The Most Expensive Shoe In the World: Roger Vivier kitten heel made for Princess Soraya of Iran
Fresh off the SHOE Presses: a pair of very special evening shoes designed for the late Princess Soraya of Iran in 1962 was sold at a recent Paris auction--at the Aguttes Paris auction house--for the amount of 19,750 Euro, or $26,629.06 to be exact (at current exchange rates). Crafted with topaz and silver threads, the kitten heel was created by Roger Vivier in 1962.
Shoe Queen: Princess Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiari of Iran
Guess who bought it? No, not Sarah Jessica Parker!! It was sold to the renowned French shoemaker Roger Vivier. Now, this is very interesting for two reasons: A) This is now currently regarded as the most expensive pair of shoes in the world--that have been auctioned off; and B) the pair of shoes happen to be an original creation by the designer shoe brand itself. So, basically, the House of Roger Vivier bought its shoes back!
Roger Vivier, Shoe God
The initiative is an important one, in the designer shoe house wanting to recover some of its greatest works. This happens all the time: when they know that one of their pieces is up for auction, High Fashion Designer Houses--such as Chanel, Dior, Valentino--scour all the top Auction Houses in Paris, NYC, London, and send representatives to try and "buy it back", for archival purposes. Roger Vivier died in 1998 and now the Italian Conglomerate, Tod's Group owns the brand, Roger Vivier.
Here's a "refresher" on the original owner--In case you may be wondering who Princess Soraya was: the half Iranian-half Russian-German Princess Soraya was the second wife of the late Shah of Iran (and supposedly the one "love of his life"), and was married in 1951 at a ceremony said to be one of the most expensive weddings in the world EVER (at the time). It was estimated to have had 1.5 tons of flowers flown by plane from the Netherlands as well as an equestrian circus act that came in from Rome.
A Wedding To Remember: Shah of Iran and Soraya, 1951
Her gown, an Haute Couture creation buy none other than Christian Dior, was made from silver lame and studded with real pearls and trimmed in marabou stork feathers (!). Oh, and she also had a full-length white mink cape to shelter her if she got cold. Take that Kim Kardashian!!! That, is an over-the-top wedding!
Can I get a Steamer for my Dior? Shah of Iran and his bride, Soraya, 1951
Because she could not bare a male heir (or any heir for that matter as a result of infertility), the couple was divorced in 1958 and she was relegated to living a life of husband-less socialite princess back in Europe--along with a nice amount of money to keep her comfortable. Interesting to note, the Roger Vivier shoes, came from this post-divorce era, not from when she the Queen Consort.
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