What went down at an intimate Roger Vivier book launch in...

Roger Vivier: Heritage and Imagination dinner

Photography Flo KohlJanuary 30, 2026Fashion / What Went DownFashion / What Went DownWhat went down at an intimate Roger Vivier book launch in Paris

Influential figures across fashion, art, music and film gathered to celebrate the new Rizzoli tome Roger Vivier: Heritage and Imagination, as well as longtime Vivier muse Catherine Deneuve

ShareLink copied ✔️ In Partnership with Roger VivierJanuary 30, 2026January 30, 2026TextDazed DigitalRoger Vivier: Heritage and Imagination dinner

Gallery / 49 images

When it comes to a legacy in shoemaking, it’s hard to beat being credited with the invention of the modern-day stiletto heel. That honour goes to the late French fashion designer Roger Vivier, but it’s arguably Catherine Deneuve – who wore a pair of his black pilgrim shoes, later named the Belle Vivier, in Luis Buñuel's 1967 film Belle du Jour – who truly inked Vivier’s name in the history books. Appropriate, then, that the actress has contributed to the new monograph Roger Vivier: Heritage and Imagination, published by Rizzoli.

In recognition of her role in Vivier’s legacy, Deneuve was also honoured at an intimate launch dinner for the monograph, hosted this week at La Petite Chaise. Bringing together influential names across fashion, art, film, and music, the dinner represented a meeting between past, present, and future, based on the idea that heritage is less about closing a chapter in the history books than establishing a “living grammar” to inspire the intellect and imagination of the designers of the future.

Didn’t manage to snag an invite? (We’ll let you off, it was pretty exclusive.) Luckily, we got the lowdown.

THE VENUE WAS AN OLD PARIS ICON Pin It

Catherine Deneuve, Diego Della VallePhotography Flo Kohl

In case you’re unfamiliar, La Petit Chaise is one of the most ancient iconic addresses in the French capital, founded in 1680. This set the tone pretty high for the dinner hosted by Gherardo Felloni, creative director at House of Roger Vivier, and Ines de la Fressange, Roger Vivier’s first brand ambassador, only for it to be elevated even further by the presence of Catherine Deneuve herself.

THE BOOK TOOK CENTRE STAGE

Photography Flo Kohl

Easier said than done… Launched by Roger Vivier, and edited by Elizabeth Sammelhack for Rizzoli, Roger Vivier: Heritage and Imagination was an eye-catching presence at the event, despite the impeccably-dressed guestlist. As the product of a long-form editorial research project, the book is billed as both an intellectual and a sensorial object (see: the bold, Mondrian-inspired cover design) that transforms private memory into public knowledge to be shared, questioned, and reimagined.

In practice, it contains recently-disclosed archival material including sketches, prototypes, and photographs representing Roger Vivier as both a pioneering craftsman and a thinker. This is set among a wider creative universe, via input from actors Catherine Deneuve, Isabella Rossellini, Michelle Yeoh, Laura Dern, Cher, and Christina Ricci, writers and commentators including Suzy Menkes, Carol Woolton, Anne-Sophie von Claer, Violette d’Urso, and artists and image-makers such as Nicolas Party and Ellen Mirojnick.

ABOUT THAT GUESTLIST… Pin It

Lou Doillon, Gherardo Felloni, Valeria Bruni TedeschiPhotography Flo Kohl

Around 50 guests attended the exclusive dinner, among them a list of monograph contributors: curator Nadia Albertini, and journalists Jerome Hanover, Anne Sophie Von Claer, and Suzi Menkes. Other guests included Colette founder Sarah Andelman, art collector Rolla Wazni, and gallerist Thaddaeus Ropac, plus actresses and musicians including Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Marie Colomb, Dianna Agron, and Lou Doillon.

THE BOOK IS AVAILABLE NOW Pin It

Sabine GettyPhotography Flo Kohl

If you’ve glimpsed a copy of Roger Vivier: Heritage and Imagination in the gallery above and want to get your hands on one for yourself, you’re in luck! The book is now on sale online and in stores worldwide, including here, and from the Rizzoli flagship store at 1133 Broadway, New York.

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