Madeleine Vionnet was a feminist before the hour. In 1896, she left her husband and her native land to cross the Channel on the pretext of learning English. Upon arrival, she was hired by a London fashion house. Returning to Paris, she perfected her technique at such prestigious houses as that of the Callot sisters and Jacques Doucet before opening her own on rue de Rivoli, then on avenue Montaigne.

Her designs were nothing less than revolutionary in the years before the Great War. She created gowns of a rare architectural purity based on geometric forms, employing the bias cut (used before in linings, but now for the entire garment) and draping, inspired by ancient Greece. She personally created each model on a small doll of the type used by art students. Women were liberated from corsets and stays and allowed to move freely while revealing their bodies. Scandalous! Her models walked down the runway barelegged and wearing sandals.

Vionnet is recognized as a pioneer in the world of fashion, but who knew about her social innovations? Her workers enjoyed benefits that were unheard of at the time:  the traditional stools of the seamstresses were replaced by comfortable chairs, and there were a canteen, a daycare center, and a doctor and dentist on site. More unusual still, she introduced paid holidays and maternity leave, even before it became the law of the land.

For Jean Pierre Gaultier, “Madeleine Vionnet symbolizes the apogee of Haute Couture.” Balenciaga took apart her creations so as to understand their construction. John Galliano cites her as “my principal influence,” and Tom Ford calls her (along with Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent) ”one of the three great couturiers of the last century.”  Christian Dior, Valentino, Vivienne Westwood, Azzedine Alaia – her influence is indisputable on a list of designers too numerous to mention.

Although Vionnet is revered in her profession, her work has been largely forgotten by the general public. The ongoing retrospective at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs is sure to change that. Vionnet liked nothing better than to transmit her knowledge, Upon her death in 1975 at the age of 99, she bequeathed to the museum her archives, containing 73 volumes of copyrights, 13,000 photographs, 725 patterns and 127 articles of clothing.

The museum is to be congratulated on the brilliant choice of designer Andrée Putman for the mise en scène. I suspect that Vionnet would have been pleased, one iconoclast creating a setting to display the work of another. Putman’s trademark sobriety in the decor of the rooms — subdued lighting, black walls, simple vitrines – provides an effective background to set off Vionnet’s designs. 

If I were allowed one complaint, it would be this. At the beginning of the exhibition, the dresses are posed in front of mirrors, a capital idea that afforded a three-dimensonal view. However, about halfway through, the practice was abandoned, and we were forced to rely on the reflection in the glass of the vitrine to try and discern the details. One is left to wonder what rationale prompted this decision, as many of Vionnet’s creations are even more interesting when viewed from behind.

The lighting in the room (not to mention the guards, who seem to be getting more and more picky about this) prevented taking photos. However, if this whets your appetite, a visit to the site of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs may satisfy it. There you will find a slide show (Diaporama) featuring 35 of her works.

The exhibition continues through 31 January 2010. Musée des Arts Décoratifs, 107 rue de Rivoli (Métro Tuileries or Palais-Royal).

(Photo Credits: (1) Wikipedia Commons, (2) Harper’s Bazaar, (3) and (4) Madame Figaro.

Jan del Monte, blogging from the rue du Cherche-Midi, Paris, France

© 2009 Jan del Monte

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Last night, while in the company of a lovely woman who had modeled for Yves Saint Laurent, I learned of something I just had to have, and so this morning I was at my local newsdealer. I think it might be of interest to you.

The magazine L’Officiel has just published a special commemorative edition of Yves Saint Laurent’s collections from 1957 to 2002. There is very little text, just pages and pages of beautiful photographs. I have just begun to look through it, and it’s delicious!  

Happy looking.

Jan del Monte, blogging from the rue du Cherche-Midi, Paris, France

© 2008 Jan del Monte

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As part of its Interiors sale on 1-2 July, Christie’s Rockefeller Center will be selling a selection of vintage  couture, including pieces by Mainbocher, Versace, Balenciaga, Thierry Mugler, Christian Lacroix, Courrèges and Hermès.

Of special note, the sale, held a month to the day (plus one) after his demise, will include seven pieces designed by Yves Saint Laurent, including a dusty pink evening dress with pink metallic and silver embroidery created in 1958 for Dior. A camel cable knit sweater with fox collar and cuffs by YSL Rive Gauche, a style favored by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, is estimated at $250-400. Given its association with two iconic fashion figures, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the bidding on that one become fast and furious.

Further information and pictures may be found at www.christies.com.

Jan del Monte, blogging from the rue du Cherche-Midi, Paris, France

© 2008 Jan del Monte

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Today I went to Marrakesh without ever leaving Paris. Or so it seemed when I entered the Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent, where the latest offering is Une Passion Marocaine (A Moroccan Passion). This tiny jewel of an exhibition presents 36 caftans dating from the 18th to 20th centuries, as well as various embroideries and jewelry.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that Yves Saint Laurent makes magic.  In this case, bravos are due Christophe Martin, a Parisian architect who has done the mise en scène for five exhibitions for the Fondation. For this one he has created an ambiance that is out of time, out of place.

The walls are painted the blue of the Villa Majorelle.  Several mannequins are displayed beneath Moorish arches representing the villa’s portico. Recessed spots mimic moonlight, casting palm tree silhouettes that play against the walls. The adjoining room gives the impression of an interior courtyard, complete with pool and ceramic fountain, the trickling of the fountain a counterpoint to the traditional music heard in the background. An immense photograph of the Villa Majorelle covers one wall, and urns containing cacti are scattered about. Even the emergency exit is painted in the green, ochre and white of the villa’s doors.

As an aside, the Villa Majorelle was owned by the painter Jacques Majorelle, son of one of the most important artists of the Art Nouveau movement. The villa, in disrepair after its owner’s death, was purchased by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, who have restored the garden and the studio (now a museum of Islamic art) and have maintained the house for their private use. 

Yves Saint Laurent was born in Algeria and later adopted Morocco as his second home. Throughout his career, he has been inspired by the tradition of finesse in craftsmanship and by the audacity of color typical of the region. This Moroccan inspiration for his work is clarified by the juxtaposition of a few of his creations and the opulent caftans of an earlier period.

The black wool jacket with black and red passementerie frogs, paired with the memorable ruby-colored velvet zouave pants and a red velvet tarbouche, dates back to 1979. From the 1989 collection, we see two capes, one in red faille, the other in orange, with cascading three-dimensional embroidery depicting bougainvillea — shades of purple on the former, the latter multicolored. Both top long dresses in draped mousseline de soie. One can only regret that more of them were not exhibited.

The exhibition pays homage to the excellence of the Moroccan artisanal tradition, as well as to the continuity of that tradition, as exemplified by the creations of the contemporary designer Tamy Tazi, whose caftans are themselves works of art.

I left reluctantly. It is cool and drizzling in Paris, but in this little corner of the Maghreb one could linger for a while, believing that the shutters had been drawn as a respite from the heat of the afternoon.

The exhibition runs until 31 August. The Fondation is located at 3, rue Léonce-Reynaud, 75116 Paris, about a three-minute walk from Métro Alma-Marceau. And whatever you do, don’t forget to check out the bookstore.

Jan del Monte, blogging from the rue du Cherche-Midi, Paris, France

Photo Credits: 1. Charles Emile Lecomte-Vernet, Rebecca (Collection of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé); 2. Villa Majorelle (Wikipedia Commons); 3. Detail of embroidery on a belt, early 20th century (Connaissance des Arts); 4. Wedding caftan, Fez, 20th century (Connaissance des Arts).

© 2008 Jan del Monte

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