I haven't worn my CL's yet.. but I will be for our company holiday party. At what point should I take them to the cobbler and what am I asking the cobbler to do? Sorry, I feel really stupid about asking this, but it I haven't worn any of my CL'S yet.

Also, I wanted to know if the red sole wears away after wearing them?

Thanks!

Yes, unfortunately they start to wear almost immediately! Urgh!

I RUINED a pair of louboutins trying to protect the sole! I tried sole stopperz and they didn't save the sole! In fact they slid off and the paint still wore off, but then there was glue all over it. Then I tried to have yummychouchou's red soles attached and the cobbler butchered my shoes.

My advice to you would be not to mess with the soles. The paint wears off. Mr. Louboutin intended it too. There's a quote somewhere on here of him saying that he thought it would be sexy for a woman to leave a little red "rosette" wherever she walks. Some other women might have differing opinions but having been through shoe 'hell' trying to save the red soles did nothing but cause me emotional pain .

^^^Buahaha...funny how you wrote that chicbabacool and how I wrote about loboutin in my thread! The whole thing with Loboutin saying that is totally marketing! He made the sole smooth and red so it would be appealing to lure in women! Good, thank you! Another evidence for my paper. Where can I find the exact quote? lol

Isn't it strange how designer shoes like oo_let_me_see said start to wear off immediately. I compared my worn designer with nine west and my nine west sole looks better. That's why I have this paronoia about my first time taking out each new designer shoes. I hate having the smooth sole worn out. The soles of non-designer last longer than designer ones. Isn't it ironic? Yet they're so in demand? Wonders of marketing...Ok maybe I'm too much over the top with this lol...

Oh in case anyone is wondering what I am talking about and so that no one thinks that I'm completely crazy I'm referring to this analysis I did posted here

Designer Shoes = no traction?

I had to take my CLs to cobbler and get the soles (under toes and what is it called which is after toes?? ) replaced as they are so slippery for Finland's wintertime use But I think the cobbler did very good job - he replaiced the part of the sole which touches ground with thin black rubber sole and when I walk, no one can even tell that the sole isn't all red anymore. And I think this way the soles kind of stays in decent condition... Well, I miss the whole red sole, but fortunately I can't see the sole

i am going to start having soles put on the balls of the shoe. i am over trying to maintain the red sole. and who cares about the ball of the shoes if you rarely see it, it is all about the red on the heel. i barely wear my CLs and the red is gone. plus the heel seems like paper, it wears down so quickly!

I paint the soles with Diamond Hard Varathane before I wear them. I do three coats. The red still comes off with time, but I can wear them quite a few times before it starts to happen. Silly, I guess, but it's my new shoe ritual.

When reading all these stories about how the heels/soles/etc don't last someone could ask why we buy these shoes if they even can't take more than "normal" shoes But they are so prettyyy...(and luxurious)

I have no problem with the red wearing off on the soles. I must be the only one who is not concerned with preserving them! I have enough shoes to put in rotation that none of them are completely worn off and they appear to be holding up very well.

To the OP: What you need to do when you bring them to the cobbler is ask them to resole your shoe. Be advised to do your research well and take your shoe to a reputable cobbler.

I brought 2 of my CL's to the cobbler to get the red rubber sole put on...due to the holidays & my odd work schedule, I still have not picked them up yet. So I cant say if I will do this again, but im really starting not to care. I just got another pair in the mail which I might just wear bare. I used to just put those black foot petals under for traction, but I might not even do that anymore. They end up peeling off after a couple wears, then they are sticky under & catch everything as you walk(especially on the carpet)
So...just wear them & enjoy them. If you wear the sole down to a crisp, then go to a cobbler that knows what he is doing...or ask us first lol

I have kind of given up on trying to preserve red soles. However, the problem with me wearing CLs is that they can be slippery. I live in a city where walking outdoors isn't really a necessity so most of my walking is indoors where they are carpeted/ smooth floors.
I know I can put a black traction soles at the cobblers but I wasn't impressed with the work they did on my boots so I am not going to take a chance with my stilettos let alone CLs.
My temporary solution is a pair of 2 dollar traction pads from wal-mart. They are not sticky, don't peel off, and gives a bit of grip.

How do you keep your soles from getting scuffed up badly?

A friend told me about shoe inserts called Airplus for Her Steppies that are clear with adhesive. You are suppose to put them in inside your shoe for comfort on the balls of your feet, but I put them on my red soles. Who cares if my feet are comfy, just protect the red! I wore the shoes out just once for New Years and it worked fine, but I didn't know if anyone else had any other tips.

i bought those red soles off ebay but i was too lazy to go to the cobbler i just use clear foot petals sole stopperz but they stop looking pretty after a while. I've decided when i go to ny or london i will take my shoes with me and have a cobbler that carries red soles put them on my shoes.

has anyone tried http://www.saveyoursole.co.uk/thedesignersole/range/1/

Today I will plastidip my loubis, I'm excited how it will turn out