Queen Elizabeth’s official coronation portrait. Photo: Getty
Roger Vivier creative director Gherardo Felloni has breathed new life into a legend for SS20 with a reinterpreted coronation sandal. Crystal embellishments and a slender heel decorate a shoe rife with history.
Left: The Roger Vivier SS20 Queen Strass sandal; Right: Sketch of the Roger Vivier SS20 Queen Strass. Courtesy of Roger Vivier
On June 2, 1953, Elizabeth II was crowned queen. Literally dazzling from tip to toe, her footwear was spectacular. The monarch donned a pair of custom Roger Vivier gold leather sandals, featuring a fleur-de-lis motif in reference to the Crown, fit with rubies. The coronation lasted nearly three hours, with her standing practically the entirety of the time. The then 46-year-old Vivier, having designed the first stiletto, was a natural choice. After all, he was already known to the family having designed the Queen Mother’s shoes when her husband King George VI was crowned in 1937. “The coronation was a historical event, not just for the world, but also for Roger Vivier, who, until now, is the only French designer to create coronation shoes for British royalty,” remarks Felloni. “I wanted to pay tribute to this occasion by creating the Vivier Queen sandals with my interpretation of the fleur-de-lis motif and jewel-encrusted heel.”
Sketches of the Queen, Queen Mother, and Princess Margaret’s coronation shoes. Photo: Getty
The Roger Vivier SS20 Queen Strass sandal is available to purchase as part of the exclusive Vogue Arabia edit at Vogue Fashion’s Night In, Powered By Abu Dhabi
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