De la sole: Christian Louboutin’s work shop

Ever heard the tale of the shoemaker and his elves? It could easily have been set here: this is the tiny Paris workshop, off a courtyard behind giant’s doors in the rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau, where Christian Louboutin’s special orders are made.

Every day, a team of master craftsmen (and women) beaver away to create extraordinary, unique, covetable shoes for the stars. The walls are lined with lasts labelled with household names (every celebrity you’ve ever seen wearing Louboutins on the red carpet), cupboards spill forth glossy, coloured hides, from ostrich leg to alligator, and fittings take place in a little adjacent salon.

This is where the shoemakers, under the watchful eye of the chef d’atelier, work together to create any shoe your heart desires, whether multicoloured glitter-smothered men’s workboots or dainty pink satin slippers, each finished with that trademark red sole.

Christian Louboutin special orders are made at 19 rue Jean-Jacques-Rousseau, 75001,

Paris. For information about ordering, call 01 42 36 53 66 or e-mail jjrparisboutique@christianlouboutin.fr.