On Madeleine Vionnet, le couturier des couturiers…

Madeleine Vionnet

Look at those eyes!

I love Madeleine Vionnet! It is so inspiring to me, to feel the passion of the craftsmanship, and the experimental spirit in which Madeleine Vionnet worked on her designs. It reminds me that this is why I have gotten interested in the fashion world in the first place. This will probably not be the only post she will inspire me to write, because there are a lot of things to say about her and her work!

So it is kind of outdated, but during the summer, I saw, at the musee des arts decoratifs of Paris, an exhibition of Madeleine Vionnet’s creations. The presentation was amazing!! Actually Andre Putman, another Grande Dame, designed it. I mean the set design was impeccable and allowed to see the clothes, their construction, and understand a little bit of Vionnet’s principles. She was such an innovative and modern women, it was extremely inspiring.

I had heard of her and her work before, but the exhibit made it all so much clearer.

Madeleine Vionnet was a genius because she didn’t just make clothes or apply theory of making them. The beauty of her work resides in her mastering of the draping technique and her innovation with biais cut for which she is known for being its creator. She even had the fabric mills weave wider fabrics just for her to be able to cut her pieces on biais. Madeleine Vionnet wanted to use all the fabric and have no waste so she based her design principles on geometric shapes that fit all together like a puzzle. She innovated with a copyright system where she was taking pictures of every style that came out of her design studio with a special set-up that allowed her to have a front, side and back view of her designs. Everything was numbered and archived.

It is following all these principles that she developed, as a sculptor, her flattering pieces.

Than, beyond the fabulousness of Ms.Vionnet, beyond her greatness and her talent, she was a successful woman at a time when not many were. She also wanted to be great to her employees and gave them vacations, maternity leave… She was very fair and visionary in all the senses.

She had a non-equalled rigor, but how can you obtain perfection otherwise?

Her aesthetic, colours, taste are undeniably sophisticated and timeless

Although it is ending soon, I hope that every fashion designer and fashion victims will have the chance to see this exhibition that was presented in Paris, or at least some of Vionnet’s work.

To put it into context, the woman is a genius. She has innovated way beyond one could think.

Beautiful dress using all the fabric and without seams

copyright photography system

Vionnet at work draping

small size mannequin she used to drape

photos: all from the web. I believe they are from a book, and I will try to get the credits right.