She is called the queen of the bias cut. Her unusual ideas were borrowed by leading fashion designers, and women from many countries fell in love with unusual styles of dresses. Our article will focus on the famous Madeleine Vionnet, who practically organized a revolution in the fashion world.
Childhood and adolescence
Madeleine Vionnet was born in June 1876 in a small French town called Albertville, which is located in the picturesque Alps. Since childhood, the cleanest local air set the girl up for creative achievements, because it was not in vain that Madeleine had a dream of becoming a sculptor from an early age. Living in a low-income family, she went early to earn money for a living. At the age of 11, Madeleine was offered to become an assistant to a tailor who lived nearby.
At the age of 17, she left her native land and went to conquer the capital. Here she managed to get a job as a seamstress in the Vincent fashion house. At that time, the prospects were not very bright, since the girl did not have an elementary secondary education. True, she had already learned to sew well and had decent experience in this area behind her shoulders.
Life in the UK
Five years later, Madeleine Vionnet, whose biography has many difficulties, left for London. At first she had to work as a laundress, then she got a job in a workshop where they copied fashionable French clothes. In London, the girl married an emigrant from Russia. They had a daughter, but the girl died at an early age, which led to the breakup of the family. Madeleine long and bitterly experienced the loss of a child, so she completely plunged into work.
Activities at home
The first success came to Madeleine Vionnet in her native France. It was in Paris that she got a good job at the very famous Callot sisters fashion house at that time. Soon one of the hostesses offered the girl to be her assistant - together they led the artistic part of the company's activities. Madeleine really liked it here, later she fondly remembered her mentors.
After Callot's house, the girl went to work for the famous Jacques Doucet, where she got the position of a cutter. However, here Vionnet, with her extraordinary ideas, discouraged both the fashion designer and his clients. It seemed to her that it was time to remove the tight corsets, and gymnastics and diet, and not clothes, should outline a thin waist. Plus, Madeleine offered to show models without underwear, which no one liked. The girl had to leave this job with a scandal.
Own business
In 1912, Vionnet decided to openyour own business. And so the Madeleine Vionnet Fashion House was born, which is located in Paris along Rivoli Street. But the full-fledged activity of the new studio began only in 1919 due to the First World War. Immediately after the end of hostilities, the new brand began to rapidly gain momentum: women accepted Madeleine's ideas, feeling their practicality. Much has changed, new forms, silhouettes and general views on appearance and style have replaced the old ones.
Madeleine Vionnet, a fashion designer by vocation, created unusual, complex outfits. It didn't even bother her that she didn't know the art of drawing. It was enough to have a mathematical mindset and excellent spatial thinking. She would later be called a fashion architect. She created new sketches directly on the mannequin, unlike many other couturiers who first made sketches on paper. Vionnet meticulously pinned up the fabric and made assemblies until the perfect dress was obtained.
Innovative ideas
Slightly strange for that time, but only Madeleine Vionnet had interesting and unique ideas. Dresses had a light, flying silhouette, showing the dignity of the figure. But the most famous innovative idea is the oblique cut. Madeleine came up with the idea to fold the edge of the fabric at an angle of 45 degrees relative to the base of the product. In the 30s of the last century, fashion could not be imagined without the use of such a cut. Similar techniques were used earlier, but only in small details, since corset styles did not allow"roam" fantasies. Vionnet decided to create whole outfits. Such cutting allowed the fabric to naturally lay down on the figure. As for the material, Madeleine preferred flowing silk, crepe, satin.
Materials and fabrics
To create masterpieces, the Bianchini-Ferrier textile factory supplied fabrics for fashion fashion Madeleine Vionnet. Its patterns were so unusual that it was necessary to purchase huge canvases of matter up to two meters wide to create the next new model. By special order of Vionnet, a soft pink fabric was created, which was a mix of acetate and silk. But the fashion designer was not interested in the color of the material, but in the shape of the dress. Everything had to emphasize the naturalness and beauty of the female body. As Madeleine herself said, a dress should smile with its mistress.
Special features of creativity
It's no secret that Madeleine Vionnet's most popular pieces are dresses. Photos of models confirm their main feature - they have practically no shape on hangers or hangers, but come to life and play in a completely different way on the figure. Madeleine has always been of the opinion that clothes should be created for a person and for a person, satisfy his needs and requirements, so the body does not have to adapt to any silhouette or shape.
Career advancement
Starting in 1923, Madame Vionnet's small atelier became very famous among fashionistas and could no longer cope with that floworders that rained down from all sides. I had to move to a more free and spacious room, the design of which was created according to the sketches of famous artists (Boris Lacroix, Rene Lalique, etc.). Literally a year later, the Americans already knew the name of Vionnet - her representative office was opened in New York. Later, in one of the most fashionable resorts in France, Biarritz, a new branch of the Fashion House was opened. Rich people from all over the world came to rest there, it was profitable to have a Madeleine Vionnet studio in such a place. The cut of her unusual and at the same time elegant outfits delighted even the most capricious young ladies.
It is known that the brand once even released its own perfume, but it was not popular for long.
Unusual inventions
Experienced fashion designers are familiar with another important invention of Madame Vionnet in the fashion world. She came up with the idea to create an outfit without fasteners - one seam or one knot is enough. Madeleine is the author of such details as a trumpet collar, a neck collar. In addition, small details in the form of a rhombus, a triangle and a rectangle are included in the treasury of her ideas. What other creative solutions have come to light in Madeleine's fashion house? Of course, this is a non-standard evening dress with a hood, a coat with a plain lining (matching the color of the outfit). The latest attire came back into fashion in the 60s of the last century.
Madeleine loved to create dresses without fasteners at all or with fasteners on the back. There were models that were kept only thanks to a bow tied on the chest. These outfits allowed the ladiesdrive with ease, dance jazz and move freely. The main distinguishing feature of Vionnet products is a harmonious combination of luxury and simplicity, which modern fashion strives for. Among the regular clients of Madeleine were such famous personalities as Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo and others.
Fun Facts
Madeleine Vionnet is considered the first woman to fight fakes and counterfeit products. For these purposes, she carefully photographed each of her new inventions and pasted the photographs into a special album. Over the years of her work, the fashion designer has collected 75 portfolios. Things were for Madeleine works of art that should live forever, like paintings by great painters.
Also, Madame Vionnet was one of the first to hire professional models to show clothes. Thanks to Madeleine, the profession of fashion model has become more prestigious. In the Fashion House, the work order was quite strict, but the employees had many advantages: a hospital, a canteen and a travel agency were created on the territory.
Decay of Fashion House
Unstable income and lack of commercial streak have led to a deplorable financial situation for Madeleine's firm. With the outbreak of World War II, the Fashion House had to be completely closed. Later, the magnificent products of Vionnet will be sold at auctions for large sums, of which their author will get nothing, since the designer was forgotten by everyone after the closing of her offspring. Madeleine died in 1975. She is remembered as a woman of impeccable taste,who always looked perfect herself and dressed her clients just as beautifully.
