Story | Leslie Yip
Christian Louboutin loves to travel, and he has bottled his adventures in a fragrance collection called Loubiworld. Each scent comes in a beautifully lacquered glass bottle, capped with a metal sculpture that is worth collecting just on its own merit. For those who find it hard to pick just one, there is a miniature set that lets you own 11 of the 12 scents in one fell swoop.
Loubiworld is loosely divided into three series: the eaux de parfum, the stronger eaux de perfume intenses and the lighter eaux de parfum légères. The first series comes in Louboutin’s signature red and is further categorized into the “fresh fruity signatures” and the “amber woody signatures”.
Moulin Rouge in Paris becomes Loubirouge—the essence of the Parisian cabaret spectacle interpreted with a blend of cardamom, iris and vanilla, symbolized with high heels and a hot-air balloon. Rio Carnival becomes Loubifunk—the bottle topped with a pineapple with red sole stilettos as leaves and smells of rose, blackcurrant and patchouli.
With four out of 12 scents paying tribute to Egypt, you can tell the designer is true to his roots. Loubicroc is the crocodile encircling an obelisk, guarding the secrets of pyramids and with an intense blend of myrrh, cypriol and sandalwood. Loubiprince is the mysterious snake emerging from a pyramid. The cistus, sandalwood and tonka bean are just as mesmerizing. There is also Loubiluna, featuring the royal falcon, and the Loubicharme celebrating the royal beetles.
Other locales represented include India, where Louboutin spent a lot of time when he was 16. He chose to encapsulate his memories with a tiger king called Loubiraj. The majestic and wild scent roars with a full-bodied blend of suede, cedar and pink pepper. Loubikiss is a dreamy bouquet of jasmine, tuberose and musk, an ode to Christian Louboutin’s love for Mexico and the colourful Día de los Muertos parades.
Mr. Louboutin loves to collect objets from around the world, and this lucky cat seems to be a collector of Louboutin lipsticks. The scent is a blend of strawberries, opulent rose and cedar.
Loubicrown symbolizes Christian Louboutin’s greatest dream: to see the Queen of England wear one of his creations. In multiple interviews, he has expressed his fascination with the British Royal Family since early childhood. Alas, his dream may not have come true, but he can find consolation in this bouquet of noble cedar, irreverent patchouli and aristocratic tonka bean.
The miniature box also includes the rose gold-coloured Loubimar, a light eau de parfum that pays homage to Louboutin’s Portuguese seaside dreams. The floral citrus scent is as refreshing as the sea breeze, and the anchor embedded in an urchin is just plain whimsical.
Christian Louboutin Loubiworld Miniatures set, Eau de Parfum 11x9ml | $650
The covetable miniatures are presented in a glossy red box with an illustrated base, but with bottle designs this special, who would want to keep them inside a box?
