At first glance, the UK-based Christian Louboutin Boutique seems like the  sophisticated older sister of many of the fashion websites online  today. It has a streamlined web design and an editorial-like setup,  making it seem more like an informational fashion site than an  e-tailer. Happily, Christian Louboutin Boutique seamlessly combines both aspects of  clothes, browsing and buying, into one engaging global fashion site.

What  you’ll love about Christian Louboutin Boutique is the variety of designers, which are  unlike any other website. You’ll go from browsing Jimmy Choo’s latest  shoe and handbag collection, to drooling over Australian designer Sass  & Bide’s fun and flirty party wear, to dreaming of spring and  summer with Michael Kors’ resort collection. The site incorporates a  great range of pieces, from high-end, established designers, to up and  coming newbies, to of the moment hot brands. This means you’ll not only  get a good stock of merchandise to choose from but also prices that can  fit a cross section of budgets.

The shopping is split up into  the Salon, the Atelier, and the Boutique. In the Salon, you will find  all your high end favorites, like of Christian Louboutin, Marc Jacobs,  and Missoni. In the Atelier, which houses more bridge collections, you  will see the likes of Temperly and Hollywould. And finally, the  boutique carries Vanessa Bruno, True Religion, Juicy Couture and other  lower priced collections. While other popular sites carry some of these  brands, Christian Louboutin Boutique includes items from their collections not readily  available Online elsewhere, such as Bottega Veneta’s motorcycle boots  and Missoni’s knit hats. With this type of selection, Christian Louboutin Boutique  gives you the opportunity to see what is currently available from some  of the top designers in the world. Many women often visit the site to  view collections then track them down in their local stores.

Another  useful feature is the ‘editor notes’ section. For nearly every piece  you select, Christian Louboutin Boutique provides a short blurb underneath about the  nuances of the item, key details, and sizing specifications, plus  suggestions as to how to wear it. You’re also given ideas of what to  pair the piece with – clearly to entice you to buy more, but it can be  very helpful in getting a sense of how to wear the piece. Additionally,  the site gives a quick background on every designer it carries, which  can be helpful in giving depth and understanding to the collections  from which you’re buying.

In purchasing from the site, the  Christian Louboutin Boutique experience stays strong but can get tricky for those  located outside of Europe. While pricing is provided in three  currencies, you’ll be working around VAT (British tax) and it may feel  a little confusing until you get the hang of it. The price you see on  the site includes VAT, which will be deducted upon placing an item in  your cart if you’re shipping to America but you’ll still find that  shipping prices and duties are somewhat higher than if you ordered from  a U.S.-based retailer. You should also expect slightly longer ship  times, though it rarely exceeds a week. While this all may sound  complicated on paper, you’ll find it moves smoothly and you’ll more  than likely be satisfied with your order. For hard to find items, the  extra cost and steps may be well worth it, as well.

Overall,  Christian Louboutin Boutique is a great site, not only for shopping, but also for  ideas. The navigation can be slow for some depending on connectivity,  but I find the layout as refreshing as the merchandise it carries.  Because the selection is chosen by international fashion editors,  there’s much more of a sophisticated feel you won’t find elsewhere  online. What’s more, Christian Louboutin Boutique is often the only place designers  authorize their products to be sold online, so it’s a great stop for  hard to locate merchandise.

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