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It was a freezing cold and wet evening during Paris Fashion Week in March 2005. By now, Mr. Diego Della Valle, chairman and CEO of the Tod’s group, the Italian luxury leather goods company, had decided to reintroduce the name Roger Vivier to the fashion world.
The name itself had lain dormant for a few years following Roger Vivier’s declining health and his death in 1998 at the age of 91. At his zenith, Roger Vivier was the couturier of the shoe world. He was described by Yves Saint Laurent as bringing to his work a “level of charm, delicacy, refinement and poetry unsurpassed.” Vivier also created the first stiletto heel in 1955 for a ready-to-wear shoe collection for the house of Christian Dior. Catherine Deneuve immortalised the brand on the silver screen when she wore a pair of classic buckle shoes designed by Vivier in the 1967 French classic Belle de Jour.
Roger Vivier shoes became as famous as their wearers for their craftsmanship, embroidered artistry and wit, which was coveted by style icons such as Elsa Schiaparelli (her dormant maison has also just been acquired by the Tod’s group and is about to relaunch under the helm of couturier Christian Lacroix), Jackie Onassis, Bridget Bardot, Grace Kelly, Liz Taylor, Sophia Loren and none other than Queen Elizabeth II, who famously wore Vivier at her coronation in 1953.
To revive such a name was not without its risks. Vivier had possessed a skill, a sense of humour and a certain je ne sais quoi that is found only once in a generation. The team had their work cut out if they were to revive not only the brand, but the feeling and sensibility that went with it.
The beautiful flagship store on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré had already opened and the Hong Kong branch was ready to greet the luxury-loving customers on the other side of the world, yet the name Roger Vivier was still a rather foreign name to Hong Kong journalists. Therefore a small group of us were invited to the Paris store to enjoy an intimate dinner with Bruno Frisoni, the then new Creative Director, and new brand Ambassadress, Inès de la Fressange – French style icon, model and muse – to learn more about the brand. An evening full of laughter, interesting stories and, most of all, warmth ensued.
It is now ten years later, and I was glad of the opportunity to reminisce on that evening with Bruno and Inès once more. “I was very happy and flattered to be asked by Mr. Della Valle to take on the job,” Bruno remembers. “Roger Vivier was a couturier name who created shoes for big names such as Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent, plus I was younger then so I was quite overwhelmed.” Inès agreed, “I was immediately thrilled and enthusiastic about relaunching the name and being part of this new adventure, just like what happened at Chanel in the ’80s!”
Bruno and his studio are responsible for the design of shoes, bags and accessories, while Inès, with her innate chicness and elegance, acts as the perfect spokesperson to reach out to modern women, as well as consulting on special projects such as the launch of the house’s perfume. Together they are the dream team.
Inès speaks very highly of the men behind the company: “I enjoy working for the brand, love the total trust and freedom and especially working with Mr. Della Valle who wishes for real luxury and gives importance to the products. And Bruno is simply the best.” The feeling is mutual. “I asked Mr. Della Valle to bring in Inès,” remarks Bruno, “because she is a great woman with great style, a great communicator.”
Since his appointment as Creative Director in 2003, Bruno has successfully updated many original Vivier concepts. One of them is the Belle de Jour buckle shoes which have been reintroduced in different forms and styles to suit the 21st Century, and have become a signature style of the company. The extravagant evening stilettos and sandals have graced numerous red carpets and have been spotted on Hollywood stars such as Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts, Anne Hathaway, Rachel Weisz, Sarah Jessica Parker and many more. The handbag collection, from the practical and very chic day bags such as Diligence bag to the glamorous evening clutches with exquisite embroidery and beading, also garner a strong following of modern elegant women from Carla Bruni to Sienna Miller.
The elegant choc heel and the virgule (comma) heel, have also been revived and are one of the highlights of the Autumn/Winter 2013 season, as well as being Inès’s favourites. The curvaceous shape of the heel resembles a comma, hence the name, and they are mid-height, which should receive a very warm welcome from shoe lovers who have been teetering on sky-high stilettos and platform pumps for a few seasons. “I like both very high heels and low heels,” Bruno explains. “I understand that some women want to be taller and will never consider flats. But maybe sometimes it’s nice to put on lower heels because they are gentler, less aggressive and fresher. As a design piece, it’s not about the height, it’s always about the silhouette: high, medium, low and flats. I think the comma heels are such beautiful design; they are not exactly high, just a different approach to design.”
