The Bite Magazine - Summer 2019 - Issue 25

bite book review designed by Vivier, including the Separates sandals which were “elegant; the heel was high and slim, and the design featured a typ- ical Vivier twist: an interchangeable ankle strap that was secured by a notch in the heel, but the rest of the design was structurally similar to offerings from other designers.” But the September is- sue of Vogue described this particular heel as a “new and unique Cleopatra needle heel of a stiletto slimness…” And as the author pointed out, who and when the stiletto heel was invented also re- mains a mystery. We get further correlation of the Delman-Dior-Vivier collabora- tion up to Dior’s unexpected death in 1957, just as the house of Dior was preparing for its tenth anniversary celebrations. Whilst Vivier would remain as designer of the shoes, the question was who would replace Dior? In 1954, Dior’s business partner Marcel Boussac had asked him to choose a successor for good business practice. Eighteen months before he passed, the couturier had named 21-year-old protégé Yves Saint Laurent who had begun working for him in 1955 and started designing alongside the mas- ter two years later as the successor. Vivier also worked perfectly with Saint Laurent and both flour- ished under the partnership. The shoe designer’s contract with Delman had now ended. “Just as Saint Laurent’s first designs for Dior challenged the fashion world, so did Vivier’s new creations as he introduced strikingly innovative heels and toes with each collection.” Some of Vivier’s earlier work was referenced in the new designs such as the large buckles and other adornments from his 1940s work with Delman but he found his sculpture training had its greatest impression during the Saint Laurent years. These included the unusual Gazelle design of 1957, with its sharp- ly creased sculptural toe and the Mandoline and Guitare models that as Elizabeth described had elongated toes with interesting de- tail at the tips. “The Mandoline had sharply chiseled toes squared, or at asymmetric angles: the more exaggerated Guitare model fea- tured a forked toe that few recognised as being inspired by seven- teen-century footwear.” While Vogue described the shoes as “per- verse, delightful little squared-off points… that may make fashion history”, others were not so amused such as certain Parisians. When Marc Bohan took over as artistic director from Saint Lau- rent, after the popular press complained that the magic of Dior had disappeared and sales were falling, the working relationship between him and Vivier was not as fluid. The new artistic director had worked for the house of Dior from 1958 to 1960 designing for the British wholesale market and brought with him a more conservative aesthetic that was pleasing to the Dior clientele. Al- though Bohan was interested in new design, he clearly stated that he would leave the avant-garde lines to others. Whilst the aesthetic shift was evident in both Bohan’s first collec- tion for Dior in January 1961 and Vivier’s shoes, the shoe design- er’s desire to “boldly challenge the traditional architecture of high fashion footwear seemed to strain against the directive to revisit the opulent ornamentation that had defined his footwear when he first worked directly with Christian Dior.” With Dior himself, Vivier had matured and with Saint Lauren he had bolted forward artistically but with Bohan it was different. Despite all of this, it is said that, “Vivier went on to create some of his most exceptional shoes during his last years at Dior.” As if perhaps to prove a point, Vivier’s blue satin evening bot-