Roger Vivier Fall Winter 2021
Image: Roger Vivier

Trust Roger Vivier—the reigning monarch of high-octane Parisian glamour—to nab no less than Edith Piaf, Josephine Baker, Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich, and Grace Kelly to sit front row for their Fall 2021 show. This morning, the accessories mega-brand called on those five icons of stage and screen to model a fabulous offering of handbags and shoes, showcased in a brilliant, totally bonkers short film called DOWESHOW?

As Marlene Dietrich—played by the German artist Ulrike Storch—takes to the stage for a moving rendition of spoken word poetry to an empty auditorium, she begins “This is an ode to the stranger I miss so much”. This is, at its core, what the latest Vivier collection was all about. After a year of lockdown, we are all craving the intimacy of in-person human interaction, and Roger Vivier’s creative director Gherardo Felloni, attempted to bridge that gap by evoking our shared admiration for history’s most iconic, glamorous women.

As for the pieces themselves, the Fall21 offering was an escapist fantasy. Maribou feather-trimmed ankle boots perched on a six-inch stiletto heel, bubblegum pink-hued satin mules fastened with embellished buckles, crocodile-embossed go-go boots that sit just below the knee. These are shoes made for a world in which one always has somewhere to go, the official uniform for post-pandemic frivolities.

On the handbag front, super micro-purses (big enough for a lipstick and little else) were a delight, but the main star was the array of 50s-style top-handle totes, finished in a breezy shade of mint or in classic black, and covered in delicate crystal embroidery. After all, if it’s good enough for Grace Kelly (played by the Italian actress Elena Radonichich), it’s good enough for us.

Roger Vivier Fall Winter 2021
Image: Roger Vivier
Roger Vivier Fall Winter 2021
Image: Roger Vivier