Madame Grès: The Jewish Couturière Who Sculpted in Fabric

Madame Grès was the quiet genius of haute couture — a Jewish woman who redefined movement, form, and the way fabric embraces the body. She dreamed of becoming a sculptor, but instead of shaping stone, she sculpted with cloth. Her dramatic pleats, architectural lines, and obsessive sense of proportion made her one of fashion’s best-kept secrets.

For her, sewing was a form of sculpture. Every fold was meticulously planned, every piece of fabric draped around the body like a living work of art. She dressed princesses, Hollywood divas, and high-society women, yet she also fought to preserve her fashion house during the Nazi occupation, where her refusal to collaborate nearly cost her her life.

In this lecture, we will dive into her turbulent life — from the struggle to protect her Jewish identity, through her timeless designs, to her tragic downfall when her fashion house was cruelly erased.

How did she turn fabric into architectural structure on the body? What made her creations eternal? And why, despite her silence, is she considered one of the most revolutionary and influential designers of the 20th century?