Christian Louboutin brought a dose of his glamorous, Parisian aesthetic to the lobby of Claridges hotel on Thursday morning as he debuted the Christmas tree he designed for the tony hotel in London’s Mayfair.
Louboutin follows the likes of Christopher Bailey, Diane von Furstenberg, John Galliano and Alber Elbaz, who have all previously worked with Claridges on designing its Christmas tree — a much-loved tradition that has been going on for a decade and has made the hotel’s lobby a must-see during the festive season.
For Louboutin, the collaboration was a no-brainer, given his love for the hotel: “I like London, but without the Claridges, I wouldn’t feel at home in London,” said the designer, who was in a head-to-toe red suit to match his design.
The tree, which reached up to the ceiling of the hotel, was decorated with big red and gold baubles, as well as gingerbread cookies in the shape of shoes.
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“Kids in particular remember all the details. They’ll come here and they’ll look at the gingerbread shaped like the shoe or the way the decorations are 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 design off with a giant gold crown.
He also placed the tree front and center in the hotel’s lobby and used the corner, where the tree is usually placed, to add 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 travelling. I always loved 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.”
In the New Year, Louboutin will be debuting 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.
