Toronto, Canada – An exhibition featuring an exquisite display of bejeweled and elegantly sculptural shoes which have been found on the feet of elegant women around the world has opened at the Bata Shoe Museum.

The exhibition, Roger Vivier:  Process to Perfection, is by Roger Vivier one of the world’s most celebrated shoe designers of the 20th century.   

Vivier rose to fame in the 1950s when he began to design footwear for Christian Dior and his shoes became the epitome of mid-century glamour.  Often inventive in form and dripping with ornament, Vivier’s footwear earned him a glittering clientele, an enduring place in the history of fashion and the title, “The Faberge of Shoes.”

“Vivier was fascinated by different heel types and some of his most influential pieces included innovative heels such as his refined needle heel, the choc heel and his iconic comma heel”, says Elizabeth Semmelhack, Senior Curator at the Bata Shoe Museum.  “We really want visitors to walk away from the exhibition with a newly formed appreciation for his stunningly beautiful designs and his ceaseless effort to hone his process while continually striving for perfection.”

Roger Vivier’s artistic sensibilities led him to study sculpture at l’Ecole des Beaux Arts between 1924 and 1925 but he was introduced to his life’s profession by a family friend who offered him a job at a shoe factory in the late 1920s.

By the early 1930s, Vivier was making shoes for famous clients such as Mistinguett and Josephine Baker as well as designing shoes for shoe manufactures such as Delman and Bally.  It was also at this time that Vivier began to design shoes for the German tannery Heyl-Libenau through Laborémus, their Paris affiliate.

Vivier debuted two of the most defining forms of footwear of the decade, the thigh-high boot and the low-heeled buckle shoe. Both of these designs earned him instant recognition as a herald of the new mode but interestingly both styles were rooted in 18th century fashion.

His success was unrivalled as the 1960s progressed; he was “the busiest shoe designer in town.” In 1968, the same year he was awarded the coveted Neiman-Marcus prize, he added scarves and gloves to his lines of accessories. In 1969, Vivier created a new department in his salon, Monsieur Vivier, where he offered made-to-measure shoes for men.

The exhibition layout reflects the subtitle of the exhibition with one room exploring Vivier’s working process and the other room allowing visitors to appreciate the artistry of his shoes. Beautiful graphics, elegant décor, including opulent chandeliers balance the stark white walls allowing the approximately 65 artifacts on view to dazzle.

Due to the fragility of some of the artifacts, every three months will see several of the pieces change offering repeat visitors an opportunity to see additional Vivier shoes. An exciting programming and lecture series has been developed to accompany the exhibition. Roger Vivier: Process to Perfection will be on view until April 7, 2013.

Image Courtesy of  Bata Shoe Museum

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Look no further for the next artistic designer of world famous couture brand, Christian Dior. On April 9^th, Raf Simons was announced to become the man behind the internationally popular label, after the position had been left unfilled for over a year.

Former head designer of the label John Galliano was fired from the position after publicly making racist comments during an argument, in which he made anti-Semitic remarks at a Parisian bar in February 2011. In September 2011, he was found guilty on the grounds of racist and anti-Semitic abuse, and was charged with a fine.

Simons landed the position this past week, after front-runner and world-renowned Marc Jacobs turned the opportunity down. Jacobs is also the current designer director for Louis Vuitton.

Between the time that Galliano was fired and Simons was hired, the Dior empire was overseen by Galliano’s former assistant, Bill Gayteen. Gayteen made his final debut with Dior at the company’s 2012 spring collection launch. Fortunately for the international label, the past year has not tarnished the name Christian Dior has made for itself, nor has the empire been financially impacted in a negative way.

Sidney Toledano, President and CEO of Christian Dior, is looking forward to seeing what Simons will bring to Dior.

“I always said that the right person would come along when all the stars aligned and that’s exactly what happened last week. “[Raf] has already begun to lay out his vision for where he can take Dior in the future and I think we are all very excited by that vision.”

One concern for the choice in appointing Simon’s is his difference in his fashion sense compared to that of Galliano. Galliano was known for eccentric and flamboyant creations, where Simons is known for his simplicity in his designs. But Simons doesn’t seem concerned.

“I feel fantastic. It is one of the ultimate challenges, and a dream to go to a place like Dior, which stands for absolute elegance, incredible femininity and utter luxury.”

