THOUGH BUCKLES began to replace ties on shoes in the mid-17th century, the purely ornamental buckle is a newer breed. In 1967, it played a key supporting role on the Roger Vivier pump that Catherine Deneuve slipped on in the steamy Luis Buñuel movie “Belle de Jour.” That prepossessing shoe—reworked as the “Très Vivier” with an even bigger buckle, chunkier heel and a more comfortable footbed—returns this fall. As the French brand’s new creative director, Gherardo Felloni, explained, “It’s really rare that you can have [a design] live for 50 years...That’s why this buckle is beautiful.”

Perhaps...