J.Lo vs. Rochelle Humes: Who Styled Louboutin’s Caged Mrs Bouglione Booties Better?

Christian Louboutin’s “Mrs Boulglione” booties — also known as the “Encage” — are one of the more elaborate designs from the label’s Fall/Winter 2014 collection.

Inspired by Madame Rosa Bouglione of Paris’ Cirque d’Hiver dynasty, the black booties combine cage-like cutouts with sheer panels and Christian Louboutin’s signature red soles, all balanced on towering 120mm (4.7-inch) stiletto heels.

Jennifer Lopez and Rochelle Humes style Christian Louboutin’s Fall/Winter 2014 Mrs Boulglione (Encage) cutout booties with contrasting green and black outfits (Credit: Cousart / JFXimages / Rocky / WENN)

The construction reflects Louboutin’s long fascination with cabaret, showgirls, and the circus world. Rather than covering the foot like a conventional ankle boot, the Mrs Boulglione uses its cutouts and translucent sections to leave areas of skin visible, creating the illusion that much of the shoe is suspended around the foot.

Jennifer Lopez put the sculptural design to an unexpected test at the American Idol Season 14 auditions in Los Angeles on October 28, 2014. Rather than showing off the cutout booties with a short hemline or slim trousers, she paired them with a vivid green ICB ensemble featuring a draped blouse and voluminous wide-leg pants.

Jennifer Lopez pairs her green ICB separates with Christian Louboutin Mrs Boulglione booties at the American Idol Season 14 auditions in Los Angeles on October 28, 2014 (Credit: Cousart / JFXimages / Rocky / WENN)

Jennifer Lopez’s Christian Louboutin Mrs Boulglione booties feature cage-like cutouts, sheer sections, stiletto heels, and the designer’s signature red soles

Jennifer Lopez Takes an Unusual Approach to the Caged Louboutin Booties

At 5’4½” (163.8 cm), Jennifer Lopez has a long history of using towering designer heels to add height, but the Mrs Boulglione was an unusual choice for such wide, fluid trousers. The pants concealed much of the booties’ intricate upper, letting the pointed silhouette and flashes of cage construction appear beneath the hem rather than making the shoes the immediate focal point.

Jennifer Lopez with Keith Urban arrive at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles on October 28, 2014

Architectural ankle boots were hardly unfamiliar territory for Lopez. Around the same period, she also wore Christian Louboutin’s strappy Gortik booties, another design that uses openings and narrow sections of leather to expose the foot rather than covering it completely.

Her later appearances in Christian Louboutin Follies Resille mesh pumps show the same idea in a more delicate form. Instead of a cage structure, the Follies Resille uses sheer mesh to visually disappear against the foot, leaving its suede trim and red sole to define the silhouette.

Rochelle Humes Puts the Mrs Boulglione Booties on Full Display

Three days after Lopez’s American Idol appearance, Rochelle Humes wore the same Christian Louboutin style while visiting ITV Studios in London on October 31, 2014.

The Saturdays singer took a more straightforward approach to such a detailed shoe, pairing the black booties with a lace-trimmed little black dress and a long coat with a substantial fur-trimmed hem. Unlike Lopez’s floor-skimming trousers, Humes’ shorter dress left the Mrs Boulglione’s entire cage construction visible.

Rochelle Humes wears Christian Louboutin Mrs Boulglione booties with a lace-trimmed black dress and fur-hemmed coat at ITV Studios in London on October 31, 2014 (Credit: Cousart / JFXimages / Rocky / WENN)

Rochelle Humes leaves the intricate cutout construction of her Christian Louboutin booties fully visible

Humes has returned to similarly intricate Christian Louboutin footwear since then. In 2016, she wore the designer’s Amazoula knee-high gladiator sandals, a dramatically strapped design that similarly uses exposed skin as part of the shoe’s overall look.

Jennifer Lopez vs. Rochelle Humes: Who Styled the Caged Booties Better?

The two outfits demonstrate how much the surrounding silhouette can change the appearance of the same statement shoe. Lopez largely concealed the Mrs Boulglione beneath flowing green trousers, turning the booties into an unexpected detail within a monochromatic look. Humes did the opposite, using a shorter black hemline to frame the shoes and keep their elaborate cutouts fully visible.

For readers interested primarily in the footwear, Humes’ outfit provides a clearer view of Mrs Boulglione’s unusual architecture. Lopez’s styling is the less predictable of the two, however, precisely because she paired such intricate ankle boots with trousers that covered much of their design. Which approach do you prefer?

Christian Louboutin Mrs Boulglione / Encage Booties: Design Details

Originally priced at $1,595, the Mrs Boulglione was also sold under the style name “Encage.” The Fall/Winter 2014 design features a cage-like cutout upper, sheer inserts, a sharply pointed silhouette, a 120mm (4.7-inch) stiletto heel, and Christian Louboutin’s unmistakable lacquered red sole.

The name connects the shoe to Madame Rosa Bouglione and the celebrated Bouglione circus family associated with Paris’ Cirque d’Hiver, making the theatrical construction more than a decorative flourish. The combination of structure and transparency also places the Mrs Boulglione within a recurring Louboutin design language: shoes that reveal portions of the foot while using straps, mesh, or cutouts to create the outline of the silhouette.

Christian Louboutin Mrs Boulglione, or Encage, cutout booties from the Fall/Winter 2014 collection, originally priced at $1,595

Why Cutout Booties Keep Returning to Celebrity Style

Cutout boots occupy an unusual space between a sandal and a traditional boot: straps, perforations, mesh, and open sections preserve the structure of an ankle boot while revealing portions of the foot. That contrast can make substantial leather or suede silhouettes feel lighter, while peep toes and openwork construction also bring more attention to the foot itself. On the red carpet and in street style, designers have repeatedly pushed the idea further with cages, corset lacing, architectural straps, and sculptural heels.