Quick Answer: Christian Louboutin Pigalle
The Pigalle is available in 85mm, 100mm, and 120mm heel heights. Pointed toe, low-cut vamp, slim stiletto. The 100mm is the most wearable everyday height.
- Sizing: The Pigalle needs sizing up half a step from their standard EU size
- Most wearable: 100mm for regular wear; 120mm is better suited to occasions
- Variants: Pigalle 85, Pigalle 100, Pigalle 120, Pigalle Follies (open-shank, available at all three heights)
- Pre-owned tip: Check the inner toe box for compression marks before buying
Quick links: Shop Pigalle at Avantelle | Sizing guide | Pigalle vs So Kate
Contents
- The Pigalle range: every style and heel height
- What is the Pigalle Follies?
- Do Christian Louboutin Pigalle run small?
- Are Christian Louboutin Pigalle comfortable?
- Is the Pigalle or So Kate better for a first pair?
- Where can I buy a pre-owned Christian Louboutin Pigalle in the UK?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Shop authenticated Pigalle at Avantelle
- Related Articles
Christian Louboutin opened his first boutique in the Pigalle district of Paris in 1991, and the shoe that carries that neighbourhood's name is the one he kept returning to. The Pigalle is the pointed-toe stiletto that most people picture when they think of a Louboutin heel: the deep décolleté vamp that cuts low across the foot, the slim line, the red sole. It is not the most embellished thing in the range. It is the original.
That clarity is what makes the Pigalle worth understanding properly. There is no platform to alter the geometry, no ankle strap to compensate for fit. What you see is what you wear, and the choices within the range, from the 85mm to the 120mm and the Follies variant across all three heights, matter in ways that are not obvious from the outside. Most of the sizing advice out there gets the Pigalle wrong, and 20mm of heel height makes a bigger difference than anyone expects until they have tried both.
The Pigalle range: every style and heel height
The Pigalle range is more compact than people sometimes expect. Four main variants, three heel heights, and the open-shank Follies option that runs across all three heights.
| Variant | Heel Height | Primary Material | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pigalle 85 | 85mm | Lamb nappa leather | Longer days, a first CL pair |
| Pigalle 100 | 100mm | Patent leather | Everyday CL wearing, most occasions |
| Pigalle 120 | 120mm | Patent leather | Occasions, events, shorter durations |
| Pigalle Follies | 85, 100, 120mm | Patent leather; strass options | Open-shank fit preference |
The 85mm is the version that tends to surprise people. In lamb nappa rather than patent, and at that height the heel is present without being demanding. The pointed toe and stiletto line are fully intact, the profile reads as unmistakably CL, and the pitch is low enough that most people find this genuinely comfortable for a full day out. If someone has told you that Louboutins are unwearable, this is usually the height where that assumption gets quietly revised.
The Pigalle 100 is the one most people mean when they say "a Pigalle." Patent leather, 100mm, the low-cut vamp that gives the shoe its décolleté signature. It is the point where the shoe makes its statement without becoming an event in itself. Independent reviews regularly describe the 100mm as "not outrageously uncomfortable" after break-in, which is not marketing copy but is, for a pointed stiletto, genuinely reassuring news.
The Pigalle 120 shares the same silhouette with one difference: 20mm more heel. That sounds incremental. In wear, it is not. The forward lean increases noticeably, the front of the foot takes more pressure, and most people with both heights in their wardrobe reach for the 120 for specific occasions rather than regular rotation. The upside: pre-owned 120mm pairs often arrive in excellent condition, because many people bought them for one event and wore them twice at most. If you have been considering the 120mm, pre-owned is genuinely a good place to look.
What is the Pigalle Follies?
The Pigalle Follies is not simply a dressed-up version of the classic Pigalle. The open shank is a structural design choice, and it changes how the shoe holds the foot in a way that turns out to matter more than the aesthetics. For some people, it is actually the easier option to wear, despite looking more exposed on the foot and more extreme on the hanger.
The difference is in how the shoe grips. A closed-vamp Pigalle wraps across the top of the toes and the sides of the foot. The Follies cuts away the shank, leaving the arch exposed, so the hold becomes more of a two-point contact: across the toe box and at the heel counter. If you have a higher arch or a wider instep, that open structure takes pressure off exactly the parts of the foot where a closed vamp tends to concentrate it.
