Christian Louboutin signs his stylish shoes

What will people do for a signed shoe by Christian Louboutin, the high-end Parisian designer whose footwear customers include Angelina Jolie, Oprah Winfrey, the Olsen twins and Danielle Steel? In New Orleans, Jessica Alvendia headed the line at Saks 5th Avenue -- and she arrived at 9 a.m. Friday for a 3 p.m. appearance by the designer.

A few steps behind her a husband from Charleston, S.C., explained that he had driven 12 hours straight, purchased an $835 pair of shoes, and had hoped to surprise his wife. (He answered his cell phone and spoiled the surprise).

The staff at Saks was pretty excited, too: Louboutin only does about 20 signings a year in the United States.

It was the first-ever New Orleans appearance for the designer, who has come to command the top of the women’s market with shoes that always have a glossy red sole. For Louboutin’s signing, the store hired a New Orleans Police Department detail cop, engaged a jazz combo, and directed hovering journalists to a lounge that offered a nice view of the backstage scurrying that occurs when a big name is in the house.

Away from the hubbub, Louboutin was the picture of calm. A genial fellow with a trim, gray goatee, he was sequestered in a side room with two assistants, a selection of markers, and about 50 pairs of shoes that waiting customers had pre-purchased. He wore jeans and a golf shirt. He set his glasses high on his forehead, smiled easily, and generally looked like someone’s French uncle on vacation, except for the three-toned patent and suede lace-up shoes with the orange piping: an item from his men’s collection.

“When I look at the shoes these customers have selected, I can tell that New Orleans is different compared to other cities. Most of my American customers purchase plainer, more classic designs. Here they have selected shoes with vivid colors and lots of embellishments,” he said. “I also notice this: there seems to be a special interest in my highest heels: no flats for New Orleans.”

How high? Make that 7 inches, folks. And the materials are equally extravagant, with some styles featuring startling combinations: one shoe included suede and red velvet tops, heels covered with fuzzy cowhide in a cheetah pattern, and a constellation of gold studs. Every shoe has red soles: a trademarked element that was recently upheld in federal court, when the French fashion house of Yves Saint Laurent, tried to market shoes with a similar element.

“I think a lot about silhouettes and how to make an object that will look good in movement, but I have a tendency to celebrate detail and ornament. It’s comes through in everything I do, whether collecting furniture or looking at art when I travel.”

Louboutin, a native of Paris, gestured expansively as he discussed his shoes, including the spiked, red-patent pump that was just named the sexiest shoe of 2012 by Footwear News, a trade journal produced by Women’s Wear Daily. (At Saks, a pair was already signed for a New Orleans customer). When he overturned a glass of water, his assistants jumped to save the shoes, not the cell phones that sat on his signing desk. That’s what happens when some popular styles cost around $4,000.