LOUBOUTINS SUCK | Your Under-$150 Spring Shoe Guide

via Bionda Castana

Originally posted in The LOOK

I picked up my first (and only) pair of Louboutins on a whim. I'd been invited to meet the celebrity shoe designer when he was in Toronto for a Christian Louboutin Exhibition at the Design Exchange. For a fashion blogger, this was a major coup. I rifled through my entire shoe collection at home, freaking out because none of my shoes felt worthy of my shoe idol. And then I remembered a $300 gift card I'd been saving. This was happening. 

I left an hour early for Toronto and headed straight for one of my favourite places in the world - the designer shoe department at Holt Renfrew. Surrounded by ladies who lunch and all those gorgeous shoes, I couldn't help myself. I landed on a pair of stunning black and gold spikey-toe pumps and asked to see them in size 9. 'Well, Louboutin only goes up to 39, which is more like an 8, but they will be fine.' They weren't. I knew it. But I figured I'd work them in. Shoes this expensive must mold to your feet, non? Minutes later I'd blown $800 and was walking onto Bloor St. feeling like a boss. 

Nobody wants to admit it. In fact, in certain circles, saying so would be sacrilege. But if you've ever owned a pair of Louboutins, I'm sure you'll agree - they're uncomfortable. No, wait, that's being nice. They're torture chambers. I've talked to dozens of other Louboutin victims who secretly agree.  They might look pretty and you might get some small satisfaction from prancing around the room in your red soles, but after about 6 minutes, the pain sets in. The searing, burning, want-to-rip-your-feet-off pain that makes you leave the party early and never want to wear heels again. And I'm the kind of person who lives in heels. Unless you have abnormally tiny toes, there just isn't enough room at the inn. So, not only does the sky-high pin-sized heel make you feel like you're a giant baby tottering around in your mom's heels, but your feet are simultaneously being suffocated which turns your feet as red as that iconic sole. And then there are the long-lasting effects. No matter how much they hurt, you continue to wear them anyway because of the mountains of guilt - after all, you dropped a whole mortgage payment on them. Okay, let me just come right out and say it - Louboutins suck. 

I love heels. I adore the Holts shoe department and am still willing to spend the occasional paycheque on the perfect designer shoe (Choo > Louboutin all the way). But clearly, I will never buy Louboutins again. And if you suffer shoe envy every time you see those painted red soles - believe me, you are not missing out. 

Now, I get most of my shoe kicks for under-$150 - a great pointy-toe flat at ALDO, a made-in-Brazil beauty at Le Château, or a pair of sporty white tennis kicks from Sportchek or Soft Moc let me stay on trend without destroying my feet or my spring shopping budget. 

Want to step up your shoe game this spring? Check out our guilt-free spring shoe guide, with the coolest little flats and prettiest printed heels for under $150, not a single red sole in sight. Phew. Happy Friday!

SEE OUR SPRING SHOE GUIDE HERE...

Christian Louboutin Exhibition Kicks off at Toronto's Design Exchange Today

Those iconic red Christian Louboutin soles. All other photos by me.

Today might be the first day of summer but in Toronto, it's ALL about Christian Louboutin. The celebrity shoe designer has brought his trademark red soles to the city for the highly anticipated North American debut of his retrospective exhibition, which opens today at The Design Exchange. 

At the media Press Conference yesterday, I sat front row (keener) to find out what makes Louboutin tick, and got a sneak peek tour of the exquisite exhibition featuring over 250 pairs of breathtaking shoes. Among other things, I found out that Louboutin enjoys odd pastimes like trapeze-flying, that he once left fashion to become a garden designer, that he's more inspired by showgirls than fashion, that he designs his Spring/Summer collections in Brazil or Egypt and his Fall/Winter collections at his country home with the heat turned off, and that in the future, he hopes to direct a Bollywood movie. Oh, and that famous red sole? Early in his career, he received a prototype of a floral heel and didn't like how the black sole clashed with the fabric. Luckily, his assistant happened to be painting her nails a vibrant red at the time, so he grabbed the bottle, painted the soles red et voilà - fashion history!

Christian Louboutin: An Exhibition Celebrating 20 Years of Design, Artistry and Magic kicks off today and runs until September 15, 2013 at The Design Exchange in Toronto, featuring a spectacular display of shoes, visual installations, sketches and personal artifacts from the designer's colourful 20 year career. Tickets are $22 and include a 1-year subscription to FLARE Magazine (while quantities last). If you love shoes, it's an absolute must. Want to meet the man himself? Christian Louboutin will be at Holt Renfrew Bloor St. for a shoe signing from 4-6 p.m. tonight. Word on the street is that the Loubouphiles are already queued up. Happy Louboutin Day to you! x

(As for whether or not I splurged on a pair after all, scroll down to find out. #eeeeek) 

Our press kit featuring bios of all the big shots. This is the journalistic equivalent of a 'cheat sheet'.

Shauna Levy, President of Design Exchange, Donna Loveday, Head of Curatorial at the Design Museum, London, and Christian Louboutin in a wicked blazer.

The exhibition feels a lot like a fairground for shoe fetishists, with a carousel of decadent heels, a shadow theatre, and a showgirl stage featuring a trippy hologram of Dita von Teese.

Every Louboutin shoe starts with a sketch. Wouldn't you just love to own one of these?

A shoe mold is handmade - if you're a celebrity, you get your very own (which finally explains why celebs can stand in heels for so long)

Fabric and heels collide to make an exquisite shoe...

...comme celui-çi! Magnifique!

(I had a Holts gift card and I wasn't afraid to use it :) Well, maybe a little afraid...) #wortheverypenny

If you're a shoe-lover, consider Design Exchange your new happy place.

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Loubi, Loubi, Oh Baby

So...guess who I get to meet tomorrow?? I've somehow worked my way into the exclusive Press Conference and personal tour of the Christian Louboutin exhibit BY CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN LUI-MêME at The Design Exchange in Toronto tomorrow. Dyyyying. And I don't own a single pair of Loubis yet :( Here's the dilemma: Do I go with something totally inconspicuous (black, simple, understated), or Converse to show that I wouldn't dare wear any heels other than Loubis in the Great One's presence? Or do I jump off the train, hightail it to Holts and break the bank for a 3 hour tour (a 3 hour touuur)? Or do I give a slight nod to the Louboutin aesthetic with some rockstar studs à la sandals I featured yesterday? One thing I do know is that this is no time for a Louboutin DIY. I can picture it now - trailing red paint prints behind me as I flee the Design Exchange, Christian screaming, "Traître! POSEUR!!!" all the way. Sh•t. And you think you have problems getting dressed in the morning...Wish me luck. Pics and the whole Louboutin in Toronto lowdown to come...