A shoe designer, Vivier was especially interested in heels. His curved “comma” heel was developed with the help of aeronautical engineers, the “choc” curved “dramatically toward the arch of the foot.” But he’ll be best known for the Stiletto heel, the lengthy spike that accentuated the wearer’s calves.
In his 60-year career, he worked with most of the major names in French fashion, including Elsa Schiaparelli, Christian Dior, Nina Ricci, Pierre Balmain, Guy Laroche and Yves Saint-Laurent. His designs appealed not just to movie stars, but to women from the girl next door to royalty — Queen Elizabeth II wore a pair of garnet-encrusted Vivier shoes to her coronation. Vivier died October 2 in Toulouse, France, at age 90.