Posts in the Roger Vivier category










Roger Vivier for Christian Dior shoes

A “head to toe” look, including hats and shoes, was essential to 1950s couture. Roger Vivier’s ten-year collaboration with the house of Dior made history: not only was Vivier the first shoe designer to create footwear especially for couture collections, he was also the first to be openly credited for his work. His name was prominently featured alongside Dior’s in the press, in advertisements, and on the insoles of a line of ready-made shoes—an unprecedented move that placed a shoe designer and a couturier on equal ground. This immensely successful collaboration between designers remains a template for similar partnerships today.

Roger Vivier for Christian Dior shoes
Circa 1957
Gift of Arthur Schwartz
79.169.3





René Mancini shoes

René Mancini established his business in 1950, and specialized in custom-made shoes for prominent couturiers. He was one of several designers to produce footwear for Chanel, including her signature spectator pumps. He also made shoes for collections by Cristóbal Balenciaga, Hubert de Givenchy, and Yves Saint Laurent. The stiletto heels that dominated the 1950s fell out of fashion during the next decade in favor of more practical and youthful styles.

René Mancini shoes
Circa 1959
Gift of Lauren Bacall
68.143.137


Paris Refashioned, 1957-1968 runs through April 15, 2017 at The Museum at FIT in NYC.