Mme. Grès was one of the great couturiers of the 20th century with a career spanning over 50 years. Born in 1903, Grès trained as a sculptor and later said that working with fabric was the same as working in stone. She was most famous for her exquisite and intricate draped creations, many of them influenced by Greek sculptures. She opened her couture house in 1942 and worked with the dedication of a monk till 1988, always refining and perfecting her craft. Even though she was a legendary draper, interestingly enough she didn't know how to sew. Although she was Jewish, the Nazis allowed her to keep her atelier open during WWII, but she refused to dress the the wives of the Nazi officers. She worked mostly with silk jersey, which was the ideal fabric for her wearable masterpieces. Jackie Onassis, Greta Garbo, Grace Kelly, Marlene Dietrich, and the Duchess of Windsor were loyal clients and many of today's designers are highly influenced by Grès including Azzedine Alaia, Issey Miyake, and Yves St. Laurent (Pierre Bergé stated "Madame Grès is one of the reasons why we went into fashion").
A long overdue celebration of her work at the Musée Bourdelle, the former home and studio of sculptor Antoine Bourdelle, it's a fitting backdrop for Mme. Grès's fabric sculptures. Over 80 of her designs are in glass vitrines set against the massive Bourdelle sculptures. The exhibit also features some of her daytime looks of coats and suits in addition to her sumptuous evening gowns and cocktail dresses. Fifty original photographs including ones by Guy Bourdin and Richard Avedon, and a hundred drawings from the Maison Grès Archives, have been donated to the museum for this retrospective by the Fondation Pierre Bergé–Yves Saint Laurent.
This is a must-see exhibit and put it on the top of your list of things to do in Paris.
Till July 24
Musée Bourdelle
16 rue Antoine Bourdelle,15th arr.
Metro: Falguiere
Open Tuesday to Saturday 10AM-6PM
www.bourdelle.paris.fr
In addition to my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, we now offer Eye Prefer New York Tours, 3-hour walking tours of New York's best neighborhoods including Soho, Meatpacking/West Village & Tribeca. Tours cost $195 for up to 3 people and $65 for each additional person.Come take a bit of the Big Apple on an Eye Prefer New York Tour!
Come experience my blog ìliveî with my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I lead. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.Tours cost 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris. www.eyepreferparistours.com
New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotteís professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.
Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.
Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.
beautiful photos
Posted by: diane | April 18, 2011 at 01:12 PM
Thank you sooo much Richard. I can't wait to go see this exhibit and then maybe make it to Alaia atelier afterwards.
Posted by: suzanne | April 18, 2011 at 06:29 PM
Your amazing revelation that Mm. Grès was Jewish and allowed to work while disdaining the Nazis makes me very curious. I looked at other web-info sources, and no one else revealed that. You are some researcher! Hope to see this show and museum for the first time soon.
Posted by: jody | April 18, 2011 at 06:30 PM
Gres pictures are AMAZING: fashion architecture. The orange and beige dresses "sing" to me.
Posted by: saundra | April 19, 2011 at 08:16 PM