Christian Louboutin Heel Heights: Every Style From 70mm to 160mm
Not all Christian Louboutin heel heights feel the same. This guide walks through every height in the range, what wearing each one is actually like, and how to choose the right one for you.
A
AvantelleAvantelle Editorial
Quick Answer: Christian Louboutin Heel Heights
Heel height is the most practical decision you will make when buying Christian Louboutin. The silhouette matters, but the heel height determines whether you actually wear them.
Christian Louboutin makes shoes across a wide range of heel heights, from flat ballerinas to 160mm platform styles. The right height depends on how long you plan to wear them and what you're doing. At 100mm you get the full red-sole silhouette with the arch that defines the brand. At 85mm, you get most of that look with significantly more wearability for a full evening or day.
- Flat (0mm): Follies Strass and the loafer range. Maximum comfort, statement occasion presence without any heel.
- 70mm: Styles like the Kate 70. Entry-level heel, mild pitch, closest to everyday court shoe territory.
- 85mm: The practical sweet spot. Pigalle 85 and Kate 85 give you the silhouette without the extreme pitch of 100mm or above.
- 100mm: The classic CL height. Pigalle 100, Kate 100, Hot Chick 100, Miss Z 100, Lipstrass.
- 120mm: Statement shoes. So Kate 120mm and Pigalle 120mm. Best for evenings where you are seated, not standing for hours.
- 140mm+: Platform territory. Bianca (140mm), Lady Peep (150mm), Fetish Peep (150mm), Daffodile (160mm). The platform reduces effective pitch: these are occasion shoes, not stilettos.
Christian Louboutin heel heights run from flat (0mm) through to 120mm across the core range, with some statement styles going higher still. Each height asks something different of your foot
The 100mm pump is the classic CL height: full arch, full red-sole silhouette, manageable for a three to four hour evening
For extended wear, 85mm offers most of the look with a noticeably more comfortable pitch
Buying pre-owned at a lower heel height often means buying a shoe that was actually worn, which means the leather is already broken in
Many Louboutins run half a size small, depending on the model; the pointed toe pushes the foot forward regardless of the mm count, so checking the size guide before buying is always worth doing
Why Heel Height Matters More with Louboutins
Most shoe brands reduce the pitch in proportion to the heel height and adjust little else. Christian Louboutin does not work quite that way. The extreme pointed toe and the slim shank mean that every additional millimetre of heel height changes how your weight sits on the forefoot in a way you feel almost immediately, and the difference between adjacent heights is more pronounced than the numbers alone would suggest.
At 120mm, the So Kate pitches your foot almost entirely forward over the ball of the foot. That pitch is the whole point: it creates the arch, the leg line, the silhouette that has made it the most photographed shoe in the range. It is also why the first hour in a brand-new pair involves an adjustment that no amount of reading quite prepares you for until you are actually in them.
At 85mm, the Pigalle becomes a genuinely different kind of shoe. The iconic shape is still there, the pointed toe is still there, the red sole is still the red sole. But your foot is not in a constant negotiation with gravity for the whole evening. For a lot of people, encountering that height is the discovery that changes their entire relationship with the brand: suddenly the shoes become something you wear rather than something you endure.
Understanding where each height actually sits in terms of pitch, wearability, and what it genuinely asks of your feet, before you buy rather than learning it afterwards, is time well spent.
Flat (0mm): The Follies Strass and Loafer Range
The flat range earns its place through presence rather than height. The Follies Strass is the signature CL ballerina, a crystal-embellished flat pump where the embellishment does the work that height would otherwise do. In the loafer range, the Fun Louis and the spike-studded Louis Junior sit entirely flat, but neither reads as casual: the hardware and detailing carry the Louboutin character without a heel in sight. For occasions where standing for six or more hours is the reality, or where comfort is genuinely the priority, the flat range offers the red sole without any of the physical cost that comes with a stiletto.
70mm: The Entry-Level Heel
The 70mm heel occupies a quieter corner of the CL range. At this height, the foot pitch is genuinely mild, sitting close to everyday court shoe territory in a way that most people find unremarkable in the best sense. The pointed toe is still very much present, so the usual sizing guidance around going half a size up is worth checking regardless of how approachable the heel feels.
