OpinionRoger Vivier exhibition makes shoes an art form
A Roger Vivier retrospective promises to teach the world about art and soles, writes Divia Harilela
Not many people view shoemaking as an art form, but a new exhibition dedicated to shoe designer Roger Vivier is set to change that perception. A highlight on the Paris Fashion Week schedule, "Virgule, etc: In the Footsteps of Roger Vivier", opened several days after an exhibition dedicated to Azzedine Alaïa, which shares the same curator, Olivier Saillard.
"When [the brand's creative director] Bruno Frisoni approached me, I initially refused as I had committed to Alaia. But when I saw all the shoes they collected, including styles recently acquired at auction, I had to say yes," says Saillard, who is also the director of the Musée Galliera in Paris.
Vivier in the past and Vivier today may not look the same, but there's no disconnection in terms of philosophy
Held at the Palais de Tokyo, the exhibition is not your typical retrospective. Instead Saillard has mixed more than 170 pieces from the brand's past and present, from the 1930s up to the current collection designed by creative director, Bruno Frisoni.
"We wanted to mix all the shoes together in order to create a series or theme, but not in a chronological way. I'm not comfortable with chronology because I am against the idea of fashion which dies each season," says Saillard.
"Vivier in the past and Vivier today may not look the same, but there's no disconnection in terms of philosophy. Style evolves yes, but you can really see Vivier's legacy of modernity. The fact that it is still timeless today is an incredible achievement," says Frisoni.
This point is brought home through the exhibition's design which is described as "stepping somewhere between seriousness and fantasy", according to the show catalogue. The scenography is designed to resemble the hallowed halls of a 19th century museum (Saillard references the Louvre and Prado) with all the shoes and bags encased in glass boxes that are lit up like artworks.
Saillard has also added a playful touch by naming each vitrine after a room in the Louvre or an art movement, be it Pop Op Art or Department of Egyptian Antiquities. Each shoe is given a made-up - and often humorous - name.