Madeleine Vionnet

The dress must not hang on the body but follow its lines.
It must accompany its wearer and when a woman smiles
the dress must smile with her. ~Madeleine Vionnet

Madeleine Vionnet (June 22, 1876 – March 2, 1975)

was a French fashion designer. Called the "Queen of
the bias cut" and "the architect among dressmakers",
Vionnet is best-known today for her elegant Grecian-
style dresses and for introducing the bias cut to the
fashion world.
Born into a poor family in Chilleurs-aux-Bois, Loiret,
Vionnet began her apprenticeship as a seamstress at
age 11. After a brief marriage at age 18, she left her
husband and went to London to work as a hospital
seamstress. Vionnet eventually returned to Paris and
trained with the well known fashion house Callot
Soeurs and later with Jacques Doucet. In 1912 she
founded her own fashion house, "Vionnet". In the
1920s Vionnet created a stir by introducing the bias
cut, a technique for cutting cloth diagonal to the grain
of the fabric enabling it to cling to the body while
moving with the wearer. Vionnet's use of the bias cut
to create a sleek, flattering, body-skimming look
would help revolutionize women's clothing and carry
her to the top of the fashion world.
Madeleine Vionnet believed that "when a woman
smiles, then her dress should smile too." Eschewing
corsets, padding, stiffening, and anything that
distorted the natural curves of a woman's body, her
clothes were famous for accentuating the natural
female form. Influenced by the modern dances
of Isadora Duncan, Vionnet created designs that
showed off a woman's natural shape. Like Duncan,
Vionnet was inspired by ancient Greek art, in which
garments appear to float freely around the body rather
than distort or mold its shape. As an expert couturier,
Vionnet knew that textiles cut on the diagonal or bias
could be draped to match the curves of a woman's
body and echo its fluidity of motion. She used this
"bias cut" to promote the potential for expression and
motion, integrating comfort and movement as well as
form into her designs.
Vionnet's apparently simple styles involved a lengthy
preparation process, including cutting, draping, and
pinning fabric designs on to miniature dolls, before
recreating them in chiffon, silk, or Moroccan crepe on
life-size models. Vionnet used materials such as
crêpe de chine,gabardine, and satin to make her
clothes; fabrics that were unusual in women's fashion
of the 1920s and 30s. She would order fabrics two
yards wider than necessary in order to accommodate
draping, creating clothes - particularly dresses - that
were luxurious and sensual but also simple and
modern. Characteristic Vionnet styles that clung to
and moved with the wearer included the handkerchief
dress, cowl neck, and halter top.
An intensely private individual, Vionnet avoided public
displays and mundane frivolities and often expressed
a dislike for the world of fashion, stating: "Insofar as
one can talk of a Vionnet school, it comes mostly from
my having been an enemy of fashion. There is
something superficial and volatile about the seasonal
and elusive whims of fashion which offends my sense
of beauty." Vionnet was not concerned with being the
"designer of the moment", preferring to remain true to
her own vision of female beauty.
With her bias cut clothes, Vionnet dominated haute
couture in the 1930s setting trends with her sensual
gowns worn by such stars asMarlene
Dietrich, Katharine Hepburn and Greta Garbo.
Vionnet's vision of the female form revolutionized
modern clothing and the success of her unique cuts
assured her reputation. She fought for copyright laws
in fashion and employed what were considered
revolutionary labor practices at the time - paid
holidays and maternity leave, day-care, a dining hall,
a resident doctor and dentist. Although the onset of
World War II forced her to close her fashion house in
1939, Vionnet acted as a mentor to later designers,
passing on her principles of elegance, movement,
architectural form, and timeless style.
Today, Madeleine Vionnet is considered one of the
most influential fashion designers of the 20th century.
Both her bias cut and her urbanely sensual approach
to couture remain a strong and pervasive influence on
contemporary fashion as evidenced by the collections
of such past and present-day designers as Ossie
Clark, Halston, John Galliano, Comme des
Garçons, Azzedine Alaia, Issey Miyake andMarchesa.

