It is questionable who explores this colour better, even though they both design and adventure down such different roots in term of fashion apparels, exploring opposite spectrums of trend and of course opposite ends of the body that garments intend to cover, yet they still seem to fight for their individuality in terms of colour.
Valentino:
Romantic, lustful, deep, dramatic, status and confidence.
Those are only just a few connotations to sum up the assertion that follows Valentino's use of red, a colour that to Valentino himself. is the only other colour worthy of competing with black and white.
Valentino doesn't just present his trademark colour through one garment worn by one individual model, but instead he creates a sense of volume by using multiples of models, all dressed in the same dramatic scarlet tone that illuminates each models flawless porcelain complexion but also offer so many different silhouettes for originality. By creating numerous amounts of garments all in the same colour, Valentino draws attention to the actual structure, detail and lining of each dress rather than cluttering the material with unnecessary patterns and prints when the colour alone, provides so much energy and seduction. Therefore, less really does become more.
His colour red contains a certain amount of orange, and even gained recognition as an actual shade at Pantone.
From 1959 up until the 2000's, Valentino has captivated his viewers with his elegant creations, but also due to the fact that his dresses communicate such power and presence whilst still remaining classical and traditional to the brand identity Valentino has built. Here is a look at Valentino's Fiesta’, strapless cocktail dress in draped tulle from Spring/Summer 1959. This dress was his first red dress for his debut collection for 1959. However, the look has been reshot in 2000 by Peter Lindbergh to demonstrate that moving into the 21st century this dress is still timeless and is not a fad nor a micro trend but a real classic piece among Valentino's collection as a whole.
Geographically, Valentino's lust for the colour red was born in Barcelona, as stated in an interview with Marie Claire, he said "When was young, I went to see the opera Carmen In Barcelona and the whole set was red - the flowers, the costumes — and l said to myself, “I want to keep this colour in my life."
Christian Louboutin:
Sexual allure, power, wealth and fortune- the red soled shoe conveys them all.
In context the red sole has played a significant role in the footwear market since the 1600s within monarchy all the way to the 1930's and beyond when Dorothy's clicked her heels and expressed 'There's no place like home'. Now to this day, it has become a worldwide signature of fashion to Christian Louboutin's brand and a household name to the stars and those with a impeccable taste for heels. Influenced by burlesque and cabaret, Louboutin wanted to create a vision of show girls where his shoes weren't just a accessory but an attitude that also intoxicated consumerism through popular culture and media.
"The shiny red colour of the soles has no function other than to identify the public that they are mine. I selected the colour because it is engaging, flirtatious, memorable and the colour of passion."- Christian Louboutin.
Whilst the red sole is still recognisable from underneath his iconic stilettos, Louboutin is still creative with his designs for each individual pair he makes. Christian Louboutin is far from afraid to make bold statements to convey a vibrancy of femininity and embrace sexualisation of fashion through the use of footwear. Louboutin continues to revamp his sexy signature stiletto throughout his collections by exploring new distinctive patterns, shapes, textures and colours all influenced by various demographics and geographic around the world, which can be especially seen in the Channel 4 documentary, Christian Louboutin: The World’s Most Luxurious Shoes, as he attempts to introduce his footwear to the super rich Asian market. The programme sees Louboutin employ multiple local artisans from Bhutan, a Himalayan state, to hand craft and chisel blocks of wood into shoes to create what looks like a multi-coloured block of sculpted art rather than a shoe. However, by doing so Louboutin still pushes himself into global markets to really internationalise his brand.
His designs on the outer surface of the shoe create such visual contrast between the distinct lacquer sole and the rest of the shoe resulting in attention being given to both areas. Therefore, his signature is still apparent but is one that does not solely take over the whole shoe.
Footage taken in Bhutan of Louboutin's unique wedge collection created by local artisans.
Autumn/Winter Collection for 2015
Elastagram calf/tech square- open toe silhouette
Tibur Spikes Glittart Shoe- pointed toe silhouette
Pigalle follies clair de lune- Pointed toe silhouette
Dorissima Vernis- round toe silhouette
Spring Summer Collection 2016. Louboutin collaborated with fashion designer, Holly Fulton to enthuse a collage-like collection of graphic geometric prints and modern silhouettes based on a harmonic colour palette to create custom shoes for each occasion. Take a look below!
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