Who Is Madame Grès: An Exceptional Designer

Madame Grès held one of the main Fashion Houses in Paris of her time, she was a very discrete person that always focused more about her work than any other type of extravagance seen in her business collegues; not for less, her work shows more about herself than any trend passing by at this time. She dreamed being a sculpter rather than a designer, and that what made her a one of a type designer. She pleated her costumers with the desire of making them a greek sculpture, trying to attempt the perfection that seen when you visit the classic exposition of the Louvre. It’s not for less that fashion carries her heritage even when you see new designers as Pleats Please and Balenciaga 2015 spring-summer collection. Even the new reading of pleats

Except to the double face garments, something that could not be found easily in the french fashion at the time.

Concepts and interests:

Attired usually for stiffled colours, Madame Grès had an unique preference for her colour chart: purple brown, cinnamon, hyacinth, taupe, bronze, red cassis, lovat green, many types of beige, all types of white shading and deep black that had different aspects in each fabric. For her for a dress to survive the time it has to have a deep purity, antique mais pas exotique. she only liked balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent.

Even though Madame Grès could afford a comfort life and have many possessions, she was way too focused about her work, even to care about the modern life. Her only hobby was to go to the Marché des Puces, in paces, mute, with an austerity air, having around only her dog, Musig. It was where she could appreciate furnitures from the Haute Époque, Dutch paintings from the XVIIth century and bizantine crosses.

Atelier and

For the best contemplation of her collection, she just had a saloon and it was about white or neutral walls, more focused into maximize the space rather than boost luxury objects. It had the feeling of a cathedral.

Jewellery and accessories:

Different from some designers at her time, Madame Grès did not had a bit affection for ornamentations, if she was accessorizing her clothes, they had an important role in the look and most of the time was attached to the fabric. The most important collaboration was with Robert Goossens. The choise of her jewellery was inspired into the history of civilization she was always very keen about: ivy, trefoil, ginkgo or water lily instead of floral design.

Biography She was made a dressmaker imposed by her family; She than took sewing classes for three months to learn the base of this craft. Her fame took place when she made the costumes for the theatrical piece La Guerre de Troie n’aura pas lieu from Jean Giraudoux in 1935. Later at this same year she begun with her first fashion house in the Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris under the name of Alix until 1942. She was elected president of the French Federation of Couture during the