Madame Gres

Simplicity and elegance are never boring. you can never get enough of them, and one single detail manages to suggest that touch of gaiety only you have.

- Madame Gres

THE PROFILE

Germaine Émilie Krebs, dite « Alix », puis « Alix Grès », et enfin célèbre sous le nom de Madame Grès, née le 30 novembre 1903 à Paris et morte le 24 novembre 1993 à La Valette-du-Var, est une grande couturière, créatrice de haute couture. Elle exercera sous deux appellations distinguant deux maisons de coutures différentes : « Madame Grès » et « Grès ».

Named sculptor of fashion, Madame Grès was trained as sculptor and treated female bodies as if they were marbles. She was also one of the few designers who did not work with sketches but twist, braid, wrap and drape the fabric directly on models, and mold them into one after another dresses evoking the greek sculpture of deity. As a revolutionary and innovator, she has changed fashion history. She is also accredited as being the person who encouraged the opening of couture house of Cristobal Balenciaga, another revolutionary designer.

the chronicle

Madame Grès is creating an evening gown for Macy’s, Paris, August 1933

1934-1941 Alix Couture

In 1934, she opened her own couture house which she called Alix at 83 rue du Fauboug Saint-Honore.

During Second World War, Madame Grès was one of the very few fashion designers allowed to open her coutoure house but she refused to make dresses for wives of the nazi officers and demonstrated her patriotism by designing special national collections in the three color of French flag: blue, red and white, and her couture house was closed by the Nazis.

Madame Grès young in Paris

1942-1960: Maison Madame Grès

In 1942 Madame Grès changed the name of her couture house located at No.1 Rue de la Paix in Paris to Grès, a partial anagram of the first name of her husband at the time, Serge Czerefkov, a Russian Painter who signed his art works with “Gres”.

It was since this period that Madame Gres started to have the rich, famous and stylish women as her loyal clients, including the Duchess of Windsor, the Duchess of Talleyrand, the Countess Munose, Princess Matilda of Greece, Lady Deterling, Lady Mendl, Gersende de Sabran-Ponteves, Duchess d'Orleans, Princesses of Bourbon-Parma, Princess Ghislaine de Polignac, the Begum Aga Khan, Princess Grace of Monaco, Marella Agnelli, Marie-Helene de Rothschild, Danielle Mitterrand, Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Dolores del Río, Edith Piaf, Vivian Leigh,Yvonne Printemps, Madeleine Renaud, Arletty, Sao Schlumberger and Jacqueline Kennedy.

Bias cut, wrapping and drapery were the most symbolic working methods of Madame Grès.

1970

In 1970, Madame Grès was elected president of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, the highest rank in French fashion, and she stayed in this post for 20 years until 1991.

Madame Grès carrying a small pouch with scissors, 1977, photo by Eve Arnold

Madame Grès with Barbara Streisand

1980s

In 1984, Madame Grès sold her couture to Bernard Tapie who sold it again two years later. In 1987, she presented her collection on Rue de la rue de La Paix in Paris.

In 1988, Maison Grès was sold again by Japanese Yagi Tsushima. But it did not go well.

In 2012, the last store of Madame Grès was closed.

1993

Madame Grès died quietly in her home, but it was not until one year after that her daughter announced her death.

Perfection is one of the goals I'm seeking. For a dress to survive from one era to the next, it must be marked with an extreme purity."

-- Madame Grès

the designing style

Colors: madame Gres’s favorite colors are cream, ivory, honey, pearl grey and red

Fabrics: silk, silk chiffon, silk jersey, wool, wool jersey, taffeta, failed, linen.

Silhouette: Greek sculpture like column shape

Dresses

Madame Gres black gown with white trim 1937

Coats and ensembles

Madame Gres A line Grey coat of bracelet sleeve with waist band, 1950

the women she dressed

the people related to

further interest

Books:

Madame Gres: Sculptural Fashion

Madame Gres launched her design house under the name Gres in Paris in 1942. Formally trained as a sculptress, she produced haute couture designs for an array of fashionable women, including the Duchess of Windsor, Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Dolores del Rio. Her signature was cut-outs on gowns that made exposed skin part of the design, yet still had a classical, sophisticated feel. She was renowned for being the last of the haute couture houses to establish a ready-to-wear line.

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