Calvet - The Lookbook -

Our Heritage in Fashion

In 1939, there were seventy registered couture houses in Paris. This flourishing industry was disrupted by the wartime occupation of Paris. Private clients dispersed, international sales almost ceased and many couturiers closed.
The Germans planned to move couture to Berlin but Lucien Lelong, president of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, objected, saying, 'It is in Paris or it is nowhere." In this manner, a group of the most important French designers banded together to create a collection of miniature mannequins and couture pieces that were designed to lift the spirits of wartorn Europe. Each "doll" came with its own accessories; real emerald brooches made by Van Cleef and Arpels, tiny umbrellas that opened and handbags that had eensy weensy pockets inside. The list of Parisian houses is astounding:

Callot Soeurs (House of Calvet)
Elsa Schiaparelli
Hermes
Nina Ricci
Robert Piguet
Jacques Fath
Worth
Molyneux
Carven
Paquin
Maggy Rouff
Marcel Rochas
Jeanne Lanvin
Lucien Lelong
Madame Gres
Jean Patou
Balenciaga
Jean Desses
.. and so many more.

20 July, 2008

Our Heritage in Fashion

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