The best-known 70mm style is the Kate 70, the same classic pointed pump profile as the Kate 85 and Kate 100, built on a 70mm kitten heel. Available in patent calf leather across a range of colourways, it is the most accessible entry point into the CL pump range if you want the signature silhouette without committing to the pitch of the 85mm or 100mm versions.
If you want the red sole and the Louboutin silhouette without thinking about heel height, the Kate 70 is a genuinely logical starting point. It occupies a quieter position in the range than the 85mm or 100mm styles, but it exists precisely for the person it suits, and for that person, it is exactly the right answer.
85mm: The Everyday Heel
The 85mm range is where many people's assumptions about what Louboutins can and cannot do get revised completely.
The Pigalle 85 and the Kate 85 share the DNA of their taller counterparts: the pointed toe, the stiletto line, the clean CL profile that makes these shoes immediately recognisable. The pitch at 85mm is present enough that you feel the shoe properly, but not so extreme that it commands your attention throughout the wearing experience. Most people who are comfortable in a standard 7-8cm court shoe will find an 85mm Louboutin manageable for a full evening once it has been properly broken in.
If this is your first pair, the Pigalle 85 is a genuinely underrated starting point. From across a room, the silhouette reads exactly as it should: pointed toe, red sole, the whole considered shape. Up close, the heel is clearly architectural without being alarming. It is a shoe that makes good on the Louboutin promise for a broader range of people than the 120mm version, and collectors who own both often say the 85mm gets considerably more wear.
Some people approach the 85mm range as a compromise, which is a framing worth resisting. It is simply a different shoe making different promises. A Pigalle 85 worn comfortably through a full eight-hour day is doing something that a 120mm So Kate sitting unworn in its box categorically is not.
On sizing: Louboutins generally run half a size small across the range, and the 85mm styles are no different. The pointed toe pushes the foot forward regardless of the heel height, which is the consistent sizing factor across every model. See the full size guide for model-specific guidance.
100mm: The Classic Christian Louboutin Height
One hundred millimetres is where the range lives in most people's imagination, and not simply because of the number. The most iconic models in the entire catalogue sit here: the Pigalle 100, the Kate 100, the Miss Z 100, and the Hot Chick 100. Current retail pricing and colourways for the 100mm range are listed at eu.christianlouboutin.com, which is useful context when comparing against the pre-owned pricing you will find at Avantelle.
At 100mm, the foot pitch becomes genuinely meaningful. Your weight moves forward over the ball of the foot in a way that the 85mm heel does not quite replicate, and the visible arch and changed leg line are a direct result of that. For a three to four hour evening, a well-fitted 100mm pump is what most people can wear without the evening becoming a conversation about their feet rather than anything else.
The Hot Chick 100 deserves a specific mention here. The toe box is slightly wider than the Pigalle or Kate across the forefoot, and many versions include a padded insole. The heel is still 100mm and the red sole is still the red sole, but the fit across the front of the foot is noticeably more forgiving. If you find the narrow pointed toe of the classic Pigalle genuinely uncomfortable rather than simply unfamiliar, the Hot Chick 100 is the logical first place to look at this height.
The Iriza is the d'Orsay option at this height, a 100mm pump with a cut-out instep that frames the foot in an entirely different way from the closed vamp of the Pigalle or Kate. The stiletto heel and the red sole are both present, but the open instep changes how the shoe reads on the foot: more elongated through the arch, more of the foot visible in a flattering and deliberate way. If you want toe and heel coverage but are drawn to the open instep aesthetic, the Iriza is the 100mm answer.
The Lipstrass also sits at 100mm: a pointed-toe pump with heart-shaped ankle cut-outs, and the embellishment option at this height. Same role as the Follies Strass at flat, just with a heel. It suits occasions where you want something visually distinct without committing to the extreme pitch of the 120mm styles.
Pre-owned 100mm pumps tend to arrive in predictable condition: light sole wear at the ball of the foot, some heel tip wear, and a degree of vamp creasing at the flex point. All of this is normal, and a pair that shows this kind of wear is a shoe that someone actually wore because they loved it. More practically, it also means the break-in phase is already behind you.
120mm: The Statement Stiletto
The So Kate at 120mm is the shoe most people picture when they say "Louboutin." The 120mm heel, the pointed toe, the red sole in combination: it is a shoe built for rooms where being noticed is precisely the point.
