“To wear dreams on one’s feet is to begin to give a reality to one’s dreams,” Roger Vivier.
The members at our Club work hard to serve our community. Just these past two weeks we have been preparing food at the soup kitchen, gardening at the Maison de Tara hospice and transporting amphibians during their migration across busy roads; so it was a real pleasure when we washed our hands and were treated to a special afternoon at Roger Vivier’s boutique on the rue de Rhone this past Friday.
Over an Apéro, the boutique’s manager Mr Joel gave a very interesting presentation of Roger Vivier’s brand history. We also got to admire the fabulous spring/summer collection by the new creative director Gerardo Felloni. Each member left the boutique with a beautiful bouquet of spring flowers.
“Roger vivier was called the” Fragonard of the shoe” and the “Faberge” of footwear. Their hand crafted shoes are distinguished by their accessories such as the famous buckle, jewels, tassels and bows. RV is credited for the first steel stiletto heel which he designed in 1954.
In the 1967 film “Belle de jour starring Catherine Deneuve the shoes were RV ‘s’ Belle Vivier’ style, designed by Vivier himself. The shoes enjoyed such soaring popularity after the release of the film and were worn by the likes of Marlene Dietrich and Jacqueline Kennedy. RV designed the rubies encrusted shoes worn by queen Elizabeth II in 1953 for her coronation. Some of his illustrious clients; the Beatles, Brigitte Bardot, Sophia Loren, Catherine Deneuve, Empress of Iran, Carla Bruni, Julia Roberts. It is also worth noting that Christian Louboutin (famous for his red sole stilettos) was an apprentice in Roger Vivier’s atelier in the early 1980s.”
We are a group of international women living in Geneva, Switzerland. If you would like to learn more about our activities and excursions, visit our website at http://www.aiwcgeneva.org/
Living In Geneva 