The Follies is available at 85mm, 100mm, and 120mm, and CL has made it in strass and other elaborate finishes over the years, and it keeps coming back. It looks nothing like the clean classic Pigalle. Underneath, it is the same shoe.
When you are choosing between the Follies and the classic, the looks are almost beside the point. What matters is how your foot wants to be held. We handle both regularly at Avantelle, and people who try both often describe the Follies as the one they expected to struggle with but did not.
Do Christian Louboutin Pigalle run small?
Most of the Pigalle sizing advice online is wrong. The shoe does not run large. It does not need sizing down. The narrow pointed toe box needs more room, not less, and the recommendation across the CL range is consistent: most people find they need to size up half a step from their standard EU measurement. The reason the wrong advice persists is fairly simple. Most of the reviews that say "size down" were written by people who did exactly that, accepted the discomfort, and assumed they had sized correctly.
Patent leather has almost no stretch. This matters more for the Pigalle than for rounder-toed CL styles, because any pressure on the toes at the pointed front will not ease with wear the way it might in a softer or more forgiving construction. In our experience, most people find that sizing right from day one is non-negotiable in patent: a half-size too small does not become comfortable over time. Suede Pigalle pairs behave differently, softening with wear, but patent starts and stays at the size it is.
Sizing guidance
Most people find going up half a size from their standard EU measurement is the right call. If you are between sizes, go up. The pointed front leaves no room for error, and a half size too small does not stop hurting.
There is one more thing to know about sizing, and it matters most if you are buying pre-owned: toe box compression. When a previous owner sized down on bad advice, the inner front of the shoe absorbs the damage over time. It is the most common condition issue we see on secondhand Pigalles, and it is one you can spot immediately by looking inside the shoe before you commit.
Are Christian Louboutin Pigalle comfortable?
The Pigalle 100 and the Pigalle 120 are genuinely different shoes to wear, and they deserve separate answers rather than one verdict that covers neither properly.
At 100mm, the pitch is enough that you feel the heel, but not so steep that the front of the foot is under constant load. Most people describe the 100mm as manageable for a few hours of active wearing once the patent leather has had a chance to settle. That settling takes a few outings. The first wearing is always the stiffest, when the patent is resisting rather than conforming. By the third wearing, something changes. The heel stops asking for your attention on every step. The shoe starts to feel like something you put on rather than something you accommodate. That shift is real. Give the Pigalle at least two outings before you decide.
The 120mm is a different calculation. The forward lean at that height puts meaningfully more pressure on the ball of the foot, and most people treat the 120mm as an occasion shoe: the kind you arrive in, sit down, stand up, and feel polished throughout, rather than the kind you walk several miles in. Compared to the So Kate 120, which sits at the same height on a different last, the Pigalle 120 tends to feel more demanding because the low-cut vamp provides less coverage across the forefoot.
The Pigalle 100 and the So Kate 120 are not really the same conversation, and that 20mm of height makes more difference than people expect. Most people find the 100mm noticeably more comfortable not because of any difference in construction between the two styles, but simply because of that height gap. If wearability is a priority and you are deciding between them, that gap deserves proper weight. Our full comfort guide goes further if you need it.
Is the Pigalle or So Kate better for a first pair?
The Pigalle 100 and the So Kate 120 are both classic CL pointed stilettos, but they give you slightly different things, and which one suits you better depends on what you are actually after. If you want a heel that becomes part of how you move, one that settles into the background of a wearing experience rather than commanding it, the 100mm height makes that easier. If you want the specific presence and silhouette that the So Kate 120 delivers, where the height is part of what you are choosing, then the extra 20mm is the point of the shoe.
For most a first CL pair, in our experience, the Pigalle 100 is where the relationship with the brand actually starts. You get the silhouette, the red sole, the décolleté line, and you get to wear it long enough to know whether this is your kind of shoe. The 120mm is still there when you are ready for it, and knowing it is there is part of the pleasure.
That said, some people arrive knowing exactly that they want the So Kate, and there is nothing wrong with that clarity. If you want to compare the two in detail before deciding, we have gone through the specifics properly: Pigalle vs So Kate: the complete comparison guide.
Where can I buy a pre-owned Christian Louboutin Pigalle in the UK?
Finding a pre-owned Pigalle in the UK is not the hard part. Vinted, Vestiaire Collective, eBay and specialist resellers like Avantelle all carry them regularly. What separates a good pre-owned Pigalle from a regret is knowing what to look for, because there is one condition issue specific to this shoe that almost nobody flags.
