JOIE DE VIVIER: A PARISIAN ODE TO THE BELLE VIVIER
Written By: Lucy Wildman
Legendary French Footwear House Roger Vivier Celebrates 60 years of the iconic Belle Vivier with a spectacular soirée at its new Parisian HQ.
Returning to the neighborhood that its founder once called home, after almost nine decades on the Right Bank, storied French footwear House Roger Vivier has crossed the River Seine and taken residence at 98 Rue de l’Université – a lavish 18th-century mansion in historic Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
Marking a significant step in the journey of the legendary shoemaker, the new headquarters, known simply as Maison Vivier, celebrated its magnificent relocation and another huge milestone – the 60th anniversary of Monsieur Vivier’s iconic Belle Vivier – with a dazzling housewarming party, held during Paris Fashion Week.
Courtesy of Roger Vivier
Courtesy of Roger Vivier
Hosting an army of the Maison’s cherished friends, fans and ambassadors, including Inès de la Fressange, Catherine Deneuve, Laetitia Casta, Naomi Campbell, Tracee Ellis- Ross, Shailene Woodley, Lou Doillon and Sarah Paulson, guests were invited to explore the brand’s exquisite new home while admiring a museum-worthy exhibition of archival photographs and vintage Roger Vivier pieces dating back to the 1950s, alongside creative director Gherardo Felloni’s celebratory collection of the House’s most famous design – Belle Vivier 60.
First created for Yves Saint Laurent’s 1965 Mondrian collection and immortalized by Catherine Deneuve in 1967’s Belle de Jour (1967), for S/S26, the usually streamlined Belle Vivier celebrates her 60th birthday in exotic leathers, stingray, PVC, and high-octane embellishment. An unashamedly bedazzled version of the original, this season’s shoe joins fully adorned companion bags and gilets – amped up with exquisitely extravagant embroidery and hand-beaded buckles.
Honoring Belle Vivier’s iconic status as a staple in the wardrobe of the world’s most stylish women, the new HQ echoes the joyful mood of its latest iteration. Designed as a living masterpiece that blends rich heritage with contemporary innovation, it creates a vibrant space where the spirit of Roger Vivier continues to inspire creativity and craftsmanship while broadcasting the brand’s identity, and welcoming guests to explore the very fabric and foundations of the enduring French House.
Courtesy of Roger Vivier
Courtesy of Roger Vivier
Courtesy of Roger Vivier
Courtesy of Roger Vivier
Built in 1729 and designed by royal architect Jacques Gilet de la Fontaine, the 18th-century hôtel particulier holds nearly three centuries of Parisian history, from its aristocratic origins to its 19th century bourgeois transformations, passing into the hands of the French government before being renovated by François Avignon, who added a chapel. Meticulously restored to preserve the building’s authentic architectural identity while adapting it to house Maison Vivier’s workshops, archives, and salons, a secret garden inspired by classic French landscaping sits behind the residence – a final jewel in the architectural crown.
Entering the 15,000-square-foot Maison Vivier via a paved courtyard, visitors are greeted with a breathtaking entrance hall featuring a huge, gilded sunburst and a grand, sweeping wrought iron staircase. Beyond, the Maison comprises four rooms that capture the essence of this venerable house.
First is the Heritage Room. Conceived and curated by long-term brand ambassador Inès de la Fressange, it showcases the House’s great icons – some in physical form, and others, now held by several international museums, recreated as holograms. Furniture from the 1960s and 70s, including Xavier Feal’s steel shelving and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chairs mingle with Vincent Darré’s carpets and Pierre Frey curtains, echoing Vivier’s daring forms, such the dynamic Virgule heel and the iconic Belle Vivier with its sculptural buckles.
Courtesy of Roger Vivier
Next is the Vivier Salon, evoking the intimate world of the House’s designer Roger Vivier, who died in 1998. Bringing his private world to life, its black and white decor is modeled after Vivier’s former apartment, with a mix of Mies van der Rohe chairs, African masks and a Chinese cabinet from the collection of Hubert de Givenchy.
Felloni’s office reflects his eclectic Parisian sensibility. Vivid pinks and greens frame a Chinese Art Deco rug, antique armchairs, and a sculptural desk by Duccio Maria Gambi, while shelves lined with archival shoe boxes nod to his early explorations. Personal touches – a dog portrait, vintage cups, books on art and gardens – turn the studio into a living atelier where heritage sparks new visions for the vivacious designer.
Courtesy of Roger Vivier
Courtesy of Roger Vivier
Courtesy of Roger Vivier
Finally, La Salle des Archives, which for the first time in the Maison’s history allows guests to view its treasured archives. More than 1,000 creations are preserved here, with sketches, magazines, and photographs maintained at museum standards while retaining the intimacy of a designer’s world. With highlights including the prototype for Princess Soraya, documents on Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation shoes, a Dior sandal from 1955, and the original Belle Vivier, each piece salutes Vivier’s genius and the Maison’s dialogue between past and present.
A destination where heritage, creativity, and elegance converge, Maison Vivier’s salons, archives, gardens, and studio merge seamlessly to embody Roger Vivier’s visionary spirit and contemporary ambitions – standing as a cultural statement and an invitation into the Maison’s universe, where each design tells a story to be lived and worn.
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