Roger Vivier Buys Back Shoes for $26,000

Image via Luxury Launches

What does a luxury brand such as Roger Vivier do when its creations are being auctioned off? Buy them back of course. The French luxury accessory brand spent a staggering $26,629 on a pair of original Roger Vivier shoes from 1962. They were created for the wife of the late Shah of Iran, Princess Soraya.

The kitten heels, which have now become the most expensive shoes in the world, are embroidered with silver thread and then studded with bright orange topaz.

The fashion house, revived by Tod's owner Diego Della Valle eight years ago, acquired the shoes at an auction in France recently. In an attempt to keep Vivier's personal collection intact the Roger Vivier team came together with the French government and the French Shoe Federation and was able to buy back as much as 80 per cent of the collection.

And besides Princess Soraya's silver and topaz pumps, they also bought shoes made for celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor and John Lennon.