What to inspect on a pre-owned Pigalle
The most common condition issue we see on pre-owned Pigalles is not sole wear. It is toe box compression, and it comes directly from the sizing advice problem covered earlier in this guide. When a previous owner sized down on bad advice, the inner toe box absorbs the consequences. The leather inside the front of the shoe compresses and sometimes deforms over time, leaving indentations or a flattened internal structure that you can see and feel when you hold the shoe and look inside. This matters for whoever buys the pair next: even if the new owner sizes correctly, a previously compressed toe box does not fully recover. On any pre-owned Pigalle, check the inner toe box first.
Beyond that, a pre-owned Pigalle inspection covers four things:
- Red sole lacquer: Some wear is expected. Deep scratches through to the rubber underlay are harder to restore and worth factoring into how you value the pair.
- Patent upper: Patent leather shows marks and creasing clearly. Minor surface scuffs can often be buffed out; anything deeper is permanent.
- Heel tip: Check the tip for wear. The tip itself is inexpensive to replace; what matters is that the heel counter above it is intact and undamaged.
- Stitching and welt: Run your finger along the welt where the upper meets the sole. Any separation there is a structural issue, not a cosmetic one.
At Avantelle, every pair goes through inspection and authentication before it reaches you. If you want to understand the specific tells on a CL pair, our authentication guide covers the Pigalle and the wider range.
Browse authenticated pre-owned Pigalle heels at Avantelle
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Pigalle 100 and Pigalle 120?
The Pigalle 100 and Pigalle 120 share the same pointed-toe stiletto silhouette, but the 120mm has 20 more millimetres of heel height. In wear, that difference is more significant than it sounds: the forward lean at 120mm is noticeably steeper, the ball of the foot carries more load, and most people find the 100mm much more manageable for regular wear. The 120mm tends to appear in excellent pre-owned condition because many people buy it for one occasion and wear it rarely after that.
Do Christian Louboutin Pigalle run small?
The Pigalle needs sizing up half a step from their standard EU size. The narrow pointed toe box in patent leather has very little give, so the size needs to be right from the start. Most online advice that recommends sizing down is simply wrong, and it is the reason so many pre-owned Pigalles show toe box compression damage inside. The full sizing guide covers this for every major CL style.
What is the Pigalle Follies?
The Pigalle Follies is the open-shank version of the classic Pigalle, available at 85mm, 100mm, and 120mm. Cutting away the shank exposes the arch of the foot and changes how the shoe holds: rather than wrapping across the top of the foot, it grips at the toe box and heel counter. For some people, particularly those with a higher arch or wider instep, the Follies can actually be the more comfortable option despite looking more exposed.
Are Christian Louboutin Pigalle comfortable?
The Pigalle 100 is generally considered wearable after break-in, with most people finding it manageable for a few hours once the patent leather has settled across two or three outings. The Pigalle 120 is meaningfully more demanding at the forefoot and most people treat it as an occasion shoe rather than regular rotation. The heel heights guide goes into more detail on what each height actually feels like in practice.
Is the Pigalle or So Kate better for a first pair?
If this is your first pair, the Pigalle 100 tends to be the easier starting point: the heel height is more manageable than the So Kate 120 and the break-in period is shorter. The So Kate delivers a different silhouette and feel, and if you want that specific look you will usually know it. For a full comparison of both styles across fit, wearability, and occasion, see our Pigalle vs So Kate guide.
Where can I buy a pre-owned Christian Louboutin Pigalle in the UK?
Pre-owned Pigalle pairs are available through Vinted, Vestiaire Collective, eBay, and authenticated resellers such as Avantelle. When buying secondhand, the most important check is the inner toe box: compression marks there are the most common damage on pre-owned Pigalles. Avantelle inspects and authenticates every pair before sale. Browse current stock at avantelle.co.uk/collections/christian-louboutin-pigalle.
Shop Authenticated Christian Louboutin Pigalle at Avantelle
Every Pigalle pair we sell has been inspected: toe box, patent upper, sole condition, and authentication. Pre-owned means you can wear the Pigalle without paying new retail price, and buying from Avantelle means knowing exactly what you are getting before it arrives.
Browse authenticated pre-owned Pigalle heels at Avantelle
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