The House of Vionnet

From 1912 to 1914
The House of Vionnet opened in 1912 at 222, Rue de
Rivoli. Madeleine Vionnet provided one-third of the
financing while the remaining investment was
supplied by one of her clients, Germaine Lilas, Henri's
Lillas' daughter, the owner of the Parisian department
store Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville (BHV). In 1914, when
World War I started, Madeleine Vionnet closed the
house and set off to visit Rome.
From 1919 to 1940
In 1919, the house reopened after the war. Mr.
Martinez de Hoz, an Argentinian, joined Mr. Lillas as
main shareholder of the house. During the same
period, Thayaht, a futurist artist, created Vionnet's
logo and started designing textiles, clothing and
jewelry for the house.
In 1922, Théophile Bader, owner of the Galeries
Lafayette, joined current shareholders Mr. de Hoz and
Mr. Lillas in a new venture called Vionnet & Cie and
became the majority shareholder. Few months later,
on April 15, 1923, Vionnet's new premises opened at
50,Avenue Montaigne.[1] The so-called "Temple of
Fashion", a collaboration of architect Ferdinand
Chanut, decorator George de Feure and crystal
sculptor René Lalique, incorporated a spectacular
Salon de Présentation and two boutiques: a fur salon
and a lingerie salon. 1923 was a very active year for
the house: Vionnet co-founded the first anticopyist
Association (L'Association pour la Défense des Arts
Plastiques et Appliqués), hosted in the House's
premises and directed Vionnet & Cie's managing
director; Vionnet introduced fingerprinted labels to
authenticate models (each garment produced in
Vionnet studios bears a label featuring Vionnet's
original signing and an imprint of Vionnet's right
thumb); Vionnet & Cie entered into a distribution
arrangement with Charles and Ray Gutman, who own
Charles & Ray Ladies' Tailors and Importers in New
York City. In November, the first collection of Vionnet
clothing shown at Charles and Ray was an enormous
success.
In 1924, architect and designer Boris Lacroix was
appointed art director of the House. From 1924 to
1937, he designed furniture, logos, printed textiles,
handbags, accessories and took part in the planning
of Vionnet's perfumes.
In the mid-1920s, the house was extremely active in
the USA. In 1924, Vionnet & Cie signed an exclusive
production and distribution agreement with Fifth
Avenue retail store Hickson Inc. In February 1924, the
Vionnet New York Salon opened at Hickson and an
exclusive collection of gowns was presented.[2][3] In
1925, Vionnet & Cie was the first French couture
house to open a subsidiary in New York: Madeleine
Vionnet Inc., located at 661 Fifth Avenue. The salon
sold 'one-size-fits-all' designs with unfinished hems, to
be adjusted to fit individual clients. Vionnet also
produced ready-to-wear designs for US wholesale.
Arguably the first prêt-à-porter ever made from Paris
haute couture, the garments bore a label signed by
Madeleine Vionnet along with "Repeated Original" as
a trademark name.
During this time, in France, Vionnet opened a salon in
the Grand Casino at Biarritz. in 1925, the house
launched its first limited edition perfume comprising
four fragrances named alphabetically: 'A', 'B', 'C' and
'D'. The geometrical bottle was designed by Boris
Lacroix while the scent was made in collaboration
with the House of Coty.
In 1927, Vionnet opened a school within her couture
house to teach apprentices how to create clothing on
the bias cut. In 1929, Vionnet led the establishment of
a new anticopyist association, the P.A.I.S., directed
by Armand Trouyet, managing director of Vionnet &
Cie.
In 1932, the House acquired a new five-storey
building at 50, Avenue Montaigne housing 21
workshops along with a clinic (equipped with both
doctors and dentists) and a gymnasium. At this time,
the house employed 1,200 seamstresses. Vionnet
was one of the most important Parisian fashion
houses of the 1930s. When WWII approached, a
reorganization of the House was contemplated.
Eventually, Vionnet decided to close her House. On
August 2, 1939, Madeleine Vionnet showed her
farewell collection.
In 1952, years after the closing of her house,
Madeleine Vionnet donated most of her designs to the
archives of the UFAC (today part of theMusée de la
Mode et du Textile in Paris) including 120 dresses
from 1921 to 1939.
From 1996 to 2008
In 1988, the Vionnet label was acquired by the
Lummen family who reopened the house in 1996 at
21, Place Vendôme in the former premises