The pitch at 120mm is extreme by any honest measure. Your weight sits almost entirely over the ball of the foot, and that is the architectural reality that creates the arch the shoe is famous for. For a gala evening, a dinner where you will be mainly seated, a wedding ceremony, or a photo shoot, the So Kate does precisely what it was designed to do and does it without compromise.
For an evening that involves standing for four hours, navigating cobblestones, or dancing well past midnight, the 100mm height is the more honest recommendation, and the one that will leave you with a better memory of the night.
The Pigalle 120mm sits alongside the So Kate at this height, offering the same extreme pitch with the cleaner, lower-cut vamp silhouette that distinguishes the Pigalle profile from the So Kate's more elongated line.
For a full breakdown of what the So Kate is, how it fits, and what to look for in a pre-owned pair, the complete So Kate guide covers it in depth. The So Kate vs Pigalle comparison covers the differences between the two 120mm profiles.
Above 120mm: Platform Styles
Above 120mm, the range moves into platform territory, and the logic of the shoe changes accordingly. These are statement styles built as much as sculptural objects as they are footwear, with a raised platform at the front that significantly reduces the effective foot pitch despite the headline heel measurement. A 150mm heel on a 30mm platform puts your foot at roughly 120mm of effective pitch, which is what makes these extreme heights wearable rather than simply theatrical.
The Bianca at 140mm is the platform style you encounter most frequently in pre-owned. A round-toe covered pump on a 30mm platform, it was a red carpet staple through the 2000s and into the 2010s and remains one of the most immediately recognisable silhouettes in the archive. The rounded toe makes it more immediately wearable than the extreme pointed styles, different in character from the So Kate but no less considered in its design.
The Lady Peep at 150mm is the iconic peep-toe platform, a scooped silhouette that frames the arch beautifully and reveals the foot through a deep décolleté front. It has been produced in numerous versions including strass-embellished editions, and it appears frequently in pre-owned collections precisely because it is the kind of shoe acquired for a specific occasion and then carefully stored rather than worn regularly.
The Fetish Peep at 150mm is a pointed open-toe platform pump, sharper in silhouette than the Lady Peep and closer in overall feel to the stiletto end of the range. If you are drawn to the extreme height but not to the rounded aesthetic of the Bianca or the scooped décolleté of the Lady Peep, the Fetish Peep is the 150mm option that delivers a more directional silhouette.
The Daffodile at 160mm is perhaps the most iconic CL platform of all: a covered pump with roughly 65mm of platform that brings the effective pitch down to around 95mm. It appeared on major red carpets for a decade and continues to surface in pre-owned collections in remarkable condition, because it is the kind of shoe that people acquire once, wear to one extraordinary occasion, and then keep carefully for the rest of their lives. At 160mm it reads almost entirely architectural: it is not a shoe anyone expects you to wear casually, and the spectacle of it is entirely the point.
At these heights, the platform is not a stylistic flourish but a structural necessity. Without it, the heel heights would simply not be wearable. The trade-off is that platform styles are a different type of shoe from the rest of the range. More theatrical, less versatile, and designed to be worn to specific occasions rather than regularly. That specificity is part of the point.
How to Choose Your Height: By Occasion
The right question to ask before buying is not which height photographs best, but how long you will actually be wearing the shoes and what that wearing experience will involve. The table below is a practical starting point rather than a definitive rule:
Occasion
Recommended height
Reason
Office (full day, on feet)
85mm or flat
Wearable for extended hours without the extreme pitch of 100mm or above
Dinner or evening event, 3–4 hours
100mm
The classic height, manageable for most evenings once broken in
Wedding (guest, standing and dancing)
85mm or flat
Standing for six-plus hours changes the calculation significantly
Gala or seated formal event
120mm
This is the situation 120mm is designed for
Travel day
Flat or loafer
No heel height survives a travel day well
All-day outdoor event
Flat
Cobblestones and stilettos have not reached an agreement
The 100mm answer covers most situations most of the time. The 120mm answer covers specific, clearly defined ones where the occasion and your plans are genuinely aligned with what that height asks of you.
Pre-Owned Buying Tip: Heel Height and Condition
Heel height tells you something about the condition you are likely to find, and it is worth knowing before you start looking.
