Christian Louboutin turns his Pigalle into a clutch

We all know that Christian Louboutin has the footwear world on lock, but the stiletto master’s results in the handbag world sometimes don’t have the aesthetic consistency of his shoes. Translating success in one design realm to success in another can be difficult, so creating a clutch that appeals directly to the hearts of those who already love Louboutin’s shoes is a great way to turn footwear customers into potential handbag customers. But this design goes even a bit further than that; the Christian Louboutin Pigalle Clutch takes what should be a novelty and elevates the sophistication level to make this clutch something truly impressive.

The more I look at this homage to one of Louboutin’s iconic shoes, the more I like it. The sexy, sculptural shape of the Pigalle shoe (at bottom, for reference) lends itself well to a simplified application on the clutch’s stylized opening, and the hint of red at the edge gives those who are in the know a subtle indication of the piece’s innate Louboutin-ness. The nice thing, though, is that you don’t immediately look at this bag and go, “Oh, that’s a silly shoe clutch.”

The bag’s inspiration is incorporated in a smart and whimsical way, which is exactly the combination that has given Louboutin such enormous shoe success. I’m betting that this little clutch will do extremely well with Louboutin addicts, and there are certainly plenty of those ladies out there, just waiting for the man’s next great idea. Buy through Christian Louboutin for $695. Or you can buy the original Pigalle through Net-a-Porter for $595.