Madame Grès Haute Couture, Black Moire Evening Dress - Paris Circa 1980

Circa 1980 France Elegant long evening wrap dress in black silk moire by Madame Grès Haute Couture numbered 11369 and dating from the 1980s. Minimalist cut but complex cut structure that denotes the excellence of this famous French House. Crew neck dress with short sleeves, slit and closed in the back with a button with a loop. The clever assembly of this dress is made from a short underskirt in black taffeta that rolls up into a wrap with a slit effect on a rounded bias on the front to facilitate ease! No lining revealing the hand-sewn finishes. The label indicates Grès Paris Made in France as well as a customs seal. The cotton Bolduc has the parade number 11369 - 102 At Jania Janine, indicating the name of the model or the first workshop. An exceptional and flawless piece. Very good condition of color and conservation. Dimensions: Equivalent size 36-37 France. Height 152 cm, shoulders 38 cm, waist 78 cm, chest 86 cm, hips 98 cm, sleeves 27 cm. "For a dress to survive from one era to the next, it must be imbued with extreme purity. This is the great secret of the survival of a creation." Madame Grès Germaine Krebs (1903-1993), famous under the name Alix then Madame Grès, worked at the Faubourg Saint Honoré in Paris from 1934. From 1942 to 1988, she set up at 1, rue de la Paix under the name Grès. Her style is famous for its drapes and pure lines. She created her first draped dresses from 1934, using the properties of an artificial silk jersey. Her compositions gave the models the appearance of Greek vestals. Asymmetrical dresses, draped in the antique style as if molded to the body, dresses in volume and fluidity, where faille, taffeta and jersey were magnified. But her technique is very different, since the "Grès fold" is formed on the mannequin itself, during the construction of the dress, then sewn. Her creations have always been compared to works of art. Like the artist with stone, she worked the fabric with precision and meticulousness, for a graphic rendering. By favoring simple shapes, she has erected the solutions and methods of cutting into aesthetic principles.