Simons, who is now 44, started in the fashion industry in 1995, specializing in men’s wear. In Dior, he “will be in charge of haute couture, women’s ready-to-wear and accessories, starting with the couture show in July, while keeping his eponymous men’s line. Simons comes from a modest family and is the only child, growing up in the Flemish town of Neerpelt.

His father was a night security guard and his mother was a house cleaner. Perhaps, this is where Simons appreciation of simplicity comes in? Despite his simple designs and childhood, Simons plans on modernizing the Dior couture line, which Simons claims, he has a lot of appreciation for.

Christian Dior was founded by Mr. Dior himself, as the man brought “femininity to the postwar 1950s, building the tiny waists and sweeping skirts of his voluptuous “flower women” on his obsession with the Edwardian elegance of his early memories of his mother. Mr. Dior passed away suddenly in 1957, only ten years after he created what would now become known as one of the most desired labels of this time period.

While adding his own flare of fine tailoring and linear style to the elegance of the couture line of Dior, it is important to Simons to keep Mr. Dior’s original vision alive.

“I find that period between 1947 and 1957 extremely attractive, and there was a lot of modernity. There was the romantic appeal looking back to his mother and the belle époque, but there was also a constant evolution in shape, changing proportions and the ideas connected to the World War were revolutionary.”

Simons also adds, “in the art world there are collectors, curators and an audience, and they are all important. I am fascinated with what could be the relevance of the language of couture in the 21st century.” And we are fascinated with what Simons’ plans are for the future of the couture and elegance of Christian Dior.

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Christian Dior needs a prestigious creative director, and, according to Vogue UK, there might be a special interest in Alexander Wang. A source close to LVMH, the parent company of Christian Dior and many other luxury brands, claims that top executives may be gravitating towards the idea of hiring the young designer from New York.

Marc Jacobs, Haider Ackermann and Riccardo Tisci have been considered in the past few days, and have not been officially turned down but insiders have supposedly confirmed to Vogue UK that:

Ackermann is said to be ‘way too edgy’ for Dior; Jacobs wanted the job a lot, but LVMH wants him to stick with Vuitton; and Tisci simply refused, saying that he was feeling more than comfortable with the job at Givenchy.

In addition to those revealing words, they also specify on their online edition that Alexander Wang might not be the perfect replacement for a visionary artist like Galliano, the former creative director at Christian Dior. Alexander Wang’s style veers more to street-wear than theatrical and couture-esque opulence, which explains why experts are still skeptical about the New Yorker.

Whether Wang is to become the new face behind Dior or stay Wang, the fact that a company like LVMH has set their eyes on the young creator means there could be a succulent invite to join any of the hundreds of projects they own. Fellow New Yorker Marc Jacobs landed his current position that same way, and now runs the Vuitton empire.

The question is: is there anyone quite like John Galliano out there? Fashionistas all over the world compared Galliano’s firing to Alexander McQueen’s suicide. Can anyone else awe the whole world with a dress and take the concept of high fashion to the level of art?

On September 9th the world woke up to headlines that seemed to conclude a phase in John Galliano’s troubled life. The day before, the British designer was found guilty of making anti-Semitic comments and sentenced to pay a $8166 fine. According to his spokesperson he was relieved that the infamous events could be now put behind.

Earlier this year John Galliano was fired from Christian Dior, the fashion house where he served as creative director for more than 10 years. After some shocking accusations that claimed the designer confronted a couple at a Paris café using anti-Semitic remarks, a video was made public and Galliano’s public image started a downward spiral.

The blurry footage, recorded with a phone, featured the designer, who was undoubtedly intoxicated, proffering some inglorious words and even confessing his love for Adolf Hitler. An outrageous outburst that not only made Galliano lose his exclusive job but also embarrassed the troubled soul underneath the flamboyant costumes.

It is very uncertain what future holds for both Christian Dior and its former genius John Galliano whose last gig, a stellar wedding dress for long-time friend Kate Moss, could be dubbed as his re-introduction to the social circle he always belonged to. Meanwhile rumors and insider’s testimonies are likely to keep spilling on the media.

One of the most influential magazine editors, Vogue Italy’s  Franca Sozzani suggested Galliano should be re-hired for the job,

‘Look, I understand their point of view. I understand they couldn’t just say, ‘Bad boy! We forgive you! Come back!’ But it’s really a pity. And I will never believe he believed what he said. I think he was drunk and alone in a bar. When people go crazy, they go crazy. It’s a human case; it’s not political or religious. He didn’t kill anyone!

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/alyson-hau/

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