of Madeleine Chéruit and Elsa Schiaparelli. The
family primarily focused on accessories and the
launch of new perfumes ("Madeleine Vionnet" in 1996
and "MV" in 1998).
Plans to reintroduce new ready-to-wear collections
were first rumoured in early 2000[4] and really took
shape in February 2003 when Sheikh Majed Al-
Sabah, owner of Villa Moda, a Kuwaiti luxury
department store, announced to the press a strategic
collaboration with the house.[5]New Vionnet collections
were to be designed under the helm of Maurizio
Pecoraro but due to the Iraq war, the relaunch was
delayed.[6]
Eventually, in July 2006, following years of
speculations,[7] Arnaud de Lummen, CEO of the
house, announced a return on the fashion scene.[8] He
promised "a unique and genuine approach to bring
forward the Vionnet vision" and not a simple revival.
[9]
Sophia Kokosalaki, then at the peak of her fame,
was appointed Creative Director of the house.[10][11] A
debut clothing collection was launched for
Spring/Summer 2007 - the first Vionnet clothing
collection in 67 years.
The first new collection was unveiled to the public in
December 2006 within the US edition of Vogue.
[12]
From early 2007, this first new Vionnet collection
became exclusively available in the house atelier in
Paris and within Barneys New York flagship stores in
the USA.[13][14]Sophia Kokosalaki designed one more
collection for the label before to be replaced in May
2007 by Marc Audibet,[15] in an unexpected move from
the house.[16]
Marc Audibet, appointed as artistic advisor, presented
its sole and unique collection for the house in October
2007. In her review of the collection, Suzy Menkes,
fashion editor of the International Herald Tribune,
stated: "Audibet has deeply understood the essence
of Madeleine Vionnet."[17] However, in a new
unexpected move, Marc Audibet resigned from the
house who then appointed a pool of designers,
without revealing their identities. In February 2008,
Arnaud de Lummen told Women's Wear Daily that he
wanted the focus to be on the label's expansion and
not on its designers: "Vionnet doesn't need to be
associated with a designer's name, it's an
institution."[18]
From 2006 to 2008, Vionnet produced made-in-
France "demi-couture" collections closed to haute-
couture in the prices featured and the techniques and
textiles used. Vionnet involved historical partners of
the house, such as the couture embroiderer Lesage.
Since 2009
On February 24, 2009, Matteo Marzotto announced
the acquisition of the label[19] and the creation of a
new and independent structure inMilan where Vionnet
is now operated. Matteo Marzotto, former General
Manager and President of Valentino SpA, is one of
the heirs of theMarzotto Group, a powerful textile
group established in Italy since 1836. Matteo Marzotto
also announced that some additional strategic
development is to be provided by Gianni Castiglioni,
CEO of the fashion brand Marni.
Vionnet is now designed by Rodolfo Paglialunga who,
prior to Vionnet, spent 13 years as a designer of
womenswear at Prada, and the previous four years at
Romeo Gigli.

Madeleine Vionnet: A new boutique with a history!!

Madeleine Vionnet is something of a mystery. She greatly influenced the course of fashion during the
20s and 30s, but, in contrast to so many fashion creators, she chose an intensely private lifestyle,
avoiding public displays and mundane frivolities. A native of the Jura mountains, she never fit the fashion
stereotype of the social butterfly.
Madeleine Vionnet’s ideas led to a more natural trend in women’s fashion: freeing women from the
constraints of the corset, her models followed the body’s forms, rather like Greek sculpture. Her work has
been compared to that of the cubists in art, who freed painting from the confines of the traditional style of
representation. She added a third dimension to clothes, giving them a flowing and supple structure, which
not only expressed the body’s shape, but giving them an emotional dimension as well. To quote
Madeleine Vionnet, When a woman smiles, her dress should also smile.
A brand new Madeleine Vionnet boutique has just opened near Opera in the first arrondissement. The
elegant and refined interior has been designed in ebony and ivory, in the Art Deco style typical of the
Vionnet period. It’s a must-see, for its limited-edition hand-painted silk mousseline scarves, its crocodile
purses with buckles shaped like deer, and its unusual and high-quality fashion accessories.

Natalie portman,