‘Faberge of Footwear’: A Roger Vivier Tradition

The late Roger Vivier is the man responsible for the pleasure and pain we endure today as women, in the name of glamour. The genius Roger Vivier, a French designer particularly of shoes, revived the stiletto in 1954, by making them more tolerable and stylish for women.

In 1906 the stiletto heel was first used in André Perugia designs, the year before the birth of Vivier.

“She came … forward, her walk made lopsided by the absence of one heel of the stiletto.” — New Statesman Magazine, 1959

The stiletto heel is a type of women’s shoe with a particularly long, thin high heel which alters the gait or posture of a woman’s body. Roger is responsible for the innovative design of creating a more substantial product to support the heels of the shoes. He used a single rod of steel or metal encased in wood or plastic to give support to the weaker materials. Although they may seem impractical, they tend to add a feminine touch to any garment and give women another reason to embrace their sexuality.

His work is highly praised and respected by designers. A major client of the Vivier brand is Christian Dior, for whom Roger created footwear for 10 years. During that time he created a number of innovative heel shapes for Dior, including the comma heel and the stiletto. Manolo Blahnik was also inspired by his work when he re-introduced the stiletto in the form of the ‘Needle’ after it faded in the Beatles era, 1974.

The designer used embellishments to adorn his shoes, which became popular among women of international society. Queen Elizabeth II, Katie Holmes, Marlene Dietrich, Brigitte Bardot, and Liz Taylor, among others, have been captivated by the beauty and charm of his craft.

In 2002, the French fashion house of Roger Vivier signed Bruno Frisoni as Creative Director. He revived the Pilgrim Pumps with the silver buckle — worn by Yves Saint Laurent’s models for the Mondrian Collection and by Catherine Deneuve in Luis Buñuel’s Belle de Jour in 1967 — as the Roger Vivier signature and iconic design.

The brand collaborated with brand ambassador Inès de la Fressange to bring Parisian chic to Miami. On Tuesday, December 1, 2009, Roger Vivier Boutique opened its doors to host a grand celebration in their new Bal Harbour Shops residence. In attendance were Paula Patton, Grammy Award-winning artist Robin Thicke, Loren Ridinger, Munisha Underhill, Amanda Brooks, and Leticia Herrera Grendene. The 1,000 square foot space showcases each season’s collection, limited edition product, as well as the Haute Couture collection which includes jewelry, sunglasses, bags, and the ‘Faberge of Footwear’ stilettos.

Roger Vivier’s shoes are currently on display at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Musée du Costume et de la Mode at the Louvre, and of course, if you search hard enough, you may find a pair of the classic Pilgrims in your grandmother’s closet.

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