La crème de la crème celebrates the reopening of Schiaparelli in Paris
Courtesy of Schiaparelli

A few months ago, coinciding with the opening of the "Prada & Schiaparelli: Impossible Conversations" exhibition, it was announced that the legendary house of Schiaparelli was to reopen thanks to the founding of philanthrope and owner of the Tod's Group Diego della Valle, who was accompanied by Farida Khelfa, the new ambassador for Schiaparelli.

The first collection after the closing of the house in 1954 will be shown during private appointments this week in Paris. What is still unclear (to me, anyway) is whether it will be a FW12 couture collection or if it will be part of the SS13 ready-to-wear collections. In any case, I am extremely excited and curious to see how they have reinvented the maison, which will reopen its doors at 21 Place Vendôme in Paris.

Some of the most important faces in fashion came out to celebrate such a unique occasion  – Alexia Niedzielski and Elizabeth von Guttman from Industrie magazine and Ever Manifesto, Suzy Menkes, Anna dello Russo, Roger Vivier's Bruno Frisoni, Carine Roitfeld, Haider Ackermann, LOVE's Katie Grand, and Jefferson Hack among others.

Click here to see all the images from last night's event.

Shoe Porn Friday: 'A Queen Forever', Part II
Courtesy of Roger Vivier

Two weeks ago I posted the sketch of the shoes Bruno Frisoni had created for Roger Vivier finding inspiration in the Queen's coronation shoes. Last Wednesday night Roger Vivier invited me to preview the final result at the Masterpiece Brilliant Exhibition, which opened yesterday and will run until July 4th.
It was impressive how such an opulent piece of an astronomical price could actually be so elegant and subtle. The 4000 diamonds that shape the fleur-de-lys motif are beautifully shaped like stars and circles as if descended from the heavens. As I was told, the idea behind the design was that as a tired queen rips her diamond necklace from her neck the diamonds fall onto her feet and stick to her shoes. Pretty royal.
If you have a chance, I recommend you stop by to check this and some of the other exquisite pieces at the exhibition.

Shoe Porn Friday: 'A Queen Forever'
Courtesy of Roger Vivier

Not a lot of people might know this because it's almost unimaginable for a monarch to wear anything not produced in their country but Elizabeth II actually wore Roger Vivier for her coronation in 1953 and a big par of the later years.
In celebration of the Diamond Jubilee, Bruno Frisoni, Creative Director of Roger Vivier, has created an original shoe inspired by the original Roger Vivier shoes designed for the Queen's coronation. The result is a shoe that might as well be taken to the Tower of London to be kept with the Crown Jewels. 'A Queen Forever' is totally hand-crafted and created in a collaboration with the East India company. Over 4000 cut diamonds are incrusted in an intricate setting shaped like the iconic fleur-de-lys that decorates the St Edward Crown and the Imperial State Crown worn by the Queen. All framed by black satin and jet feathers.
'A Queen Forever' will be showed to the public for the first time from June 28th until till July 4th for the occasion of the Masterpiece Brilliant Exhibition in London.

Know Wear

A few weeks back I attended the Roger Vivier SS12 press day, which, as anything hosted by the Tod's Group, was very enjoyable. They're always so lovely and they treat me so well.
The collection was stunning and very fun. This time Bruno Frisoni is taking the Roger Vivier woman to Africa for spring. It was very interesting to see how he had taken the brand's signature shapes, which are very geometric, and mixed them with bold prints, bright colours and new materials.
I absolutely loved the Micro Metro bag in the colour block cheetah and leopard prints. The same goes for one of my favourite bags, which they previously did in a 'Chesterfield' style for FW11, and now is covered with animal print canvas with a colourful inside of the Roger Vivier logo.
My favourite pieces from the collection were the ones in the metallic brushed leather that had a slightly 20's feel but were at the same time very modern. It was such a strange sensation to feel these pieces in your hands. At first sight you think they will be heavy and rigid like metal but instead they were light and soft to the touch. Not to mention the fact that they would make excellent accessories to complement your evening looks.
Frisoni played a lot with different materials –African necklace beads, applique plastic pieces and even aged folded sequins. The result was a very striking collection of pieces that make a statement yet remain classic and rather timeless. After all, there is a reason why people so diverse such as Carla Bruni, Inès de la Fressange and Blair Waldorf all love wearing Roger Vivier.

I carry the sun in a golden clutch, the moon in a silver bag

Last week Giulia and I stopped by the Roger Vivier shop on Sloane Street to see what the iconic French brand had in store for next season. The collection has been named "Le Sud" to conjure up the chicness of popular summer getaways like the South of France, the North of Africa and the Italian Riviera. The sun, the sea and the vibrant colours of plants and fruits evoke the relaxed fun typical of the summer season. Giulia and I loved how bold graphics like a pink lobster or unexpected materials like colourful plastic rings make up beautiful clutches a woman of any age would easily pull off. It was over these bolder pieces that Giulia died for. I was more fond of the tan leathers and beiges, like the openwork boots and sandals. And we were both smitten with the clutch, heels and flat sandals decorated decorated with golden bubbles that reminded us of champagne of caviar. The "diligence" and "Miss Viv" bags were our two absolute favourites. They're extremely classic but absolutely contemporary bags so it's no surprise Carla Bruni became so infatuated with the second she now collaborates with Bruno Frisoni, the house's artistic director, to reinvent it season after season. Hope you enjoy the video as much as we enjoyed the collection!

The FW10 shoes were quite amazing as well. They were inspired by military and royal motifs from times of Napoleon such as the famous fleur-de-lis. This inspiration was also present in the choice of materials. Black felt was combined with rich golden threads to create a beautiful ankle boot. Go to their website to have a look at the rest of the stunning winter line.

I'm off.

PS. I do apologise for the poor light and my bad pulse during some moments of the video. I tried to fix it but that's as far as I could go without losing the colour.