Roger Vivier

Image of Roger Vivier
Release Date: 
April 2, 2013
Publisher/Imprint: 
Rizzoli
Pages: 
340
Reviewed by: 

Having grown up at a time when fashion illustration was still king in the newspapers, I have distinct memories of the Sunday Times and the ads with their own specific placement on the page each and every week. One of those memories is the shoe ads that appeared from Saks Fifth Avenue and in particular those of Roger Vivier.

He was the most avant garde of shoe designers, going so far as to name his heels: comma, choc, crystal ball, cancan. His were the shoes that only existed on those pages, never seen on the suburban streets where I grew up, only perhaps where ladies lunched or shopped, or on the pages of Vogue or Harpers Bazaar.

Roger Vivier is a treasure trove of shoe design reminding us that in a time of Bally, Delman, Beth Levine, David Evins, and the Julianellis, the master of them all was Roger Vivier.

His designs were the precursors of modern shoes, works of art gracing the shelves of fine shoe salons throughout the world. He was the innovator, the inventor, and prodigy from his start in the mid 1950s. Roger Vivier pays homage to him and his legacy in grand fashion, quite rightfully spending the majority of its space focused on the master himself rather than his successor, Bruno Frisoni.

The interviews with select personalities and the accompanying text are wonderfully intertwined with the past and present, yet very much demonstrate the enduring influence of the designer and his body of work. The entire volume is gloriously flooded with original sketches, editorials, and photographs spanning over 60 years, most of which date from the time when Mr. Vivier was still active in the business.

There is no question that Roger Vivier is a must have for those who consider shoes borderline fetishistic and completely addicting. It is safe to say that what Harry Winston is to fine jewelry, Roger Vivier is to the business of shoe design.

The book’s greatest asset is that it gives credit where credit is due. Mr. Frisoni, who carries on at the helm of design for the brand, does the house great justice in design as well as retaining so much of Mr. Vivier’s original DNA. Mr. Frisoni’s contribution to the brand is minimized but not trivialized, yet duly respects the founder and the name on the door.

After all, if not for Monsieur Vivier, the trajectory of 20th century shoe design might have progressed at a much more glacial pace.

If Vivier’s shoes were good enough for the likes of Queen Elizabeth, Grace Kelly, Marlene Dietrich, Sophia Loren, and Audrey Hepburn, then anyone with any sort of interest in shoes, shoe design, or fashion innovation needs to own Roger Vivier and delight in knowing who first made shoe design into an art.