Roger Vivier Evoked Tolstoy-Era Indulgence With a Holiday Dinner at the Russian Tea Room

Roger Vivier, the French shoemakers best known for popularizing the stiletto heel, loves nothing more than a panache-packed fête. And what better circumstances for their latest celebration than the holiday season in New York? Gherardo Felloni, the Italian-born shoe designer turned creative director of the brand, invited Manhattan and Brooklynites to an opulent, whimsy-filled dinner at the Russian Tea Room on Wednesday evening.

Festivities were set inside the fabled restaurant’s third-floor Bear Ballroom, a lesser-known hidden gem named after its most commanding motif. Bronze bear statuettes rose by the dozen from each chandelier, their silhouettes splayed across the floor-to-ceiling mirrors. Hanne Gaby Odiele, Vlada Roslyakova, and Caroline Vreeland—all of whom rollicked around in Roger Vivier originals—checked coats and warmed to Moscow mules, exploring the vast table-scape that stretched from one end of the ballroom to the next.

There were lush florals (peonies, ranunculus, and snow pea blossoms) and a rotation of dishes (fennel parmesan pear salad, filet mignon au poivre, chocolate soufflé in crème fraîche). Felloni packed a surprise for his dinner guests: a very private, very electric performance by actor and singer Rainey Qualley, who dazzled guests with a blend of originals and holiday classics.

When asked about the motivation behind such a lavish evening, Felloni replied: “To propose my new point of view for Roger Vivier.” Which is...? He simply gestured around to the luxuriant room around us, a dreamscape dipped in fashion fantasy.

Last year, Felloni launched Hotel Vivier, a chic, satire-soaked traveling experience (with stops in Paris, New York, and L.A.) marked by opera performances, bathtubs filled with rose petals, a concierge talking on shoes (yes, as though phones), and stately dogs groomed to absolute perfection. The event promised playfulness in lieu of a fussy fashion function.

“Here, nothing is pretentious. We are past the time of arrogant designers; that’s very 20th century. It’s over,” shared Inès de La Fressange, ambassador of the brand. “Gherardo Felloni—he has a world, and he has a very, very precise taste that fits well with Roger Vivier. There’s [always] sense of humor and a little bit of burlesque. I love the spirit, that luxury never has to be something boring, or stiff or square. It has to be something with a lot of identity, a lot of personality.”