If you think Christian Louboutin is obsessive about shoes, well, then, you've never met him for breakfast. Turns out that the man who made red-soled stilettos famous the world over (as in 500,000 pairs sold each year) is as passionate about design as he is about his beverage of choice in the morning: tea. "Liters and liters and gallons and gallons of tea," if he's going to be exact about it. Unless, of course, he's in Italy, where he drinks cappuccino. (Because, if you're going to drink espresso, you're going to do it in Italia, no?) Regardless of his beverage or his location--which is constantly changing, with boutiques in more than two dozen countries and homes in Paris, Lisbon, Aleppo, and Luxor--one thing never changes: fruit. "I could not live without it," the Frenchman says. Not even on an airplane. "You know when the flight attendants wake you up and give you a little snack? I always refuse; I'm asking for fruit." --Leah Chernikoff
1"This is a pineapple married to a pomegranate. The tops of pineapples remind me of the hats that showgirls wear."
Sketched in New Orleans on October 19, 2012 (Credit: Christina Holmes)
After Mr. Louboutin sketched this elegant (if fantastical) fruit, he favored us by answering a few more of our questions:
You seem to be very particular about your morning routine. Tell us about a typical breakfast.
Christian Louboutin: It depends where I'm staying. If I'm in Paris it's going to be a mass of tea. Liters and liters and liters, and gallons and gallons of tea. Then I have fruit. Pineapple and mango are my favorites. And anytime I have fruit I'm always taking a lemon and I put lemon on it because I found that every fruit gets reinforced with the smell of the lemon. It brings out the fragrance of any type of fruit.
Tea over coffee?
CL: No, that's why it depends on where I am. If I'm in Italy I'm going to have a cappuccino and two small brioches and then a mix of orange and grapefruit. I don't drink tea in Italy.
You prefer the coffee in Italy?
CL: The coffee is much better in Italy, yes.
And how about your breakfast when you're in New York?
CL: It depends. If I take the time to have my breakfast in room at the hotel, then I have tea. Actually I only have tea when I have time and coffee with speed. If I have a little time [for breakfast] I go for a coffee. If I have a long time I go for a tea. And when it's tea, I'm also going to read the newspapers--I associate drinking tea with having time.
When you're in Paris for breakfast and you have time, what's your routine?
CL: I'm in the habit of talking on the phone. I catch up with friends early in the morning--I'm a big talker over the phone in the morning. But only during the week, not on the weekend. Because I know that every time I'm calling people in the morning on the weekends, I get screamed at because [they say] "It's too early, you don't call people at this time." I also run during the week, but for me it always starts with breakfast. Breakfast is a peaceful moment for me, so I never have the radio on, no music, no noise around. The only noise that is permitted is people's voices. It's a way for me to wake up without too much of a high speed feeling.
What time do you normally start your day?
CL: 7 or 7:30. I'm also very much affected by the weather. So if it's spring or summer and it's already bright, I wake up earlier. I'm more like a bear in the winter--I wake up quite late.
What's the one food you couldn't live without?
CL: Fruit. I could clearly live without fish, without salad, but I could not live without fruit. Fruit in the morning is such a big joy for me. I like to grab fruit from the tree et cetera. I don't feel that way with vegetables. Fruit you can eat it at any time, any moment, in any type of situation. I like everything about fruit, I like the color.
Which fruit are you most inspired by artistically?
CL: Pineapple and pomegranate are my favorite fruits visually.
Why?
CL: The pineapple is very architectural. It's a fruit but it could almost be like a house. It can be a decoration that you put on a table. And I love the top, it reminds me of the hat that showgirls wear. And the pomegranate, it's the contrast between the inside and the outside and that deep red color reminds me of my work. But also it's one of the oldest fruits--you can find it in paintings, you can find it in terra-cotta, in the pyramids of Egypt you have the first pomegranate. It's really an inspiring fruit, and it's such a voluptuous fruit.
If you were to cook for yourself at home what would you make?
CL: A sweet and sour pasta, with a homemade type of sauce with pepper, tomatoes, a lot of garlic. If it was just for myself and I was by myself, I would put a lot of garlic [in] because it's so delicious.
What's your late night snack when you're traveling?
CL: A bar of chocolate at night. That thick Cadbury chocolate, with raisins inside. I love that.
RELATED
More Back of the Napkin
Jonathan Adler's Morning Routine