In her brief article published by Suite 101, Lisa Anderson accurately writes about the famous Callot Sisters. We all know that eventually, the House of Calvet aquired this label, and since Callot are amongst the couture labels showcased at the Met Museum "American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity", I felt that a bit of history about these four very talented Couturieres was in order. Let's read on. Merci !
In 'The Bolter', Frances Osborne describes the Callot Soeurs store as an 'Aladdin's Cave', full of exquisite lingerie, beautiful lace, and ball gowns.
The fashion house of Callot Soeurs was founded in 1895 by four sisters – Marie, Marthe, Regina and Josephine. The sisters came from an artistic family. Their mother was a lace-maker who trained them to do delicate lace work. Their father was an antique-dealer with an eye for design
Callot Soeurs Become Famous
The Callot Soeurs eventually became famous for their rich fabrics, detailed work and innovations. Their innovations included being amongst the first designers to use gold and silver lame and their practice of draping their designs on live models. Their gorgeous ball-gowns and feminine lacy lingerie was much favoured by the famous and wealthy.Their capes were much admired. They were credited with inventing the ‘manteau d’abbe’ in 1920. This was a short cape worn with coats and evening gowns. Their Le Roi de Bacchante was highly praised by The New York Times in their 1916 collection. This was a cape of wine-coloured red silk with metal threads of different colours. The colours and designs of the two sides were different. There was also a cape of heavy grey wool based on those worn by the messengers of official dispatches during the war.
Evening gowns were often made of rich brocade. The sisters often used panniered skirts and pretty floral designs reminiscent of the eighteenth century. They were also influenced by the Orient and Russian clothes. They gave the evening coats in one of their collections Russian names, such as ‘Petrograd’ and ‘Grand Duke Nicholas’.
Marie Gerber, the eldest sister, was called the ‘backbone of the fashion world of Europe ‘.
The End of Callot Soeurs
The dramatic designs of Callot Soeurs became very popular in the 1920s. Actresses and wealthy Americans especially liked their clothes. In 1928 Madame Gerber’s son, Pierre, took over the business.
The sister’s fashion house expanded into perfumes but their expensive designs couldn’t compete with the comfortable new clothes made by such couturiers as Chanel. These were made for modern career women.
The fashion house was absorbed into the house of Calvet in 1928. Now the designs of the sisters are, unfortunately, largely forgotten. However, they are very popular with collectors and very expensive.
