I spent my Friday in a—not to spoil the ending—fruitless attempt to meet French shoe designer and all-things-sexy-in-shoe-form-guru Christian Louboutin.
As a member of the press, I went about it entirely the wrong way. I should've asked for an interview or set up an appointment or gotten permission for anything—instead I decided to show up just as a fan and hope for the best.
From 2 to 6 p.m., Louboutin was signing shoes at Saks Fifth Avenue New Orleans. I had received a heads-up for that event and an invitation to a gathering that night from Director of Marketing (and all around amazing man) Steven Putt. He also warned me that the store would be slammed.
Thinking, or not thinking actually, that I'd be fine, I jetted out of the office to get to Saks by 4 p.m., plenty of time to get a pair of shoes and have them signed.
I couldn't have been more wrong. Between the classy drinks, soothing music and Louboutin's chic self behind ropes, the rest of the available space was filled with people—I even spent a bit trying to buy a pair of shoes, but there were just too many people doing the same.
I did get to see his amazing three-color takes-up-the-entire-sole signature on some entirely ecstatic fellow fans.
Later that evening I showed up for the party (which had very tasty food and luxe drinks, and was full of the beautiful people of New Orleans) with a friend who was kind—and curious—enough to come with me. We waited about an hour before we had to leave. On the way out, I ran into photographer Jeff Strout, who was shooting for Saks. After catching up for a bit, he told me that Louboutin's entourage had just arrived, but the man himself had signed shoes for an extra hour and a half, and the car had just gone to go pick him up.
It's that time of year, folks. There is just so much going on in New Orleans over the next few months – nonprofit fundraisers, galas, festivals, second lines, talks and concerts, not to mention all of the dinners with friends, play dates and, oh, work that fills our lives. This is also the time of year that people start thinking of family, giving thanks and of those no longer with us. With all that going on, it’s tough to stay grounded and not let the little things – like getting a pair of shoes signed by one of my favorite designers – get us down and take away from the larger picture: New Orleans is an amazing place to live with so much to offer, but sometimes you have to step back and smell the red beans.