Lower heels tend to arrive in better overall condition for an entirely logical reason: when a shoe is comfortable enough to wear regularly, people do wear it, and wear shows in predictable places. The heel tip and sole will show use, but the leather will have softened, the fit will have adjusted to a human foot, and the shoe will be genuinely ready for its next owner without any break-in period. A pre-owned Pigalle 85 with light sole wear is a shoe that someone wore because they loved it, which is a good sign in every direction.
Higher heels can arrive in near-pristine condition for the opposite reason: a 120mm So Kate acquired for a single event and stored with care ever since will have minimal sole wear and untouched lacquer. You get the shoe in genuinely exceptional condition, which is appealing. What you do not get is any break-in behind you. That first evening with a new-feeling 120mm heel is still entirely your responsibility.
Neither is better or worse. They are just different, and what matters is that you know which one you are getting before it arrives. What matters is that the condition stated in the listing matches what you see when the pair arrives, and that your expectations are calibrated accordingly. If you are taking on a pre-owned pair with some sole wear or heel tip marks, our guide to cleaning and caring for Christian Louboutin shoes covers everything you can address at home and everything that is worth leaving to a professional.
Our authenticated pre-owned range covers all models, all heel heights, and all condition grades, with every listing clearly stated before you commit to anything. Browse pre-owned Christian Louboutin at Avantelle and find the height that works for how you actually plan to wear them. For condition grades, pricing expectations, and the full buying process, see our complete pre-owned buyer's guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most comfortable Christian Louboutin heel height?
For most people, 85mm is where the best balance between wearability and the recognisable CL silhouette lives. At this height the pitch is genuinely present, the shoe reads as a proper Louboutin, and most people find they can manage a full evening without the foot fatigue that accompanies 120mm. If you have ever found yourself searching "are Louboutins comfortable," the 85mm range is the honest answer: more wearable than the reputation suggests, particularly once properly broken in. For those where comfort is the absolute priority, the flat range removes heel pitch entirely while keeping the red sole and the brand's distinctive detailing.
What heel height is the So Kate?
The So Kate is 120mm. It is the most recognisable model in the CL range, designed specifically for occasions where the extreme arch and red sole silhouette are precisely the point. The foot pitch at 120mm is significant, and the shoe performs best at events where you will be primarily seated or moving briefly rather than standing or walking for extended periods.
Do Louboutins run small, and does heel height affect sizing?
Louboutins generally run half a size small at every heel height, and the pointed toe pushes the foot forward regardless of the millimetre count. This combination is why sizing up by half a step is consistently recommended across the range. The full Christian Louboutin size guide covers model-specific notes including the meaningful toe box width differences between the Pigalle, So Kate, and Hot Chick.
What is the difference between the Pigalle 85 and the Pigalle 100?
The silhouette is identical across both heights: the same pointed toe, the same stiletto heel, the same clean Pigalle profile. The 15mm of additional heel height changes the foot pitch in a way that is immediately perceptible in wear. The Pigalle 85 sits at an angle that is manageable across an extended evening; the Pigalle 100 delivers the more pronounced arch and changed leg line of the classic CL look, but asks considerably more of your feet over the same period. Both are properly Louboutin. Neither is a compromise. The So Kate vs Pigalle comparison covers the full breakdown of what changes across the Pigalle range.
Is the Hot Chick 100 more comfortable than the Pigalle 100?
At the same 100mm heel height, yes, for most people. The Hot Chick has a slightly wider toe box than the Pigalle and a padded insole on many versions, which changes the wearing experience noticeably across the forefoot. If the narrow pointed toe of the classic Pigalle is what has put you off 100mm stilettos until now, the Hot Chick 100 is the logical first version to try. Same heel height, same red sole, meaningfully more room where it matters most.
Where can I buy pre-owned Christian Louboutin heels in the UK?
Avantelle is the UK specialist for authenticated pre-owned Christian Louboutin, covering every model and heel height in the range. Condition is clearly stated in every listing, authentication is included as standard, and delivery within the UK is free. Browse the full range at Avantelle and find the height that suits how you actually plan to wear them.
Shop Authenticated Pre-Owned Christian Louboutin at Avantelle
Whether this is your first pair or you are filling a specific gap in a collection, the heel height is the thing that determines whether you actually wear them. Get it right and you will. Avantelle carries authenticated pre-owned Christian Louboutin across every model and heel height in the range, with condition stated clearly in every listing and authentication completed before any pair reaches you.
