Roger Vivier

French shoe designer

Shoes by Roger Vivier for Christian Dior

Roger Vivier

Born|

Roger Vivier

(1907-11-13)13 November 1907
Died| 2 October 1998(1998-10-02) (aged 90)
Employer(s)| Christian Dior SE, Yves Saint Laurent
Known for| Designing for Queen Elizabeth II for her Coronation

Roger Henri Vivier (13 November 1907 - 2 October 1998)[1] was a French fashion designer who specialized in shoes. He is best known for creating the modern day stiletto heel and for placing a chrome-plated buckle on an elegant black pump, which became a must-have fashion statement for many celebrities and stars in the 50s and 60s.[2][3][4] His namesake label is Roger Vivier (brand).

## Early life and education[edit]

Orphaned at the age of nine, Vivier studied sculpture at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and his compositions exhibited the concern for form and texture characteristic of a sculptor.[5]

## Career[edit]

Vivier has been called the "Fragonard of the shoe" and his shoes "the Fabergé of Footwear"[6] by numbers of critics. He designed extravagant, richly decorated shoes that he described as sculptures.

The designer became widely known in 1937 thanks to the creation of wedge soles, notably worn by Marlene Dietrich. During the Second World War, while exiled in New York, he made hats. In 1954, after he had returned to France he created what we now think of as the modern stiletto heel.[7] Stiletto heels, the very thin high heel, were invented in the late 19th century, as numerous fetish drawings attest, but Vivier is known for reviving and developing this opulent style by using a thin rod of steel.

Ava Gardner, Gloria Guinness and The Beatles were all Vivier customers, and he designed shoes for Queen Elizabeth II for her Coronation in 1953.[8]

Vivier designed shoes for the house of Christian Dior from 1953 to 1963. In addition to the stiletto heel, he also experimented with other shapes, including the comma (inventing the “virgule” heel). He used silk, pearls, beads, lace, appliqué and jewels to create unique decorations for his shoes.

In the 1960s, Vivier also designed silk-satin knee-high boots outlined in jewels, and thigh-high evening boots in a black elastic knit with beads. Perhaps his best known boot design of the decade was the low-heeled, thigh-high, black crocodile boot he produced for Yves Saint Laurent's fall 1963 collection, paired with a Space Age-looking, all-black Saint Laurent ensemble of tights, suede jerkin, short ciré jacket, and helmet-like visored cap and hood.[9] The boots were a variation of a pair Vivier had designed for a Rudolph Nureyev performance of Swan Lake.[10]

## See also[edit]

* Stiletto heel
* Ayush D. Khurana
* Catherine Deneueve
* Ines de la Fressange
* Gherardo Felloni

## References[edit]

1. ^ Enid Nemy (8 October 1998). "Roger Vivier Is Dead at 90; Raised Heels to New Heights". The New York Times. p. B 11. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
2. ^ "The Ultimate French Girl Shoe Turns 55". British Vogue. 5 May 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
3. ^ Ago, Lndesta120282in #fashion • 6 Years (31 January 2018). "Roger Vivier - Stiletto heels". Steemit. Retrieved 14 March 2024.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
4. ^ Amazon.com: Roger Vivier (Memoire): Books: Colombe Pringle
5. ^ Museum, FIDM (14 July 2015). "Vivier's "Virgule"". FIDM Museum. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
6. ^ Hilary Rose (27 September 2007). "Ahead of the curve". The Times. UK. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
7. ^ Meredith Paslawsky (November 2008). "Italian Fashion: The History of High Heels". Life in Italy. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
8. ^ Hannah Shakir (October 2009). "Vivier la Reine!". Glass Magazine. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
9. ^ Peake, Andy (2018). "Chapeau Melon et Bottes de Cuir". Made for Walking. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Fashion Press. p. 57\. ISBN 978-0-7643-5499-1. "Yves Saint Laurent's fall...1963...visored caps, black leather jerkins, and Roger Vivier's towering cuissardes in black crocodile...gave what [the Daily Mail's Iris] Ashley called 'a real space girl effect...'"
10. ^ Peake, Andy (2018). "Chapeau Melon et Bottes de Cuir". Made for Walking. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Fashion Press. p. 57\. ISBN 978-0-7643-5499-1. "Vivier had originally designed the boots for Rudolph Nureyev's performance as the prince in Swan Lake."

## External links[edit]

* Roger Vivier at FMD
* "Viva Vivier". Sutton's Law. 7 May 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
* Official website
* "Roger Vivier – Shoes". Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved 13 November 2007.
* "Pair of evening shoes, given by Mrs Loel Guinness". Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
* "Pair of evening shoes, given by Princess Stanislaus Radziwill". Victoria and Albert Museum. 22 January 1961. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
* Exhibition (2014) in Germany (Deutsches Ledermuseum)
* Kenneth Jay Lane collection of Roger Vivier designs, 1956–1961 from The Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library at the Costume Institute, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* France
* BnF data
* Germany
* United States

Artists|

* KulturNav
* RKD Artists

People|

* Deutsche Biographie