Designer : Jeanne Paquin

 

Jeanne Beckers is born in1869 in the famous Paris , France.She will married in 1891 and from this moment will take the name of her husband .She will be know as Jeanne Paquin and her house will take this name.

 

 A ball gown made of silk around 1895.

 A cape made of silk and lace around 1900.

 

Jeanne Paquin was trained like many other as a dressmaker.She open her couture house in 1891 after her wedding.

 A ball gown in silk around 1901.

 

Paquin has her own style.She found inspiration in 18th century clothing and make empire waist dress popular again.She made tailor day dress and like pastel color for her evening gown.She also like fur and lace for her creations.

 An evening dress around 1904 ,back view.This dress is amazing by all the details and beads on it.

Paquin  was able to follow the evolution of the style in her time.She had a modern spirit and it is reflect in how she work.She did become famous and soon she know success.

 A walking suit in silk and wool around 1910.

Paquin is not a designer who stay in her workshop and do not put the nose out.She was a business women who know exactly what is publicity and marketing.That remind me another designer  who know that too.

 A wedding dres in silk and cotton with beads,around 1910.Simple but so much elegant.

 

To show her creations , she send her models to race and opera.If people see what you do , they are going to want what you do.With this in mind she also organise fashion show to make promotion.

 

 An afternoon dress in blue silk , around 1906-1908.

 

Being a successfull house , Paquin was able to open stores in Madrid , New York and Buenos Aire.The head office was move to London and the store in Paris stay open.Everything was going well.

An evening dress in silk and cotton , around 1912.Look at the blue part of the dress , does it remind you some kind of older style of dress?

 In 1920 , Jeanne Paquin is now 51 years old and decided to retired.After that , the house was manage by differents hands.Sixteen years later in 1936 she died.

The founder of the house will never saw this expansion.In 1953 or 1954 not sure of the exact year  , the house of Paquin buy the french branch of the house of Worth. This house was extremely famous(there is a post about Worth) and had been manage by the family for so long.But the house of Paquin and Worth , like most to not say all of couture house , had difficulties and was force to definitively close in 1956.

Pictures from the Met museum.