The latest collection of the Maison is an ode to its mastery of combining art with fashion flawlessly.
For the House of Roger Vivier, a launch is never simply a rundown of the season’s looks but an experience that brings out the essence of the collection and what it represents. Crafted with artistic rigour, under the vision of creative director Gherardo Felloni, the Fall-Winter 2023 collection was launched in a Parisian townhouse with a carrousel featuring the couture presentations of the 1950s, rekindling Vivier’s close, long-standing connection with couture.
Monsieur Vivier changed the allure of women. His creations were neither unassuming nor decorative: they were designed purely for attitude.
Gherardo Felloni, Creative Director of Roger Vivier
This attitude was expressed in Monsieur Vivier’s artful accessories that went beyond function to celebrate form. Stunningly sculptural, Roger Vivier’s creations showcased his mastery of structure in shoe crafting; he was an architect of the elegant shoe silhouette. Felloni pays tribute to the legendary silhouette designed by Roger Vivier through the flamboyant accessories that take centrestage. In the creative director’s own words, “These sculpturesque designs go beyond their purely ornamental role and define each look.”
Aligned with the ceremoniousness and fitting models of the ‘50s, models fully clad in black drift below the opulent rocaille woodwork, were adorned with the collection’s shoes, bags, jewellery and gloves that emanate what Felloni terms as “the strength and sensuousness of the allure.” Art meets fashion in true Parisian joie de vivre – the bags are draped like precious dresses while wide-brimmed hats are worn like jewellery as intricately beaded shoes dress the leg like precious ivy, and embroidered gloves wrap the arms like a bolero. By doing so, Felloni honours Monsieur Vivier’s pioneering approach of using Haute Couture techniques and materials to craft accessories, and building a look from the shoe up.
When I develop a shoe, I approach it like a fashion designer, and I try to create a new line.
Roger Vivier
With the use of drapes, flounces and embroidery, Felloni brings out the graphic energy of the Choc heel and the iconic Viv’ Choc Me bag, putting these signatures of the Maison under the seasonal spotlight once again. The Viv’ Choc Me is reinterpreted in a leather as supple as fabric and as soft and silky as velvet, then completed with a softly rounded buckle that reflects the curves of the iconic Choc heel. First launched in 1959, the Choc heel was described by the press of its time as “strange, downward-sloping stiletto heels.” Its unique form of expression honours the innovative, pioneering spirit of its creator, who studied sculpture at the École des Beaux-Arts of Paris. Roger Vivier’s inverted heel structure is as much a piece of art as it is fashion, and “…is the most important detail. It’s like the nose on a face: it is what provides character,” said the man himself.
A tribute to the exquisitely Parisian elegance and carefree spirit of the woman who wears Vivier, Gherardo Felloni’s latest collection embodies the full daintiness of the fine craftsmanship unique to the brand.
Images courtesy of Roger Vivier, artwork by Curatedition. All rights reserved.
Related Links:
Roger Vivier: The Secret of the Swan
Roger Vivier: The Effervescence of Summer
