It would be misleading to assume that this report is about Christian Louboutin’s passage through a lifetime of designing iconic shoes with red soles into his winter years.
Deconstructing the Heading
The Passage is the other name of Galerie Véro-Dodat, the 19th Century shopping arcade that was built in 1826. This is also the venue of the first store opened by Christian Louboutin at the end of 1991. In 1997 it was restored to its former neo-classical glory, with marble columns, gold trim, frescoes, and a black and white tiled floor, the low height of the ceiling decorated with paintings of landscapes where it is not glass. Horizontally aligned on two sides are mostly high-caliber, designer boutiques and antique shops. Among them are two Christian Louboutin stores, the women’s Paris flagship boutique, and the world’s first CL Men’s store, Boutique Homme.[6
The Passage Bag and Winter shades
Earlier this year, the second Louboutin store dedicated to bags, opened in the same location, the Passage, which has also inspired Christian Louboutin’s latest line of bags. Sleek, timeless, and impeccably proportioned, Passage is a structured handbag fusing modern style with classic, ladylike polish. The centerpiece of the range is its hardware. Curved metal handles evoke the wrought-iron entry arches of the Galerie Véro-Dodat.
For the Autumn/Winter 2014 line Louboutin has used vivid shades borrowed from nature – bags in blue-green Turquin, a vibrant Rouge de Mars, deep Violet and a new leopard print.Available as a large shoulder bag, a messenger and a mini messenger, the Passage can be carried by the fold-over handle or worn cross-body with a detachable strap.
Rougissime, a sister style, is available as an elegant clutch, small clutch, and in the form of a wallet with metal-bar closures featuring a stripe of Louboutin red enamel, a signature of the whole collection. Choose between textured options including brocart, satin and the luxe mini leopard, new for AW14.
Each Passage and Rougissime bag boasts expert craftsmanship, crafted from the finest materials. Expect to see the butter soft calfskins, richly grained leathers, luxe lizards and textured pony-hair leather that permeate all of Louboutin’s designs.
Prices range from 119000 INR for the mini messenger to 159000 INR for the large version.
