From the Luxury Institute

Limitied Edition Louboutins from 20ltd.com

Wealthy U.S. Consumers Rate Most Prestigious Women’s Luxury Shoe Brands:
Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik and Hermes

High net-worth female consumers rated Christian Louboutin the most prestigious women’s luxury shoe brand in the 2008 Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) survey from the independent New York City-based Luxury Institute.

Respondents who would recommend Christian Louboutin say, “They have shoes that catch the eye and the red soles are something everyone recognizes,” and “they have great styles that make you feel feminine and sexy.”

Manolo Blahnik and Hermes ranked second and third, respectively.

“The women’s luxury footwear is crowded, and it is very difficult to differentiate a brand,” said Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute. “Louboutin and a few others have managed to break through the sameness with unique
styling and signature features that wealthy women are willing to pay a premium for and to recommend. Our impartial surveys provide a detailed map of wealthy consumer perceptions of this critical fashion category with details as to why consumers are, or are not, willing to recommend each and every brand. Hundreds of luxury firms that buy our ratings surveys tell us this data has had a dramatic impact on their strategies and tactics in recent years.

Following are the 29 luxury women’s shoe brands that were rated (alphabetical order):

1. Bottega Veneta
2. Burberry
3. Chanel
4. Chloe
5. Christian Louboutin
6. Cole Haan
7. Dior
8. Dolce & Gabbana
9. Fendi
10. Ferragamo
11. Giorgio Armani
12. Gucci
13. Hermes
14. Hugo Boss
15. Jimmy Choo
16. Louis Vuitton
17. Manolo Blahnik
18. Marc Jacobs
19. Michael Kors
20. Miu Miu
21. Prada
22. Ralph Lauren
23. Stella McCartney
24. Stuart Weitzman
25. Tod’s
26. Tory Burch
27. Valentino
28. Versace
29. Yves Saint Laurent

To me it sounds as if "status" drove the ranking more than quality or style. I hope that was not the case. Yes, status is an element to the purchase but I don't think that should be all of it. Frankly, given the group surveyed and the trend of "stealth wealth", I would think that the flashiness and obvious id of the shoe would be a negative to some degree. That because every celebrity is wearing them that this may be a turn off.

But, what do I know?