You could be forgiven for thinking that Scarlett Johansson, Imelda Marcos, Jackie O and the Queen have nothing in common, but you would be wrong. What they all have, along with countless other discerning women around the world, are Roger Vivier shoes.

The Queen was crowned wearing Vivier gold kidskin shoes, the heels scattered with garnets. Catherine Deneuve wore Vivier buckle pumps in Belle de Jour, turning them overnight into the iconic must-have shoe that they remain to this day. Vivier is the man who invented stilettos and the ground-breaking curved “comma” heel. He dressed the feet – shod seems too ugly a word – of everyone from Elizabeth Taylor to Sophia Loren. Known as the Fabergé of Footwear, his shoes have been woven into the fabric of fashion history since he was discovered in 1937 by Elsa Schiaparelli. As Claire Wilcox, curator of the V&A’s current show The Golden Age of Couture, puts it, “Vivier’s shoes are like pieces of jewellery setting off the clothes they are paired with. He was traditional and at the same time incredibly modern.”

Vivier died, aged 90, in 1998. But his spirit lives on in a brand that is now stronger than ever, thanks to creative director Bruno Frisoni. In 2001, Frisoni was asked to inject modernity into the rich heritage of the brand. First came sightings of the Belle Vivier buckle pump in fashion magazines. Then, new stores created a frisson of excitement, in Paris in 2004 and London in 2006.

“Our ambition,” says Frisoni, “was to create a brand, not to set up another shoe shop.” An art critic recently argued that Vivier shoes are high art, on a par with a Picasso or a Canaletto.

For Frisoni, who cites Cate Blanchett and Isabelle Huppert among his muses, “They are like jewels for the feet. They are a subtle and powerful luxury. Sexy, but never garish. The shoe is an accessory of seduction. Seduction is the watchword of my designs at Roger Vivier.” The man himself would surely approve.

A special issue of the Paris quarterly Stiletto currently celebrates the work of Roger Vivier and the Vivier brand (call 00 33 1 47 20 26 55 for details). The Golden Age of Couture runs until January 6 (020-7942 2000; www.vam.ac.uk). Roger Vivier, 188 Sloane Street, London SW1 (020-7245 8270)

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