Christian Louboutin Paints Claridges Red for Christmas

Natalie Theodosi

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ALL ABOARD THE LOUBI EXPRESS: Christian Louboutin brought a dose of his glamorous Parisian aesthetic to the lobby of Claridges on Thursday morning, unveiling the Christmas tree he designed for the famous hotel in London’s Mayfair.

Louboutin follows the likes of Christopher Bailey, Diane von Furstenberg, John Galliano and Alber Elbaz, who have all worked with Claridges on designing a Christmas tree — a tradition that has been going for a decade.

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For Louboutin, the collaboration was a no-brainer: “I like London, but without Claridges I wouldn’t feel at home here,” said the designer, who was in a red suit to match his design.

The tree, which grazed the ceiling of the hotel, was decorated with big red and gold baubles, and hung with iced gingerbread biscuits in the shape of shoes.

“Kids in particular remember all the details, they’ll come here and they’ll look at the gingerbread shapes, like the shoe, or the way the decorations have been placed, so I wanted to focus on all the details and make sure it all brings a sense of joy,” said Louboutin, who topped his tree with a giant gold crown.

Next to the tree, which is front and center in the hotel’s lobby, Louboutin parked a giant red velvet train, where guests can book private dining experiences.

“Christmas is a big moment where a lot of people are traveling. When you take the train you really enjoy it, you look at things and you have time to relax. It’s a journey in itself and makes part of the experience and the love of traveling. I always love trains, even long trains or night trains, so I wanted to bring this idea of the Orient Express,” added the designer, who will be spending Christmas with family and friends in Paris.

“We’ve been doing this with a good friend of mine for years, bringing people together whose families might be away or outside Paris for the holidays and didn’t have plans. So we kept celebrating like that. She has a big family now, and so do I, but we still welcome any friend who doesn’t have a big group to celebrate with that day.”

For the upcoming year, Louboutin will be unveiling an exhibition in Paris that will act as “a big celebration” of his label and look back at his work and everything that influences him from his collaborators, to various artists and artisans.

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