Roger Vivier's New Paris HQ and Archive
Tour 'Maison Vivier', an 18th-century building that is home to more than 1,000 pairs of shoes.
Wallpaper* takes a tour of 'Maison Vivier', an 18th-century hôtel particulier that houses the French shoemaker's headquarters, studio and archive – an extraordinary collection of over 1,000 pairs of shoes.
Since the late 1930s, Roger Vivier has stood as a landmark of artisan shoemaking in Paris. Famed for lavish embellishments, elegant pointed shapes, and use of resplendent materials, its namesake, Monsieur Vivier, viewed his craft as an expression of beauty rather than function.
His vision was, at the time, revolutionary: Vivier is credited with inventing the modern stiletto, a style made globally desirable by stars like Marlene Dietrich and Elizabeth Taylor, while his foot-arching creations for Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, and Schiaparelli shaped new ideas of elegance at those houses.
Author's summary: Discover Roger Vivier's stunning Paris HQ and archive.