ROGER VIVIER

18 Oct 2012

There are few that have captured the essence of an object and transformed it into something between a daily companion and a talisman. Roger Vivier was one such creator and his artifact of choice was the shoe. Credited with the creation of the stiletto, ultimate weapon of mass seduction that women the world over are gaga about, the house has successfully transitioned from historic shoemaker to hysteria-inducing desire without giving an inch on its identity, despite the founder’s passing in 1998.

Roger Vivier is quintessentially French. Not just a staple of the well-heeled Parisian, Roger Vivier’s legacy lives on as an accessories brand, thriving in the trustworthy hands of Artistic Director Bruno Frisoni, who is firing on all cylinders for spring/summer 2013. From the delighted looks on faces walking the elegant floorboards of the Hôtel Particulier where the presentation was held, Frisoni has again hit the motherlode.

The Prismick collection, inspired not only by his love of architectural shapes but also by a collage created by the founder of the house and designed to complement the brand’s cult ballet flats as daily staples, returns with new larger totes for daily use as well as a delicate cutaway sandal where only the connecting leather lines have been left as straps. Other highlights include the “Maxi Boîte de Nuit”, one of the best loved Vivier box clutches, rendered slightly oversized. Masculine slippers were bejeweled to become suitable alternate choices for the chic set and will no doubt find their way into the wardrobe of perennial muse and friend of the house Inès de la Fressange, who traded greetings and anecdotes like a seasoned hostess.

As always, evening sees ornate heels and luxurious brocades, but this year all eyes will be on deceptively simple shoes bearing a gold-leaf stripe across them. Cheeky and almost over the top prints have become one of his favorite variations and this season’s “Belle sur Belle” print-in-print will surely keep this track record. But that is not to say that Frisoni isn’t perfectly in tune with the times as this season witnessed the addition of statement shoes of a new kind, like the chunkier Archi Compact wedge.

Season after season Frisoni plays with the house’s essential styles, renewing them while always keeping true to the brand’s identity, which can be summed up perfectly by a description that was noted at the presentation for a pair of Vivier shoes: “as crazy as they are refined.” If the shoe fits…

- Lily Templeton