’s shoes are very much in the spirit of this moment’s clothes, pared down, with simple lines, and I hate to say ladylike, but classic,” said Linda Fargo, SVP for women’s fashion at the store.

“We do a very, very strong business in his shoes,” added Jonathan Joselove, SVP and merchandise manager for Neiman Marcus, noting that the stores have difficulty keeping certain Manolos in stock.

As the New York Times points out, Kate Moss wore a classic pair of Manolos for her wedding this past Summer, and Sarah Jessica Parker was shot exclusively in the Blahnik BB pump in the August issue of Vogue. “I walked in [for the shoot] and looked around and saw all these shoes, and then I spotted the Manolos and it was like water in a desert,” Parker explained. “I was just so excited to see a simple black pump.”

Of Louboutin's more embellished shoes and signature red soles, George Malkemus, president of Manolo Blahnik USA, says: “It was a chic idea for a minute. You wore a red sole, and everyone knew you spent $1,200 or $1,400 for your shoes. And I would say there was a period when certain customers abandoned us and moved into that world.” But, as Blahnik himself added last week: “The gimmicky thing I’m not very keen on. I’ve never been tempted to do these hideous furniture shoes.”

19 Eye-Catching Spring 2012 Accessories You Didn't See on the Recent Runways

fashionologie — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 11:22:37 PDT

>> Curious what Christian Louboutin, Brian Atwood, Eddie Borgo, and Tom Binns showed in their Spring 2012 presentations during the recent Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks? We've got a peek at each - plus looks at Tabitha Simmons's latest collection - and more in the slideshow.

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Christian Louboutin Prepared to "Fight Like Hell" Against Yves Saint Laurent, According To His Lawyer

fashionologie — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 09:54:24 PDT

>> After Christian Louboutin lost a bid to stop Yves Saint Laurent from selling red-soled shoes earlier this week, Louboutin's lawyer Harley Lewin has said he's prepared to “fight like hell to the end.” Lewin continued of the setback: “Deter me? Not at all. It’s early on in the game.”

Manhattan federal judge Victor Marrero also implied in his decision earlier this week that if the case continued, he would move to find for the defendant, Yves Saint Laurent, without a full trial - thus causing Louboutin to lose his red sole trademark, which was granted in 2008.

Marrero has ordered both parties to meet next Friday morning, Aug. 19, during which time Louboutin must “show cause why the record of this action as it now exists should not be converted into a motion for partial summary judgment canceling Louboutin’s trademark.” Louboutin is seeking at least $1 million in damages from Yves Saint Laurent.

Louboutin May Lose Red Sole Trademark After Judge Denies Injunction Against Yves Saint Laurent

fashionologie — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 09:16:41 PDT

>> While it remains to be seen whether Christian Louboutin will retain its red-sole trademark, a Manhattan federal judge has denied Louboutin's request that Yves Saint Laurent be barred from selling red-soled shoes while the shoemaker's lawsuit against YSL is pending.

The judge concluded that Louboutin wouldn't likely be able to prove that its red soles deserve trademark protection - protection that was originally granted in 2008. "Because in the fashion industry color serves ornamental and aesthetic functions vital to robust competition, the court finds that Louboutin is unlikely to be able to prove that its red outsole brand is entitled to trademark protection, even if it has gained enough public recognition in the market to have acquired secondary meaning," Judge Victor Marrero wrote in his opinion.

“We’re obviously very disappointed,” Harley Lewin, a lawyer for Louboutin, said of the denial. “We think the judge missed it.” Lewin continued: "The court essentially indicated that it does not believe that a single color can be a trademark in the fashion industry. We're disheartened."

‘This just reaffirms that no designer should be allowed to monopolize a primary color for fashion,” David Bernstein, a lawyer for Yves Saint Laurent, said about the ruling today. “This is a trademark registration that never should have been issued and can’t be enforced.”

Marrero said in his ruling that representatives for both YSL and Louboutin must appear in federal court Aug. 17, when Louboutin will have to provide arguments against a motion to cancel the trademark.

See Christian Louboutin's Portrait-Inspired Fall 2011 Lookbook

fashionologie — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 13:33:33 PDT

>> Christian Louboutin and photographer Peter Lippman, who first worked together a couple of years ago, have teamed up again - this time to create Louboutin's Fall 2011 lookbook. The seven images are inspired by classic portrait paintings and features recreations of iconic works - including Whistler's Mother and Francisco De Zurbaran's Saint Dorothy -with the new Louboutin pieces included, of course. Click through to see the entire lookbook (NSFW), modeled by Trissan Polas, Sterenn Nogues, Karom Kelly, Lia Catreux, Francoise de Stael, and Karen Assayag.

