Oh to be in Paris! This statement is true any time but it is especially true now that the long-awaited Madeleine Vionnet, puriste de la mode exhibit is opened at the musée des Arts décoratifs. Like any hardcore follower of fashion, the exhibit is at the very top of my 'To Do' list for the summer and I plan to take it in just as soon as I can. Until then, I've decided to get into a Vionnet state of mind by re-reading Sophie Dalloz-Ramaux's Madeleine Vionnet: Créatrice de mode (2006, Cabédita - Collection Archives Vivantes).
The book is a very personal account of the couturiere who is said to have inspired countless designers from Balenciaga to Alaia. While it is actually quite short, it is very well-researched and brimming with all kinds of interesting anecdotes about Vionnet.
As a designer, Vionnet is often credited with creating intricate, groundbreaking designs and introducing modernity to women's apparel. However, as Dalloz-Ramaux points out, what few people know is that she was ahead of her time in more than just fashion design. For instance, she was the first designer to offer her workers (mostly women) modern working conditions including a safe and comfortable work environment, free medical and dental services and onsite daycare for their children.
Vionnet was also an early proponent of copyright protection. She devised her own intricate system to authenticate her confections and dissuade counterfeiters: each dress she created was photographed in detail (front, back and profile), assigned a number sewn into the seams along with Vionnet's own fingerprint. All details pertaining to her creations were meticulously recorded and regularly updated in a registry by her staff.
The exhibit which is curated by the highly regarded Pamela Golbin runs until January 2010. For more information, please see the museum's website.
Sincerely,
The Luxe Chronicles
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