Bruno’s humour also fits well with the brand. The silhouette of the shoes is elegant yet they often come with eccentric decorations such as a mini make-up brush on top of loafers. It is this juxtaposition of elegance and unexpected wit that makes Roger Vivier stand out in a crowded market. “I was just looking at the brush and thought that’s exactly what I was looking for – it’s humorous and feminine. We shouldn’t take fashion too seriously. We don’t need another jacket or dress to feel happy, but something that brings a smile on your face is magical. I need to find pleasure and have fun,” he says nonchalantly.
Apart from the beautiful design of the collection, every season Roger Vivier manages to conjure up a whimsical presentation for the media during fashion week, from a secret garden to a disco-like palace. No other accessories brand possesses the same vision (and budget) to create a presentation on such a scale. For the past couple of seasons, it has been held at the historical Maison de l’Amérique Latine, and the London based set designer Shona Heath has been brought in to make Bruno’s vision come true.
“Presentations are very important,” Bruno explains. “They are like fashion shows to us. Journalists nowadays have a very tight schedule during fashion week. You only have ten or twenty minutes maximum to make an impression, to tell your story of your hard work of six months. It’s 50% of my job. Shona always does a great job in creating the perfect atmosphere for the collection.”
The presentations serve the purpose of helping to get the message across to the consumers through the media, yet consumers still need to relate themselves to the design, not just looking at them as beautiful objects in a magical setting, and this is where Inès’s skills come into play. She’s such a Parisienne through and through that she wrote a best seller, Parisian Chic: A style guide by Inès de la Fressange, and is the perfect ambassadress to demonstrate how to look chic in Roger Vivier designs.
“In the past ten years, the world has become so much more global,” she explains. “Most worldwide successful products have become the same. Roger Vivier’s originality really sets itself apart. It has been a great project and I am so proud that nobody asks me who is Roger Vivier now!” Bruno expands, “Yes, the whole world is more globalised but the upside is the new market in China and Asia. It brings in younger customers to luxury and there is a younger attitude.”
But are the globalisation and the new market forcing the fashion cycle to turn at an unprecedented speed? “Why should I complain?” asks Bruno. “It’s the world I chose to live in. Fashion keeps changing, the schedule is fast, but you either live it or leave it. It’s like when you write, you would never feel that you have enough time. Same as designing, if I don’t have a schedule, I would never do anything. I am busy but I still live a normal life. Every morning I have breakfast at home; the moment I arrive the studio I start working. I often skip lunch because I prefer to concentrate. After work, I would meet my friends for dinner, or sometimes catch a film, but never the theatre because I am always late. In the weekend, I go to the countryside and read.”
He makes it sound so easy, but of course we all know that in this day and age, it is far from easy to keep pace with modern consumers’ exacting demands and tastes. Sadly, we have seen many attempts made to fail due to the predominance of commerciality over artistry. To have revived and sustained a house for ten years is a great achievement, but Bruno responds humbly, “I never planned all of this. I am never a visionary in my career; I just want to do what I want to do, and enjoy it. I really live for the moment.”
Inès’s little guide for Glass
We asked Inès de la Fressange to share some of her latest little secrets only with Glass readers:
If you are to keep one bag and a pair of shoes and wear them for the rest of your life, what would they be?
A Roger Vivier black “Diligence” bag and a pair of black comma heels.
How would you glam up an outfit for a night out this season?
Either a pair of green satin boots or evening slippers from the AW13 collection.
What are the wardrobe essentials for modern women who need to travel around the world for both work and pleasure?
In general, people should put on less and don’t add more than three colours. Not to do publicity, but I give advice in my book!
Which place did you visit recently that impressed you?
The FIT in New York – a place like this doesn’t exist in Paris.
What do you enjoy doing in Paris the most?
Shopping, of course!
by Lucienne Leung-Davies
From the Glass archive – Issue 14 – Romance