MADELEINE VIONNET

(June 22, 1876 – March 2, 1975)  

“The dress must not hang on the body

but follow its lines.  It must accompany
its wearer and when a woman smiles the
dress must smile with her. ” ~Madeleine
Vionnet was • A French fashion designer
• Called the "Queen of the bias
something cut" and "the architect among
dressmakers”
of a • Greatly influenced the course
mystery” of fashion during the 20s and
30s
• Best-known today for her
elegant Grecian-style dresses
and for introducing the bias
cut to the fashion world.
• Freeing women from the
constraints of the corset
• With her bias cut clothes,
dominated haute couture in
1930s setting trends with
sensual gowns worn by stars
as Marlene Dietrich, Katharine
Hepburn and Greta Garbo
 HISTORY
• Born in June 22, 1876, into a poor family in Chilleurs-aux-
Bois, Loiret
• Trained with the well known fashion house Callot
Soeurs and later with Jacques Doucet, in Paris
• In 1912 she founded her own fashion house, "Vionnet“
• In 1914, during World War I, Madeleine Vionnet closed the
house and set off to Rome
• In 1919, the house reopened
• 1920s Vionnet created a stir by introducing the bias cut
• 1925, the house launched its first limited edition perfume
• 1927, Vionnet opened a school within her couture house to
teach apprentices how to create clothing on the bias cut
• Mid-1920s, the house was extremely active in
the USA
• Vionnet was one of the most important Parisian
fashion houses of the 1930s
• Vionnet decided to close her House. On August
2, 1939, Madeleine Vionnet showed her farewell
collection
• In 1952, years after the closing of her house,
Madeleine Vionnet donated most of her designs
to the archives of the UFAC (today part of the
Musée de la Mode et du Textile in Paris)
including 120 dresses from 1921 to 1939
• In 1988, the Vionnet label was acquired by the
Lummen family who reopened the house in 1996
 FACTS
• Simple styles involved a
lengthy preparation process,
including cutting, draping, and
pinning fabric designs on to
miniature dolls, before
recreating them in chiffon, silk,
or Moroccan crepe on life-size
models
• Vionnet styles that clung to and
moved with the wearer
included the handkerchief
dress, cowl neck, and halter top
• Implementing a fingerprint
label system to authenticate
her designs and models (each
garment included a print of her
right thumb)
• An intensely private
individual, Vionnet avoided
public displays and often
expressed a dislike for the
world of fashion, stating:
• "Insofar as one can talk of a
Vionnet school, it comes
mostly from my having been
an enemy of fashion. There is
something superficial and
volatile about the seasonal
and elusive whims of fashion
which offends my sense of
beauty."
• Vionnet was not concerned
with being the "designer of
the moment", preferring to
remain true to her own vision
of female beauty
 After 1996- Present
• Sophia Kokosalaki, was appointed Creative
Director of the house in 2006
• A debut clothing collection was launched for
Spring/Summer 2007 - the first Vionnet
clothing collection in 67 years
• Was unveiled to the public in December
2006 in the US edition of Vogue
• From 2006 to 2008, Vionnet produced made-
in-France "demi-couture" collections
• On February 24, 2009, Matteo Marzotto
announced the acquisition of the label
• The Marzotto Group, a powerful textile
group established in Italy since 1836
• Vionnet is now designed by Rodolfo
Paglialunga
• The company also designs accessories like
shoes & handbags