Velvet, wool mix
France, mid-20th century
Madame Grès (1903-1993) – French fashion designer
Inside with label ‘GRÈS 1. RUE DE LA PAIX PARIS’
Wide A-line velvet coat in black with bat-shaped ¾ sleeves and two side pockets
The sleeves with short cuts on the ends
Two circular, round buttons with stones in black
Total length: c. 116 cm, back width: c. 80 cm, sleeve length: c. 69 cm
Good condition, due to usage
Provenience: Private property Marguerite Wood-Wessely
The coat was tailored for the American opera singer Marguerite Wood-Wessely, who stayed as a painter in Paris in the late 1940s to 1960s

Condition:

The coat is in good, age-related condition and shows minimal traces of wear. Partial losses and abrasions can be found. The seam along the button border and the right part of axillary are partial minimal unstitched. One patch part can be found on the left part of the axillary and inside in the part of the lapel. The lapel of the lower seam is partial unstitched inside. The total length measures c. 116 cm. The back width is c. 80 cm. The sleeve length is c. 69 cm.

Madame Grès (1903-1993)

Madame Grès, with common name Germaine Èmilie Krebs, worked primarly as a sculptor. Because sculptor was no adequate job for women in the 1930s, she switched into the métier of fashion and tailored for renowned couture houses. Under the name of Alix Barton she opened her first boutique in 1934 and made a name of her designs in the French world of fashion. Later she had the breakthrough with her salon ‘Grès’ – an anagram of the name from her husband Serge Czerefkov. Inspired by the sculptural aesthetic of Roman robes Madame Grès can be seen with her designs as a pioneer of the today’s minimalism in fashion. Typical for her fluent dresses were the asymmetrical cuts and cut-outs: “I always wanted to be a sculptor”, she said once. “It doesn’t matter, if I work with fabric or with stones.” Prominent clients of her couture house were Jackie Onassis, Greta Garbo or Marlene Dietrich. Madame Grès was an apologist of the haute couture and changed unwillingly to prêt-à-porter. In 1959 she issued her first perfume ‘Cabochard’, other perfumes followed in the 1990s. (ala)

Shipping costs excl. statutory VAT and plus 2,5% (+VAT) shipping insurance.