Cover Tatler’s resident fashion monster Adriel Chiun leads an intimate styling workshop at Roger Vivier at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, exploring the maison’s storied codes and how to wear them
Tatler’s resident fashion monster Adriel Chiun leads an intimate styling workshop at Roger Vivier at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, exploring the maison’s storied codes and how to wear them
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At Roger Vivier at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, Tatler’s Adriel Chiun led a styling workshop exploring the Parisian maison’s extraordinary history—and how its signature buckles, sculptural shoes and jewel-like accessories can transform the way we dress today
Roger Vivier has long operated in a league of its own. At an exclusive styling session hosted at the brand’s boutique in The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, Tatler’s resident fashion editor Adriel Chiun unpacked the Parisian house's storied heritage, demonstrating how most recognisable codes can be styled for the contemporary wardrobe.
In case you missed it: Spotted in Roger Vivier at Cannes 2024: The designer go to brand to complete the look
Born in Paris in 1907, Roger Vivier approached footwear less as an accessory than an object of design. Beginning his career in the 1930s, he experimented with proportion, construction, embroidery, jewels and extraordinary materials, earning himself the nickname “the Fabergé of footwear”. It was an apt description for a designer who understood that what we wear on our feet could be every bit as precious—and expressive—as jewellery.
His influence would become inseparable from some of fashion’s defining moments. In 1953, Vivier began his celebrated collaboration with Christian Dior, creating footwear to complete the couturier’s silhouettes. So important was his contribution that the shoes bore the unprecedented co-branded label “Christian Dior created by Roger Vivier”—extraordinary recognition for a footwear designer at the time. If Dior created the silhouette, Vivier completed it.
That same year, Vivier created the shoes for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation—golden leather sandals embellished with rubies for the historic occasion. From Parisian couture to Westminster Abbey, his creations had arrived on the world stage.
Above Tatler’s resident fashion monster Adriel Chiun singles out the Rose Vivier peep-toe slingback, one of his personal favourites from his curated wall of Roger Vivier creations, during an intimate styling presentation at the maison’s boutique at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
Above Amanda Leong and Samantha Miao take a closer look at the Rose Vivier peep-toe slingback, one of Adriel Chiun’s standout selections during the styling presentation, admiring the exquisite craftsmanship and distinctive design details that define Roger Vivier’s enduring appeal
Tatler’s resident fashion monster Adriel Chiun singles out the Rose Vivier peep-toe slingback, one of his personal favourites from his curated wall of Roger Vivier creations, during an intimate styling presentation at the maison’s boutique at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
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But Vivier was never interested in beauty without innovation. One of the great innovators of the stiletto in the 1950s, he exploited advances in construction to create extraordinarily slender heels, while treating the heel itself almost as architecture. His experiments produced fantastical forms, including the unmistakable Comma heel.
Above Wendy Long and Paulina Bohm-Welte find themselves drawn to the Rose Vivier peep-toe slingback, taking a moment to appreciate the playful sophistication and unmistakable Parisian charm that have made Roger Vivier a name synonymous with exceptional footwear
Above Who says you need heels to reach fashionable heights? The Rose Vivier flats prove that Roger Vivier’s particular brand of Parisian glamour is just as captivating a little closer to the ground
Wendy Long and Paulina Bohm-Welte find themselves drawn to the Rose Vivier peep-toe slingback, taking a moment to appreciate the playful sophistication and unmistakable Parisian charm that have made Roger Vivier a name synonymous with exceptional footwear
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Then came cinema. In Luis Buñuel’s 1967 film Belle de Jour, Catherine Deneuve wore the buckled pumps that would become synonymous with her character’s immaculate yet provocative elegance. The Belle Vivier and its rectangular buckle went from fashion signature to cinematic icon—and established a house code that remains instantly recognisable today.
It was precisely this tension between heritage and modernity that informed Chiun’s styling workshop. Rather than treating a Roger Vivier shoe or bag as the finishing touch, he encouraged guests to reverse the equation: begin with the Vivier piece, then build the look around it.
A little retail indulgence is always in order, as a delighted Pauline Chan makes her selections from Roger Vivier her very own, bringing the styling presentation to a suitably fashionable conclusion
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A crystal buckle, for instance, becomes unexpectedly effortless against denim. A feminine pump acquires new attitude with masculine tailoring, while an ornate bag feels even more precious when juxtaposed against something beautifully minimal. The lesson? Contrast makes precious things feel modern.
In case you missed it: Paris Fashion Week: Inside Roger Vivier’s autumn-winter 2025 presentation, which put roses front and centre
Since taking the creative helm in 2018, Gherardo Felloni has continuously expanded on Vivier’s vocabulary of sculptural heels, signature buckles, and intricate embroidery. Rather than treating the archive as a rigid blueprint, Felloni uses the house's storied past as a launchpad for modern fantasy. Ultimately, Roger Vivier’s enduring appeal lies in footwear that does far more than complete an outfit—it dictates the posture, confidence, and stride of the wearer.
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Adriel Chiun is the Branded Content Editor of Tatler Singapore.
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