OVERVIEW
Madame Grès, born Germaine Émilie Krebs, remains one of the most enigmatic and rigorously distinctive figures in the history of fashion. Often described as reserved to the point of severity and nicknamed “the Sphinx of fashion” for her elusive nature, she cultivated an almost monastic approach to her work that coexisted with a profound sensuality. Her practice was deeply rooted in a sculptural conception of dress, inspired by classical antiquity and defined by a pursuit of precision, purity and timelessness over trend. A pioneer of technique, she revolutionized garment construction through drapery, moulage and an architectural understanding of the body. Though a contemporary of Madeleine Vionnet in the 1930s, she maintained an unusually long career extending into the late 1970s and early 1980s. Her legacy endures not only through her influence on later designers but also through extensive photographic documentation and important collections preserving her work.
- SCULPTURE, DRAPERY AND CLASSICISM
Her work is most famously associated with drapery inspired by ancient Greece, resulting in garments that appeared as living sculptures. Grès approached fashion with a sculptor’s mindset, unsurprisingly, given that she had originally aspired to become one. As she once stated, for her, there was no real difference between working with fabric and working with stone. This philosophy translated into a practice centered on precision, purity and an almost architectural understanding of the body. Her designs were minimal yet complex, characterized by a timeless quality that resisted trends and emphasized form over ornament. This sculptural approach also represents a key point of contact with Azzedine Alaïa, whose work similarly centered on shaping form in direct relation to the body. Her aesthetic drew heavily on classical antiquity, particularly Hellenistic sculpture, and this influence permeated her entire body of work. She favored a restrained color palette, ranging from ivory to pearly grey, further reinforcing the sense of quiet refinement and sculptural clarity.
- TECHNICAL INNOVATION AND METHOD
Technically, she was a pioneer. She developed methods that reduced seams to an absolute minimum, privileging instead the manipulation of fabric directly on the mannequin. Working with generous lengths of material, often silk jersey, mohair, waxed satin, or nylon horsehair, she shaped garments through techniques such as pleating and moulage, folding and molding the textile around the body with extraordinary control. Among her innovations was the patented use of the straight grain (dritto filo), and she famously declared that cutting was the most crucial stage in creating a garment, consuming three pairs of scissors for each collection she produced.
- MYSTIQUE AND PERSONA
Often described as reserved to the point of severity, she carefully shielded her personal life from public view, contributing to an aura that was both mysterious and nearly mythological. This sense of distance and impenetrability was mirrored in her creations, which evoked something ancient, solemn and timeless.
- FOUNDATION, IDENTITY AND CAREER
In 1934, together with the seamstress Julie Barton, she founded the fashion house Alix Barton, later assuming sole leadership. She opened her own boutique at 83 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris. In 1942, she adopted the name by which she is now universally known: “Grès,” an anagram of Serge, the Russian artist she married in 1937. She chose it, as she explained, because it represented “the name of the being most dear to me”. A contemporary of Madeleine Vionnet in the 1930s, she nonetheless enjoyed an unusually long career in the fashion world, extending into the late 1970s and early 1980s.
- PHOTOGRAPHIC DOCUMENTATION
Her creations were immortalized by some of the most important photographers of the twentieth century, including Richard Avedon and Guy Bourdin, as well as Robert Doisneau, Roger Schall, and Eugène Rubin, and today there exists a priceless collection comprising many hundreds of photographs documenting her work.
- LEGACY, COLLECTING AND INFLUENCE
Grès dressed many iconic women, among them Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Arletty, the Duchess of Talleyrand, and numerous members of the Turkish aristocracy. Her influence continues to resonate strongly in contemporary fashion: designers such as Rick Owens, Haider Ackermann (for Jean-Paul Gaultier), and Maria Grazia Chiuri (for Dior) have all drawn inspiration from her work. Azzedine Alaïa himself was a devoted collector of her creations; his collection includes around 700 designs spanning the many decades of her career.
Their shared sculptural approach to the body was explored in the exhibition Alaïa/Grès, highlighting a dialogue between two masters of form and discipline. Among the highlights of this collection is one of the most unusual pieces Alaïa acquired: a stage costume designed by Grès. These fantastical garments, inspired by Hindu deities, were created for the dancer Muni, who had been a close friend and muse of Madame Grès since 1937, and they now form part of the foundation’s collection.
Often described as reserved to the point of severity, she carefully shielded her personal life from public view, contributing to an aura that was both mysterious and nearly mythological. This sense of distance and impenetrability was mirrored in her creations, which evoked something ancient, solemn and timeless.
In 1934, together with the seamstress Julie Barton, she founded the fashion house Alix Barton, later assuming sole leadership. She opened her own boutique at 83 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris. In 1942, she adopted the name by which she is now universally known: “Grès,” an anagram of Serge, the Russian artist she married in 1937. She chose it, as she explained, because it represented “the name of the being most dear to me”. A contemporary of Madeleine Vionnet in the 1930s, she nonetheless enjoyed an unusually long career in the fashion world, extending into the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Her creations were immortalized by some of the most important photographers of the twentieth century, including Richard Avedon and Guy Bourdin, as well as Robert Doisneau, Roger Schall, and Eugène Rubin, and today there exists a priceless collection comprising many hundreds of photographs documenting her work.
Grès dressed many iconic women, among them Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Arletty, the Duchess of Talleyrand, and numerous members of the Turkish aristocracy. Her influence continues to resonate strongly in contemporary fashion: designers such as Rick Owens, Haider Ackermann (for Jean-Paul Gaultier), and Maria Grazia Chiuri (for Dior) have all drawn inspiration from her work. Azzedine Alaïa himself was a devoted collector of her creations; his collection includes around 700 designs spanning the many decades of her career.
Their shared sculptural approach to the body was explored in the exhibition Alaïa/Grès, highlighting a dialogue between two masters of form and discipline. Among the highlights of this collection is one of the most unusual pieces Alaïa acquired: a stage costume designed by Grès. These fantastical garments, inspired by Hindu deities, were created for the dancer Muni, who had been a close friend and muse of Madame Grès since 1937, and they now form part of the foundation’s collection.