Madame Gres was born Germaine Emilie Krebs in 1903 in Paris, France. And while the gowns she designed were outstanding examples of draping and often took over 300 hours to complete, you can appreciate them even more when you hear the story of her life:

After opening her own house under the name of Alix Barton in 1934, she eventually left the partnership and opened GRES, a new salon named after her Russian husband. Well, the cad abandoned her and her young daughter a few years later and never returned, making Gres an early example of a single working mom. And while she made dresses through the 70s for some of the world’s richest women, and received the Golden Thimble fashion award in 1976, her house went bankrupt in 1987 and Gres died in poverty in 1993.

These days, Madame Gres dresses are quite rare, therefore they tend to be collected rather than worn. But several recently came on the market when Rare Vintage owner Juliana Cairone was called by an appraiser to view some dresses that had been stored in a New Jersey basement.

Today’s VPOD features just one of the eight marvelous examples from this Madame Gres treasure trove. This rust colored dress is a fine example of the superior Gres draping and her use of kimono sleeves.

And it’s a true masterpiece for a vintage fashionista!

To read the full WSJ article and see all eight designs, click here.

To purchase, contact Rare Vintage.

(To receive the VPOD via email with detailed size, price and purchase information, sign up for my growing email mailing list here. Your information will never be sold or shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.)

Send Page To a Friend

Technorati Tags: Fashion, Vintage Clothing, vintage, Madame Gres, Dress