Leave it to Christian Louboutin to set Paris ablaze in a swirl of dazzling red soles and artistic performance. This time, the legendary designer turned one of the city’s most iconic Art Deco landmarks, the Piscine Molitor, into a jaw-dropping stage for his Spring/Summer 2025 collection. And it wasn’t just a runway show—it was a hypnotic marriage of dance, water, fashion, and performance art, all conceived in collaboration with visionary director David LaChapelle and renowned choreographer Blanca Li.
Together, they took Paris Fashion Week into new, uncharted waters—literally.
The grandiose event, fittingly called Paris is Louboutining, celebrated the designer's enduring passion for both dance and aquatic elegance. But this wasn't your typical fashion spectacle. Instead of models sashaying down a runway, the French Olympic artistic swimming team took the plunge in Christian Louboutin heels, a first in the history of synchronized swimming. Heels in the pool—yes, you heard that right! Leave it to Louboutin to blend glamour and grace, showcasing a daring and modern take on classic Hollywood water ballets.
Set against the historic Piscine Molitor, designed in 1929 by Lucien Pollet, the performance embodied the designer's ability to honor the past while breathing new life into the present. It was a true testament to Louboutin's longevity—a brand that has, for decades, enthralled the modern woman by being ever-current yet timelessly elegant.
The brains behind the performance—Christian Louboutin, David LaChapelle, and Blanca Li—created a world where fashion and the arts collided in spectacular fashion. LaChapelle’s surreal and kaleidoscopic vision transformed the pool area into a shimmering playground of light, colour, and music. His signature flair for vivid imagery and playful scales turned the venue into a multi-sensory wonderland, while Blanca Li’s choreography brought every splash of water to life. Think 1950s Hollywood glitz but with a modern, pop-infused twist that only Louboutin could pull off.
The show’s set design was a masterpiece of vibrant projections, cascading fountains, and a monumental façade that framed performers as living works of art. Around the pool, symmetrical water jets rose gracefully, with a grand central fountain creating a breathtaking focal point for the aquatic ballet. And in an unmistakably playful nod to Louboutin’s design, a giant pair of his iconic heels became a slide that plunged the Olympic swimmers into the pool, blending whimsy with high fashion.
It’s fashion as performance art, bringing past and present into a harmonious, rhythmic dance.
For Louboutin, the inspiration has always been rooted in the fluid elegance of dance and the mysterious allure of water.
Something the three of us clearly have in common is our love for dance. Blanca made it her world, David some of his major artworks, and me, I also started by designing shoes for dancers. - Louboutin shares.
Blanca Li's choreography echoed this connection, seamlessly merging athletic prowess with artistic grace. For the first time in her illustrious career, Li welcomed swimmers into her world, turning the pool into both a vertical and horizontal stage where every move was more spellbinding than the last. With 14 dancers and 15 swimmers bedecked in metallic Miss Z pumps and retro bathing suits designed by Fifi Chachnil, the performance was a visual ode to Hollywood's golden era, reimagined for the modern viewer.
The scene reached its crescendo as the synchronized swimmers wove their bodies into geometric shapes, rising and falling around the central fountain. And as the final movement concluded, those iconic Louboutin red soles broke through the water, their glossy surfaces glistening like jewels in the sun.
Every sensory detail was meticulously crafted, from the rhythm of splashing water to the melodic voice of LP, whose mix of pop, rock, indie, and folk added an ethereal quality to the spectacle. The American singer-songwriter’s soulful yet crystalline vocals enveloped the audience, transporting them into a world where fashion, music, and art blend seamlessly together.
It’s this convergence of disciplines that gives Christian Louboutin’s work its timeless appeal. Over the years, the brand has effortlessly evolved, capturing the hearts of modern women by celebrating individuality and embracing bold, fearless self-expression. This show was a fitting tribute to that ethos, offering an electrifying experience where boundaries dissolve, and creativity knows no limits.
More than just a fashion show, Paris is Louboutining was an unforgettable sensory experience—one that will soon be immortalized on screen in a film directed by David LaChapelle. The legacy of Christian Louboutin, much like the ripples in the pool of the Piscine Molitor, continues to spread, growing more vibrant with each passing wave.
I wanted to bring back this feeling of Hollywood cinema from the 20th century but at the same time the result isvery contemporary. What is beautiful is to inspire ourselves in the past to create something of today. - David LaChapelle.
By blending heritage with audacity, elegance with athleticism, and fashion with art, Louboutin doesn’t just create shoes; he creates worlds. And in this world, women don't just walk in heels—they dance, swim, and conquer them.
Because after all, isn’t life better when you’re making a splash?
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The Casper Magazine Team ❤️
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