Madame Grès began a sculptor, born to a middle-class French family who discouraged her from pursuing this vocation. She took instead to millinery before working for Maison Premet, known for its incredibly high standards. She went on to work for Juliette Barton in 1933, designing under the Alix Barton label until their relationship deteriorated.
Alix married Russian painter Serge Czerefkov and Alix became Grès, a partial anagram of her husband’s name. She opened her own house on Rue de La Paix in 1942, but unlike other maisons that profited off the occupation Madame Grès resisted Nazi orders to produce utilitarian clothing for the war effort and refused when she was asked to design gowns for the wives of Nazi officers. During this period Grès continued to make dresses that mirrored the French tricolor, and even sewed two stars of David on the inside of one of her gowns in protest. Her maison was eventually closed for her excessive use of fabric during the war effort, and Madame Grès was forced to flee to the Pyrenees.
Grès reopened her house after the occupation and continued to work until her retirement in the late 80s, left to live in relative poverty after business dealings regarding the licensing of her fragrance, aptly named Cabochard, caused her to lose her fortune. With the help of her friends Saint Laurent, Givenchy, and Cardin she was able to rent an apartment in the 16th and continued to sew garments for her friends. She lived in absolute seclusion and was eventually moved to a retirement home in the south of France by her daughter, who famously concealed Grès’ death in 1993 for over a year.
Madame Grès obsessed over her work and kept to herself, seldom speaking at all. The turbaned couturière was as mysterious as she was demanding, expecting nothing less than perfection. She was quick with her hands and was known to drape the fabric directly onto the body. A true sculptor, Madame Grès’ often Grecian-inspired dresses commanded a true respect for the human body, and the handmade pleats for which she is most well remembered were an inspiration to countless designers in her wake.
