Roger Vivier and the Art of the Shoe (and the Hat)

Shoes are fascinating from both an historical and an artistic perspective. These made of silk toile are simply irresistible. They were designed by Roger Vivier in 1959 for Christian Dior. Roger Vivier who originally studied sculpture before entering the world of fashion design often described his fanciful and ornate shoes as sculptures.

This photo from the September 2024 issue of Architectural Digest is what prompted my quest to know more about Roger Vivier. Being a passionate gardener and wearer of straw hats, the straw hat with the rhinestone buckle pictured in this montage of garden inspired artifacts drew my attention.

After looking at a few photos online I found a used copy of a book about Roger Vivier published in 2013 by Rizzoli. His work first gained attention in 1937 when he designed a platform shoe for the film star, Marlene Dietrich.

Catherine Deneuve wore His “pilgrim buckle shoe” in the film Belle de Jour. The second photo is an adaptation of this shoe as a ballerina flat from 2003.

These contemporary Roger Vivier mules give the pilgrim buckle added sparkle with “diamond” rhinestones!

(squarewithflair.blogspot.com.es)

Roger Vivier designed shoes for Christian Dior from 1953 to 1963 and then moved to Yves St. Laurent where he began designing thigh high embellished boots such as shown in the second photo of him in this post.

This sketch of a pump with various heels and uppers is an arresting work of graphic art!

These vintage 1960s pumps and the matching clutch with a turtle clasp demonstrate how a sketch is realized and extended! Both would be covetable today.

Following the death of Roger Vivier, Bruno Frisoni put his own shoe design work on hold and assumed responsibility for design at Roger Vivier Paris for 16 years. In 2022 he restarted his company, Bruno Frisoni.

These are two of his exquisite, imaginative shoe designs reminiscent of birds for Roger Vivier Paris.

I finished reading the beautiful book on Roger Vivier and was still thinking about the straw hat with the rhinestone buckle. In my armoire of bits and pieces there was some wide black vintage Swiss ribbon.

A round rhinestone bauble covered in 13 feet of sea water and rescued from a vintage shop in Galveston after Hurricane Ike was pulled from my rhinestone collection and restored to its original beauty with a soak bath in white vinegar and mild detergent.

Here is my hat, inspired by the Broche Vivier Bucket Hat. It may not be a Vivier or a bucket hat, but it is my new straw hat made with treasured mementos!

As you see, this is just the hat to wear for a trip to Bakery Lorraine in Boerne, Texas where journaling under an ancient oak with a cortado coffee beside me is always a pleasure.

(RogerVivier.com)

Here is a photo of a Roger Vivier shoe from the archives. Such beauty and delicacy. Just think – a single photo in a magazine led to all this fun!