{"id":1285,"date":"2013-10-27T11:07:40","date_gmt":"2013-10-27T11:07:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fashionsphinx.com\/?p=1285"},"modified":"2013-10-27T11:14:12","modified_gmt":"2013-10-27T11:14:12","slug":"virgule-etcin-the-footsteps-of-roger-vivier-a-retrospective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fashionsphinx.com\/?p=1285","title":{"rendered":"Virgule, etc\u2026in the Footsteps of Roger Vivier . A retrospective"},"content":{"rendered":"

When is a shoe not a shoe? When it is a work of art\u00a0 .\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 WWD\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

On an earlier\u00a0post<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0I wrote about the Azzedine Alaia retrospective at the Palais Galliera , Paris .<\/p>\n

There is a another beautiful fashion retrospective at the Palais de Tokyo that you cannot miss .<\/p>\n

Virgule, etc\u2026in the Footsteps of Roger Vivier,<\/em>\u00a0the show\u2019s name nods to the iconic virgule (or comma) heel introduced by the house’s namesake founder in 1963.<\/p>\n

Roger Vivier was born in Paris in 1907 and after graduating in Sculpture at the Ecole Des Beaux Arts , he begins to design shoe styles for friends who own a factory .<\/p>\n

In 1937 he opens his own shoe design company at 22 Rue Royale where he sells his creations to the most important shoe makers in the world,\u00a0 he also signs a contract with the American company Delman for whom he designs platform shoes which were adopted by Elsa Schiapparelli for her Spring-Summer 1937\u00a0Cirque<\/em>\u00a0collection<\/p>\n

Working for Christian Dior in the 50’s\u00a0 and until 1963 and creating for the Maison the shoes for the coronation of the young Queen Of England ,Queen Elizabeth II, as well as for Parisian maisons\u00a0 such as\u00a0 Gr\u00e9s, Balmain, Nina Ricci\u00a0 , Roger Vivier creates the “Virgule” heel in 1963 in order to distance himself from his previous creations.<\/p>\n

In 1954 he launches the first stiletto heel.<\/p>\n

In 1965 he creates the iconic\u00a0square-heel and Pilgrim-buckle pump for Saint Laurent’s Mondrian collection .This pump will be immortalized by Catherine Deneuve in the film Belle De Jour\u00a0 by Bu\u00f1uel . Other iconic women that fell to his feet in every sense of the word, and immortalized his creations were The Duchess of Windsor, Princess Soraya of Iran, Jeanne Moreau and Marlene Dietrich, Brigitte Bardot, to name but a few.<\/p>\n

Roger Vivier saw the shoe as a sculpture whose shape he constantly called into question.There is an entire room dedicated to his heels. Heels were his key elements, from the stiletto to the ‘virgule’.<\/p>\n

This\u00a0 show is a collection of 170 exquisite vintage shoes and accessories and is curated by Olivier Saillard, who also curated the Azzedine Alaia retrospective. Olivier Saillard has given every single shoe\u00a0 an alternative name, like artworks in a museum: \u201cThe Mona Lisa of Shoemakers\u201d or \u201cFloorboard Skater” . \u00a0 Exquisite.<\/p>\n

The show is on until the 19 th November 2013.<\/p>\n

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