Sleekly sculpted, richly crafted and cooly sensuous, Christian Louboutin shoes are so beautiful they belong in a museum - and London's Design Museum is where they were exhibited in 2012. Along with their alluring designs, Louboutin shoes are known for their iconic red soles - one simply can't help but notice them. Women want them and men, well, in Louboutin own words, "Men are like bulls, they cannot resist the red sole." The red soles, though - as they are so apparent - will need special tending.

Of course you want to wear those beautiful shoes - and you absolutely should - just be mindful that they're not designed for the rigours of traipsing around the city all day, so save them for when they matter most. Do your best to avoid wearing them during inclement weather but if they do get wet or muddy, wipe them with a dry soft cloth. Also watch where you walk - gravel, rough stone and puddles are for hiking boots, not these shoes. When you're not wearing them, store your shoes in the dust bag - unless you require their provocative display.

If you notice a small scratch or scuff on a sole, a red permanent marker or red nail polish will cover it so no one will notice. For larger areas you may use red sole paint that's made especially for these special soles - see the resource section below for suppliers.

If your soles are in need of serious saving, half and full sole protective overlays - in red or clear - are available to cover the worn out ones - as are replacement soles. Kits are available for home repair use or you may visit a cobbler who works with those soles. Many better shoe repair shops also have red-coloured leather soles that are designed for Louboutin shoes. If you're not comfortable with these solutions, Christian Louboutin has a recommendation for a service in Paris - the link is below.