FIT to illuminate French designer Madame Grès work
17 Dec '07
2 min read
An exhibition illuminating little-known aspects of Madame Grès work will be on view at The Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). She revealed little about her life, either professional or personal. Even her death in 1993 was hidden from the world by her only child. This aura of secrecy earned the great Parisian couturiere Madame Alix Grès the nickname "sphinx of fashion," but she was also regarded as the last icon of the golden age of couture.
From February 2 through April 19, 2008, The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) will illuminate little-known aspects of her work in the first exhibition to analyze her methods of construction and categorize her creations stylistically. More than 70 of her masterpieces will be on display in Madame Grès: Sphinx of Fashion.
During a long career that began in the early 1930s and continued until 1988, Madame Grès created gowns of exquisite beauty and dressed many of the most stylish women of the 20th century. She worked alone to craft by hand the initial designs of all her creations, an unusual feat for designers.
Though many fashion specialists recognize her most famous design, the "Grecian-inspired gown," few are aware of the full extent of her talents. The array of garments in the exhibition illustrate her key stylistic elements – classically inspired pleated gowns made of matte silk jersey; the use of simple, geometric designs based on ethnic costumes; and the three-dimensional sculptural quality for which most of her work was noted.
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