Paris-based accessories label Roger Vivier has a timeline cluttered with inventions, innovations and a host of memorable moments with royalty and celebrities alike.
The brand’s travelling exhibition, Icons Connected, has just made its UAE stop, at The Galleria on Al Maryah Island in Abu Dhabi. Its fashion ambassador and legendary Parisian style icon, Ines de la Fressange will be in attendance at the launch on Tuesday, October 11.
Shoemaker Roger Vivier founded the namesake French maison in 1937, and his talent was later sought out by Christian Dior in 1953, when the couturier launched a footwear division.
Vivier’s iconic creations have been fitted to the royal feet of Queen Elizabeth II for her coronation day in 1953, Princess Soraya of Iran during her 1961 visit to Paris, and Sweden’s Queen Silvia and Princess Victoria for the princess’s wedding ceremony in 2010.
He has dressed numerous Hollywood celebrities, and is also credited for designing the first stiletto, the 8cm high Aiguille stiletto, in 1954.
The Icons Connected exhibition will showcase 11 displays spread around The Great Room. These will encase some of the brand’s most iconic pieces — from Queen Elizabeth’s coronation footwear to Elizabeth Taylor’s 1963 shoes and Brigitte Bardot’s 1967 thigh-high boots. The exhibition will explore the brand’s historical highlights, as well as the transformation of Vivier’s signature buckle design, which was launched in 1965 and was popularised through the 1967 film Belle du Jour, when they were worn by actress Catherine Deneuve.
Today, the emblematic buckle can be seen in a crystal-encrusted design, atop of skater-style trainers, dubbed “Sneaky Viv” and worn by a younger generation of celebrities that include Olivia Palermo.
In 2003, Diego Della Valle, owner of Tod’s Group, bought the Roger Vivier name. Bruno Frisoni was appointed creative director, and has given a fresh uplift to the accessories label, while keeping its heritage style intact.
Roger Vivier’s Icons Connected exhibition will run until October 25 at The Galleria.
hlodi@thenational.ae