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Yves Saint Laurent Challenges Christian Louboutin Lawsuit in Court

fashionologie — Tue, 24 May 2011 07:26:21 PDT

>> Last month, Christian Louboutin hit Yves Saint Laurent with a $1 million-plus trademark-infringement lawsuit for the use of red soled shoes in the Spring 2011 YSL collection. Now, Saint Laurent has filed court papers, alleging that Louboutin fraudently claimed "exclusive" use of red soles in his trademark application and is illegally trying to monopolize a style that he didn't invent.

"Red outsoles are a commonly used ornamental design feature in footwear, dating as far back as the red shoes worn by King Louis XIV in the 1600s and the ruby red shoes that carried Dorothy home in The Wizard of Oz," YSL says in court papers. "As an industry leader who has devoted his entire professional life to women's footwear, Mr. Louboutin either knew or should have known about some or all of the dozens of footwear models that rendered his sworn statement false."

The French fashion house also notes that it has been producing shoes with red soles since the 1970s, "long before" Louboutin began doing so, and alleges that Louboutin's suit is part of an "anti-competitive campaign" that included pressuring retailers like Saks, Barneys, Bergdorf Goodman, and Neiman Marcus to pull Yves Saint Laurent shoes off their shelves.

What Victoria Beckham and Other Fashion Industry Guests (Plus Chelsy Davy) Are Wearing to the Royal Wedding

fashionologie — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 09:10:50 PDT

>> Plenty of talk has been made of Kate Middleton's wedding dress, but what about her wedding guests? Victoria Beckham is said to be wearing one of her own designs - from the Fall 2011 Victoria Beckham collection - paired with custom Christian Louboutin shoes and a Philip Treacy hat.

Alexandra Shulman has gone with Christopher Kane for the big day (who Samantha Cameron is also rumored to have chosen), while Anya Hindmarch picked a "classic and chic" Emilia Wickstead look. Harper's Bazaar's Sara Parker Bowles will wear Osman, while her mother-in-law Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, will be dressed by Anna Valentine, the designer who created her wedding dress when she married Prince Charles in 2005. And former Armani muse Lady Helen Taylor is wearing Erdem.

Prince Harry's on-and-off girlfriend, Chelsy Davy, has chosen two custom looks by Alberta Ferretti: For the ceremony, she went with an aqua green, bias reverse satin dress teamed with a matching faille silk jacket and for the reception party, she'll change into a one shoulder, midnight blue, crepe satin gown with cut-out back detailing, as shown in the sketch above.

"It has been very exciting and interesting working close to a girl invited to such a momentous event," Alberta Ferretti told Vogue UK of the dresses. "Chelsy is a contemporary girl, very determined but also charming and very feminine. Until the very last fitting she was undecided between two different daywear options for the ceremony, so there might be a last minute surprise!"

And finally, Alice Temperley is rumored to be dressing both the mother of the bride and her sister, the maid of honor Pippa Middleton. Temperley is still considered a frontrunner for the bridal gown, but her PR team says she is out of the country on a two-week holiday. As the Telegraph UK wonders: "Is this a double bluff? Is she really holed up at Buckingham Palace with a team of seamstresses?"

Christian Louboutin Speaks on Why He's Suing Yves Saint Laurent

fashionologie — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 09:42:33 PDT

>> Two weeks ago, it came to light that Christian Louboutin is suing Yves Saint Laurent over a pair of red suede shoes with matching red soles from the latter's Spring 2011 collection (which also happens to include purple shoes with purple soles, navy shoes with navy soles and green shoes with green soles). According to the papers Louboutin's legal team filed in New York, "The defendant's use of red footwear outsoles that are virtually identical to plaintiff's Red Sole Mark is likely to cause and is causing confusion, mistake and deception among the relevant purchasing public as to the origin of the infringing footwear."

Now, Louboutin himself has addressed the matter: "I have the biggest respect for the house of Yves Saint Laurent. Having discussed the matter with them and not been able to reach an agreement, we have had to take this to court. My company has a trademark on the red sole and if we don't enforce it this would leave the door open for other brands to copy us while jeopardising the identity of the Louboutin red sole. No one before me has ever used a coloured sole to define a brand's identity. The red sole has become widely recognised as the distinct sign of my brand in the eyes of women all over the world."

Fash's Friday Obsessions! Sporty Chic

Chi Diem Chau — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 09:49:33 PDT

>> Sneakers aren't just for ballers: designers like Isabel Marant, Maison Martin Margiela, and Rick Owens have created their own take on sporty footwear, leaving some of us sneaker heads in a tizzy for their casual kicks. This week, we're mixing a pair of fresh Christian Louboutin sneakers with a denim dress, Alexander Wang backpack, and studly jewels for a directional cool girl vibe. Shop our picks now.

Left to right: Alexander Wang Marti Backpack ($875), Wendy Nichol Pyramid Hoops ($288), Unique Pink Denim Shirt Dress ($160), Christian Louboutin Sneakers ($465), Super Sunglasses ($125)