Roger Henri VIVIER (French, 1907-1998) Fashion designer who specialized in luxury shoes. His best-known creation was the stiletto heel. Vivier has been called the "Fragonard of the shoe" and his shoes "the Fabergé of Footwear" by numbers of critics. He designed extravagant, richly decorated shoes that he described as sculptures. He is credited with the design of the first stiletto heel in 1954. Stiletto heels, the very thin high heel, were certainly around in the late 19th century, as numerous fetish drawings attest, but Vivier is known for reviving and developing this opulent style by using a thin rod of steel. Ava Gardner, Gloria Guinness and The Beatles were all Vivier customers, and he designed shoes for Queen Elizabeth II for her coronation in 1953. Vivier designed for several couturiers, including Elsa Schiaparelli in the 1930s, but notably for Christian Dior from 1953-63. He is the only one of Dior's collaborators permitted to have a credit on the final design - 'Christian Dior crée par Roger Vivier' - which is marked inside every shoe. In addition to the stiletto heel, he also experimented with other shapes, including the comma. He worked in elaborate and expensive materials including silks, pearls, beads, lace, metal threads and jewels. In the 1960s, Vivier also designed silk-satin knee boots outlined in jewels, and thigh-high evening boots in a black elastic knit with beads. His most iconic design, the Pilgrim pumps with silver buckles (worn by Catherine Deneuve in the film Belle de Jour) received international publicity and many imitations.