Frisoni’s farewell shades
Roger Vivier offers luxury and edginess in its final collection by Bruso Frisoni, writes Aznim Ruhana Md Yusup
IN February this year, Bruso Frisoni unexpectedly announced that he would be leaving Roger Vivier after 16 years as creative director. The Autumn/Winter 2018 collection is his last for the French accessories label, before former Miu Miu director of footwear Gherardo Felloni makes his debut in September for Spring/ Summer 2019.
Frisoni’s inspiration is former Vogue editor-in-chief and style icon Diana Vreeland. She had a love for bold colours and was credited as the person responsible for bringing caftans into the American fashion scene following a trip to Morocco.
Her influence can be seen in the 1960s-inpired Mods theme in the collection, as well as the bright colour palette of purple, red and burnt orange. Frisoni also expanded on the inward curving heel design called the Choc heel created by Vivier in 1959.
“It’s come back a couple of times since then, including last season, but we’ve added it into more items this season” says Ryan Hui from Roger Vivier Hong Kong during a Press presentation in Kuala Lumpur. “What’s completely new is the 5cm heel height, as we only used to have it in 8.5cm and 10cm.”
MOROCCAN AND MODERN
Frisoni is also inspired by Vreeland’s Moroccan travels with the use of braid trimmings on the brightly-coloured thigh-high boots. Meanwhile, the signature Vivier buckle has been reconstructed using gold chains on a line of evening bags, with the ends left loose to create a tassel.
The Barocca range takes this Andalusian-Arabic look and combines it with Baroque influences, resulting in shoes and bags with colourful broochlike embellishments. Sewn using gold threads on black satin or velvet, the pattern is made up of red coral stones, green cabochon, pearls, crystals and sequins.
“The cabochon is polished but not faceted so the shape of each stone is irregular,” says Hui.
An interesting print from Autumn/ Winter 2018 is called Wild Kiss, named as such because it looks like a leopard print from a distance but is actually made up of a lip motif. It is found on the pony hair bootie with the Choc heel as well as several handbag designs.
Meanwhile, despite its glamorous, eveningwear pedigree, the brand can be seen venturing into edgier daywear design with the use of new materials like technical fabric.
“The rubber sole in this pair of shoes from the Mods collection makes it look more combative. We have a bootie where the upper part is made of technical fabric. There’s also a pair of combat boots made of leather and suede with velvet shoelaces,” says Hui.
But staying true to the Roger Vivier look, it’s also adorned with the shiny signature buckle.