Roger Vivier

One would think that it is a woman who invented the stiletto heels but not at all, it is a man.

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Roger Vivier born in 1903 in Paris is a French stylist specialized in footwear.
He becomes an orphan at nine.

He studied sculpture at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris and his compositions have a concern for form and texture characteristic of a sculptor. His most famous creation is the stiletto heel, which he shares with Charles Jourdan.

History

Vivier was known for his extravagant shoe creations which he considered sculptures. He was also known thanks to the wedges in 1937 worn by Marlene Dietrich and the stiletto heel in 1954.

It begins in 1937 rue Royale in Paris. Ava Gardner, Marlene Dietrich, Gloria Guinness, Cary Grant, Jackie Kennedy, Elizabeth Taylor and The Beatles were all customers at Vivier.

During the Second World War, exiled in New York, he made hats.

One of his most prestigious commissions is the realization of the golden goat heels strewn with rubies for Queen Elizabeth II, in honor of her coronation, in 1953.

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Vivier also put his creations in favor of Christian Dior from 1953 to 1963; he designed the very first shoe collection for Dior in 1953 and he became the only one to whom Dior allowed to put his name to his. He also experimented with the decoration of his shoes with silk, tulle, ribbons, pearls, jewels, jewels, or embroidery to create unique shoes.

In the 1960s, Vivier shoes Catherine Deneuve in the movie Belle de jour with buckled patent pumps. In 1967, Brigitte Bardot wears her black boots on her Harley-Davidson.

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Christian Louboutin, who did an internship at Roger Vivier in 1988, said he became his mentor.
Vivier's creations are exhibited at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, United States, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, United Kingdom, and the Museum of Costume and Fashion at the Louvre in France, a museum that has a Roger Vivier collection since 1987.

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The stiletto heel

The stiletto heel is a thin, high heel shape, usually attributed to shoes and boots, usually worn by women. They vary originally between 2.5 cm and 25 cm, or more when a compensated sole is included in the manufacturing.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the shape of their tip, designed by Italian shoemakers, did not exceed 5 mm and this fashion accessory symbolized feminine elegance. Modern stilettos are made from a molded plastic and usually have a rod or metal alloy for reinforcement.

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Historically, fetishist drawings dating back to the 1800s demonstrate the wearing of the stiletto heel as a sexual fantasy. The appearance of the stiletto heel dates back to the 1930s, and its design is attributed to several designers and manufacturers.

The precursors of the stiletto heels are possibly the pintles (a type of women's platform shoe that became popular during the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries.) The pintles were originally used as a hoof to protect shoes and clothes from mud. and debris.), which were originally made to avoid contact with dirt on the ground, and which later became a symbol of power and social status and later soled shoes in the period of time. pre-war period during the 1940s.

These shoes, however, lost popularity at the end of the Second World War. The reintegration of men into civilian life means a return of domesticity, encouraging women to return to their homes. Fashion highlights femininity and everything related to it, including the stiletto heel. In 1951, the shoe Roger Vivier, accompanied by the stylist Charles Jourdan decides to thin the heel of the classic shoe and raise it to 8 cm in height.

The materials initially used for the design of the stiletto heel involved wood and plastic but their resistance was put to the test. As a result, in 1954, Roger Vivier, who was working for Christian Dior at the time, had the idea of inserting a metal rod into the heel to make it more resistant; this technique quickly replaces the wooden heel.

Stilettos became popularized and widely publicized during the 1950s and 1960s. Their existence was first disclosed in the US Daily Telegram on September 10, 1953 as "stiletto" for its resemblance to the dagger-stylus.

The stiletto heel is gaining momentum since the year 2000 since young girls add a touch of femininity by wearing everyday clothes such as skirts or jeans. Italian Salvatore Ferragamo, a Hollywood star, is reworking the stiletto heel that is still gaining height; heels of 12 cm make their appearance. American stars such as Gina Lollobrigida, Ava Gardner and Marilyn Monroe adopt this type of heel and have also contributed to its popularization.

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Nevertheless, they aroused much controversy and negative criticism in the 1960s. For some feminists, this type of heel indicated a sex stereotype and domineering for men towards women, as well as an object of fantasy, although they attribute a silhouette slimmer and slender to those who wear them.

Following the design of the miniskirt in the 1960s, high-heeled boots made their appearance.
Stilettos are considered a fetishist icon because they represent a chic and domineering aspect attributed to femme fatales and dominatrixes.

The heels give the optical illusion of a longer and thinner leg, as well as a small foot, and greater height. They also modify the posture, the gait, the flexion of the calf muscles. They also make a bust and buttocks more prominent.

Anecdote

There is a contest in which women have to race in stiletto heels, named Stiletto Races. Glamor magazine sponsors this type of race in Germany and these races take place all over the world.

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