Roger Vivier 1953 Boule Pumps Designed for Actress Marlene Dietrich

HauteCouture

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I have an authentic pair in good condition. How do I valuate? Feature them?
 

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can you show a shot of the insoles and bottom soles? they don't look 50s to me.

edit: just found the shot of the insoles in your ebay listing. would like to see the bottom soles and if you can show a shot of where the size is marked, that'd be helpful too.

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ok, if they're marked a size 10.5M, they can't be from the 50s, as that isn't how widths were measured then. i believe vivier did do some remakes, and that's probably what these are.

but, to your question. first it'll be helpful to determine what vintage they are. secondly, if you're intending to still market and sell them on ebay, put marlene dietrich boule pumps in the title, so buyers can find them.
 
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QUOTE="Catbooks1940s, post: 544993, member: 1268"]can you show a shot of the insoles and bottom soles? they don't look 50s to me.

edit: just found the shot of the insoles in your ebay listing. would like to see the bottom soles and if you can show a shot of where the size is marked, that'd be helpful too.

REMOVED BY ADMIN

ok, if they're marked a size 10.5M, they can't be from the 50s, as that isn't how widths were measured then. i believe vivier did do some remakes, and that's probably what these are.

but, to your question. first it'll be helpful to determine what vintage they are. secondly, if you're intending to still market and sell them on ebay, put marlene dietrich boule pumps in the title, so buyers
 
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can you show a shot of the insoles and bottom soles? they don't look 50s to me.

edit: just found the shot of the insoles in your ebay listing. would like to see the bottom soles and if you can show a shot of where the size is marked, that'd be helpful too.

ok, if they're marked a size 10.5M, they can't be from the 50s, as that isn't how widths were measured then. i believe vivier did do some remakes, and that's probably what these are.

but, to your question. first it'll be helpful to determine what vintage they are. secondly, if you're intending to still market and sell them on ebay, put marlene dietrich boule pumps in the title, so buyers can find them.

Hello! They're not marked 10.5M, they're marked 10 1/2. I just assumed that they're a medium width, as it didn't indicate a width.

Thanks!
 
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thanks for the photos! ok, definitely not 50s, so they are a later remake, as i suspected. in the 50s the size was stamped in ink or handwritten on the interior of the shoes, not stamped/engraved on the center of the soles like this.

they appear to be 80s. they could be later, but no earlier than 80s.
 
Joan I don't think the ebay listing you found has anything to do with the shoes she is enquiring about, which do look 1950's to me. They have been dyed however, as the colour extends onto the soles and it should not.

I have just listed a pair of Delman shoes from the 1950's marked on the inside strap 7M so that width was around at the same time as the A,B,C system.


Unfortunately, the timeline from which the original photo you posted comes from, on the Roger Vivier website, does not use examples from the period the captions are describing in most of the slides.
For example, the 1945 slide about the use of clear plastics, shows a pair of 1960's boots.
 
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melanie, the photo in the op are from the vivier site, but the ebay listing are the shoes that hautecouture has and is selling. her ebay store link is in her profile, which is how i found them :)
 
I agree that they look like a more recent reproduction of the '53 shoe. The first thing that struck me is that the heel looks too thin, stilettos weren't around yet.

Like Suzanne, I see '80s or early '90s when that very tapered almond shaped toe was in fashion. Of course, if they're based on a '53 style they will be close to the original, with a small amount of tweaking for a modern wearer so they don't look too old fashioned.

I have some Vivier books. I might have a look at them today and see if I can find an original photo.

Classic and popular designs do get remade, it's something to keep in mind. It tickles me every time I see the classic photo of the Dior Bar suit.

344px-New-look-collection-bar-suit-by-christian-dior-in-paris-1947-spring-summer.jpg

It's always said to be 1947 but you can tell by the shoes that the photo (and perhaps the suit) was recreated in the '50s.
 
Sorry Joan, that is confusing. I just didn't expect them to have leather soles. The listing didn't show those photos, the shoes in the ebay listing are 1980s.

