When Disney re-releases “Cinderella” this summer on DVD, the heroine may have to fit into a slipper with a heel that’s a lot more treacherous than what she wore in 1950. The studio has tapped Christian Louboutin to put a new spin on pop culture’s most notorious piece of glass footwear, timed to be unveiled alongside a crisp Blu-ray version of the animated classic.
“I have been so lucky to have crossed paths with Cinderella, an icon who is so emblematic to the shoe world as well as the dream world,” Louboutin told WWD.
Just how the designer will alter the dimensions of the shoe remains to be seen. It is, after all, an iconic piece, and its ability to fit a girl’s foot is the main element of the fairy tale’s plot. Could Cinderella glide about in 5-inch Very Privés? And when she walks into the ball, will those behind her see clear soles, or will Louboutin paint the glass red?
Louboutin has dabbled in film collaborations before, but the projects have tended to be more outré then your average Disney princess flick. The designer credited surrealist filmmakers with inspiring his shoes, and some do look like Buñuel films you can (barely) walk in. He also collaborated with David Lynch on a project called “Fetish,” which showed at the Galerie du Passage, in Paris. In it, women strutted around in 20-inch stems. “As is his habit,” Louboutin said, “David Lynch made it into a décor populated with shadows.”
Not exactly happily ever after. But despite the dark streaks that have popped up in his designs, there’s no doubt that Louboutin can embrace that Disney magic and design a slipper appropriate for the occasion. And if there’s a red sole, too, the girl at the ball may not need until midnight to attract the attention of her prince charming.