Why pay hundreds of dollars when you can just grab a can of paint?
Thrifty women in the UK have taken to painting the soles of their shoes red in order to get the look of Christian Louboutin’s iconic pumps, which normally run from $700 to $2,000, without shelling out the big bucks.
Sales of bright red paint shades have skyrocketed across the pond, jumping 40 percent in the last year, according to The Telegraph.
“Many people tend to look at magazines to get the right paint color for walls and furniture, but we've noticed significant numbers of girls color-matching tester pots to pictures of designer shoes in fashion magazines,” Peter Rooney, manager of a London paint store told the newspaper.
Many paint sellers are both surprised and happy about the trend.
“Clearly paint is meant for decorating walls rather than shoes, so we are amazed at this new trend that has hit our stores,” Richard Johnson, a senior paint buyer for the UK chain Homebase, said.
Claire Stevenson of South London said she decided to pick up a paintbrush recently because she “felt the pressure to be fashionable” at her cousin’s wedding, but just didn’t have the cash.
“I received so many compliments at the wedding about my gorgeous shoes but I didn't have the heart to confess they were DIY (do-it-yourself) fakes,” the 24-year-old said. “It was such a success I plan on doing the same for another pair of heels."
The French designer came up with the colorful trademark for his brand in 1992 when he painted an assistant’s red nail polish on the sole of a shoe that he believed “lacked energy.”
British women aren’t the only ones jumping on the makeover trend.
A Manhattan cobbler has long been using red rubber to resole patrons’ Louboutins, according to the website Madison Avenue Spy.
The resoling at Andrade Shoe Repair on the Upper East Side costs from $22 to $32.
Louboutin has spent a great deal of energy fighting imitators of the red sole, including fellow French fashion house Yves Saint Laurent.
A U.S. district judge refused to stop YSL from selling women’s shoes with red soles last August.
Source: www.nydailynews.com
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