Interestingly Charles Jourdan made a very similar style, and then made several variations of it. I didn't know it was originally Roger Viver's.
 
thanks for the photos! ok, definitely not 50s, so they are a later remake, as i suspected. in the 50s the size was stamped in ink or handwritten on the interior of the shoes, not stamped/engraved on the center of the soles like this.

they appear to be 80s. they could be later, but no earlier than 80s.
Hi Joan! The Roger Vivier website indicates that they were designed for Marlene Dietrich in 1953. Are you suggesting that they were later sold in the 80s, some 27+ years after the original design?
 
Sorry Joan, that is confusing. I just didn't expect them to have leather soles. The listing didn't show those photos, the shoes in the ebay listing are 1980s.

Interestingly Charles Jourdan made a very similar style, and then made several variations of it. I didn't know it was originally Rog

Apparently, Roger Vivier designed these shoes in 1953, not in the 80s.
 
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Hi, as I said above, it's clear to me from looking at the whole timeline that that they have not used photos of the items they are talking about it the quotes for many of the slides. They do not claim to either. They make no reference to the images above the quotes at all, they appear to be examples of the styles, not the first designs.
The photo they show of the boule shoe, could be the original one or a later re-make, you would have to ask them to be sure.

The shoe was originally designed in 1953, but they can continue making that shoe, either exactly the same, or with small or big differences, in all the years since, and still call it the boule shoe.
 
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Joan I don't think the ebay listing you found has anything to do with the shoes she is enquiring about, which do look 1950's to me. They have been dyed however, as the colour extends onto the soles and it should not.

I have just listed a pair of Delman shoes from the 1950's marked on the inside strap 7M so that width was around at the same time as the A,B,C system.



Unfortunately, the timeline from which the original photo you posted comes from, on the Roger Vivier website, does not use examples from the period the captions are describing in most of the slides.
For example, the 1945 slide about the use of clear plastics, shows a pair of 1960's boots.
The Roger Viver shoes you showed have velvet heels in that photo. I haven't seen this on any 1980s shoes, which tend to have satin covered heels.
I see your point. Quite confusing.
 
Hi Joan! The Roger Vivier website indicates that they were designed for Marlene Dietrich in 1953. Are you suggesting that they were later sold in the 80s, some 27+ years after the original design?

hi haute :)

my browser isn't cooperating with the slideshow, so i can't see, but melanie said "Unfortunately, the timeline from which the original photo you posted comes from, on the Roger Vivier website, does not use examples from the period the captions are describing in most of the slides.
For example, the 1945 slide about the use of clear plastics, shows a pair of 1960's boots." so i don't know if the info you're quoting belongs with the shoes in your op or not.

but i can definitively say your shoes were made no earlier than the 1980s.
 
Hi, as I said above, it's clear to me from looking at the whole timeline that that they have not used photos of the items they are talking about it the quotes for many of the slides. They do not claim to either. They make no reference to the images above the quotes at all, they appear to be examples of the styles, not the first designs.
The photo they show of the boule shoe, could be the original one or a later re-make, you would have to ask them to be sure.

The shoe was originally designed in 1953, but they can continue making that shoe, either exactly the same, or with small or big differences, in all the years since, and still call it the boule shoe.

If your shoe has satin covered heels, it is not the same as the design you showed.

I do know that the original design can be mass produced, at a later date. Thanks so much for your assistance!
 
hi haute :)

my browser isn't cooperating with the slideshow, so i can't see, but melanie said "Unfortunately, the timeline from which the original photo you posted comes from, on the Roger Vivier website, does not use examples from the period the captions are describing in most of the slides.
For example, the 1945 slide about the use of clear plastics, shows a pair of 1960's boots." so i don't know if the info you're quoting belongs with the shoes in your op or not.

but i can definitively say your shoes were made no earlier than the 1980s.

Thanks so much for your expert opinion!
 
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