Fashion can sometimes be a dangerous game, but for his Roger Vivier presentation today in Paris, Gherardo Felloni enlisted the help of some live wolves to give his fall ’19 collection a little extra bite. The designer commandeered an imposing Parisian mansion and themed each room on a dream.
Aforementioned wolves (accompanied by highly trained handlers) roamed amid an enchanted forest, though this particular fairytale had a happy ending in that both guests and Felloni’s new virgule — or comma-heeled Courbette pumps on display — emerged unscathed.
This signature silhouette of the collection is a Felloni reinterpretation of an archive shoe and comes with asymmetric strap or as a Mary Jane complete with exploded bow.
The other rooms chez Vivier featured variously a Marie Antoinette-style boudoir lined with mirrors like the palace of Versailles, plus a plethora of multicolored wigs, a jungle populated with leopard appliqué takes on the Viv Run sneaker and Love Vivier pump. Also, a bedroom where a girl dressed as a gorilla bounced gamely up and down on the bed wearing vertiginous platform sandals, and a fantasy DJ booth with wall-to-wall pink fluffy unicorns — 400, to be precise.
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Elsewhere was a screening room where nine girls dressed to resemble Catherine Deneuve in identical blond wigs watched a trailer for the film starring the legendary actress, which debuted in December to promote the new Beau Vivier bag. There was also a musician’s den lined with guitar cases and some rather awesome new Vivier Texana boots. “I am obsessed with country and Western singers,” said Felloni, “so I decided to do a couture cowboy boot with a strass buckle.”
Although the designer is a keen opera singer himself, the presentation’s soundtrack featured a more contemporary medley including the theme tunes from “The Neverending Story,” “Twin Peaks” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
“Everything was based on my interpretation of a woman’s dreams,” said Felloni, “and sometimes dreams can turn into nightmares.” As far as the shoes were concerned, though, Vivier boss Diego della Valle can sleep easy.
See more photos of Roger Vivier’s fall ’19 collection.
