The Bite Magazine - Summer 2019 - Issue 25

bite book review tine shoe within the conservative 1961 Autumn/Win- ter Dior collection attracted much attention, resulting in Life magazine featuring it in their October 29 issue, declaring them fit for Marie Antoinette in luxury and price. “Bottines were unexpected for evening wear and as a challenge to this prejudice, Vivier created a bottine that was a confection of tulle embellished with beads, sequins, couched silk ribbon, and silver embroidery balanced on a thin needle heel of moderate height.” He also designed the Virgule which had a high needle heel with an ever so slight concave curve - “an elegant and restrained response to his more alarming Choc heel” - while his striking New Style shoe line for the Autumn/Winter collection of 1962 suggested he was “increasingly comfortable with the new regime and was once again pushing the envelope by producing provoca- tive new heels.” With its two-inch heel and a deep curve that “began to move toward the instep only to then dra- matically swoop back in the opposite direction”, when modelled on the catwalk, it caught the attention of the fashion world. The remaining pages of this fascinating book bear nu- merous photos of the many shoes that Vivier designed while working under the house of Dior. I really like the 1960 blue evening pump in embroidered silk satin with a Louis XV heel that looks like it’s decorated with drop- lets of water that cascade across the vamp. The writer goes on to say that, “some of the pendant beads look like heavy droplets just about to burst [while] others, rounder, seem to be in the process of forming.” Imagine the pendant beads on these shoes shimmering in the light with each step. Another intriguing design is the 1962 orange evening pump in fully embroidered satin with a needle heel that makes for an eye-catching and elegant shoe. Equally fascinating is the 1960 blue evening pump in velvet with a low heel and embroideries in blue and silver-like crystals. One of the most intricate designs is the 1962 green evening pumps in satin with a New Style heel with beads and decorative lines that are enchanting. And the 1958 mule in embroidered tulle and a high slender Louis XV heel covered in satin is undeniably sensational. It is said that in the early 1900s, the master shoemaker Pietro Yantorny made a pair of shoes covered in hum- mingbird feathers. It was a feat of craft and artistry that Yantorny hoped would someday be in a museum. In 1959, Roger Vivier rivalled this accomplishment by creating a shoe entirely embellished with white-breast- ed kingfisher feathers which added a layer of exoticised decadence to this remarkably contemporary silhouette. “Both shoemakers would surely be pleased that their feathered creations are indeed now held in museum collections.” A remarkable book that gives you further insight into Christian Dior’s and Roger Vivier’s partnership, Dior by Roger Vivier is published by Rizzoli New York. www.rizzoliusa.com “My friend Roger Vivier works to clad the most elegant feet in the world, thus helping me to fulfil my dream of dressing a ‘Christian Dior’ woman from head to toe” - Christian Dior Images courtesy of Rizzoli New York