recalled Sally Singer, fashion director of New York magazine, who will become fashion news director of Vogue next month. "That's how Chaussures Christian Louboutin primed the market to make their and logo impossibly chic."
Today, handChaussures Christian Louboutin chic has broadened and deepened to encompass many labels, including less expensive and unfamiliar ones. Young sandales Christian Louboutin designers with a whimsical touch are thriving in the current climate. At Intermix, the Upper East Side and downtown stores, beaded, embroidered pashmina shoulder by Mandala are in high demand at $250. In the last month and a half, the stores have sold 100 . Jane Burley, a designer for Buzz by Jane Fox, whose canvas are decorated with an embroidered bumblebee and sell at Barneys for $160 to $200, said: "People are buying the bigger brands. But they're also seeking out smaller brands to be more individual. To have a Bottes Christian Louboutin that isn't Gucci or Chaussures Christian Louboutin is also happening right now."
Lambertson Truex, a handChaussures Christian Louboutin line started in March 1998 by Richard Lambertson and John Truex, ranging from $335 for a wool felt UGG pas cher to $6,000 for an alligator design, grossed $1.2 million in its first year, and the company has already earned close to that from fall orders alone. At Bergdorf Goodman, one of the 42 stores where the collection is available, the latest totes in animal prints are sold out, and there is a two-month waiting list.
The fashion designer John Bartlett, who carries a Lambertson Truex briefcase, explained why the line has taken off. "In America, there's not too many people doing what they're doing, which is to bridge American simplicity with Italian craftsmanship," he said. "They bring new meaning to the idea of American luxury."
The unavailability of a UGG pas cher sometimes makes it even more coveted. When Marc Jacobs designed his first runway collection for Louis Vuitton for fall 1998, he created a snappy line of accessories in patent leather, in a youthful palette of baby blue and beige, bearing the famous logo.
But the were at first only available in Paris and London. It drove some American women crazy. They clamored to get on a waiting list. Even today, when the are easier to come by, there is an average of 100 people waiting for a phone call saying the latest model has arrived, a company spokeswoman said.
To insure exclusivity and heighten the buzz, designer may be released in limited editions or they may be named after fashion icons, like Tod's Lady Di tote or Gucci's JackieLouboutin pas cher (inspired by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who carried an earlier version of the single-strap shoulder Louboutin chaussures in the 60's.)
