Christian Louboutin Launches First Fragrance

Christian Louboutin made a name for himself as the architect of sky-high stilettos you can spot from a mile away. Then, he followed this inimitable first act with a foray into beauty, including nail polish and lipstick with super-luxe formulas — packaged to mimic those classic red soles. Now, Louboutin has created another lust-worthy experience with his very first fragrance. Actually, make that three. The new scents embody three distinct scent personalities — heat of the night, provocation, and desire — which all sound extremely sexy to us. (Are you really surprised?) Bikini Questa Sera harnesses jasmine and tuberose; Tornade Blonde features red rose, violet, and cassis; and Trouble In Heaven (what a name!) relies on iris, patchouli, and tonka. The biggest difference between this fragrance launch and all those others? There’s no de rigueur talk of top, middle, and base notes. Instead, it’s about a singular sensation — what Louboutin describes as a “ping,” like the sound a heel makes when hitting the floor. He expands in the release, “The architecture of each fragrance mimics the stroke of a single high-note piano key. The scent is like a vibrating 'PING' that remains unchanging — that reverberates straight through from top to bottom — and is then preceded by a resounding aura.” Flowery fragrance talk aside, it wouldn't be a Louboutin beauty venture without a traffic-stopping bottle design. The jewel-toned flacons were designed by Thomas Heatherwick and Heatherwick Studio, the team responsible for architectural feats like the Olympic cauldron for the London 2012 Games. The unique design allows the fragrance to flow through the bottle in a "U" shape. And, of course, the bottles resemble stiletto heels. The three fragrances are available at Selfridges, and retail for £215 each. You know it wouldn’t be cheap. But then again, nothing about the Louboutin experience is.