5 Steps to Keep Christian Louboutin Shoes in Great Condition
With proper care, Christian Louboutin can turn heads for many years and many wears. Here are 5 steps to keep your Christian Louboutin shoes or any designer heel in tip top shape.
These steps can apply to shoes that aren't Christian Louboutin as well.
Step 1: Vibram the Sole
The sole of most Christian Louboutin shoes are made of leather lacquered in a delicious red gloss. As the shoes endure wear, the gloss will start to erode. To keep the bottoms that signature red, get them vibramed!
Vibram is a rubber material that can be permanently applied to the bottom of the shoe. This service is performed by a cobbler, and usually costs around $20-$25 for each pair of shoes.
Vibram pretty much lasts forever, can keep your soles red (assuming that red vibram is used), and provides additional protection from water and moisture on the ground. Liquids can impact the structure of a shoe, so this additional benefit is very useful!
There are just a few things to keep in mind with the cobbler:1. The surface where the vibram will be applied will be sanded down, as gloss makes the vibram harder to adhere to the sole. For that reason, feel free to wear your Louboutins before getting them vibramed.
2. Make sure that your cobbler has red vibram. If black or beige vibram is applied, the result ruins the look of a Louboutin sole. Vibraming is a common service for cobblers, but they may not have red vibram. Red vibrams can be purchased here and provided to your cobbler.
3. Make sure that the cobbler knows to only cover the area of the soles that touches the ground. It would be a shame to cover up the beautiful Christian Louboutin signature and sizing info.
Step 2: Replace the Heel Tips
To maintain structure and to keep the heel of your shoe from grinding down, change the heel tips when the heel tips start to look like the ones on the left.
This low-cost service (usually around $10) can be provided by a cobbler, or you can do this yourself with a set of pliers and a new set of heel tips.
If you're doing this yourself, make sure that you use beige heel tips for lighter-colored shoes, and black heel tips for dark-colored shoes. The size of the heel tips must also be the right size for your heel.
Step 3: Clean the Footbed
Christian Louboutin footbeds are usually light beige. With wear, the bed of the shoe can easily get dark marks and smudges. Routine wipe-downs of the bed can keep it looking clean.
I like using baby wipes for this. A clean towel or napkin lightly dampened with mild hand soap can also do the trick. 🙂
One thing to keep in mind, is that this can fade the gold Christian Louboutin signature on the foot of the bed. However, from my experience, the gold stamping will fade with continued wear of the shoe anyway.
Step 4: Remove Scuffs, Stains and Marks
A good cobbler can save an expensive shoe for very little money! These Christian Louboutin Gressimo shoes (pictured above) used to have very dark marks on them, but my cobbler somehow removed almost all of it! I thought for sure that the shoes were ruined.
If you have expensive shoes, it pays to use a great cobbler. I take in whichever shoes that need servicing every 6 months. By bringing in a whole box at a time, I also save a bundle!
***Once you find a good cobbler, don't switch if you don't have to. I've had terrible experiences with cobblers as well. Even though some had been in the industry for many years, many are not used to dealing with designer shoes. One cobbler literally rubber coated the entire bottoms of a pair of Valentino boots, including the stamping!
Step 5: Proper Storage
Last, but not least, store your precious beauties well. Proper storage can be achieved with these 3 rules:
1. No continued exposure to direct sunlight, no wetness.
2. Provide adequate room for each shoe so they're not touching or squishing each other.
3. The bottom of the shoe should rest on the shoe rack or shelf. Shoes should not be turned over or be hung by its straps or uppers.