If you walk up to any makeup counter or shoe salesperson wanting to create the perfect nude lip or find a classic nude pump you will likely get one shade. What if that nude looks nothing like your skin tone? Why is the universally accepted nude distilled to a single ivory hue? If you’ve never even thought of this before, welcome to a very subtle and admittedly superficial form of the gaze.
While the side effects of the gaze are far more pervasive and damaging in social and economic environments (education, housing, employment), for people of color the lessons of color preference and adaptation are learned at a very young age. A simple foray into coloring with crayons once meant that children had a limited selection of hues to choose from when drawing pictures of ourselves, our family or our friends.
So when Christian Louboutin announced a multi-hued line of nude ballet flats called the “Solasofia”, I nodded with knowing approval and a slow clap. It is about time!
The beautiful milk chocolate shade in Safki is already sold out and the lovely deep cocoa brown in Toudou looks incredible against the iconic red sole, it is the best of the series (and looks amazing in the Pigalle Follies as well). The Solasofia flat collection is an extension of the diverse nude line launched by Louboutin in 2015. The color palate has been expanded by 2 shades.
Culture Shock Art 