Theatre de la mode COUTURE DOLLS THAT RESTORED FRANCE’S POST WAR CONFIDENCE

of the surviving fashion industry and support the

country’s reconstruction. After all, if France was to

get back on her feet, she would have to find the

money to buy herself some shoes.

As the French minister for reconstruc

tion, Raoul Dautry explained, “France has

little, alas, to export, but she has her

appreciation of beautiful things and the skill

of her couture houses.” And so, the idea was

mooted to have an exhibition of dolls dressed by

couture houses in sets designed by French artists.

The task of designing the figure was given to a young

illustrator called Eliane Bonabel. “We immediately

thought that these dolls should not be too solid as

this would be reminiscent of a toy,” she remarked.

Jean Saint-Martin from the mannequin company,

Siegel, constructed the figure and the face was the

creation of the refugee Catalan sculptor, Rebull.

As the winter wore on and Paris continued to be

subject to blackouts and food shortages, the clothes,

sewn by the ‘petits mains’ of the haute couture ate

liers and perfect miniatures of original designs, were

constructed. It was not just a case of making small

er versions of the human-sized patterns: often the

scale of the fabric was wrong for the mannequin.

The stripes of Carven’s ‘Sucre d’Or’ fabric were too

wide and the fabric had to be cut into thinner stripes

and then sewn back together. But it was not only the

‘petits mains’ who stitched and sewed with such

artistry and dedication in barely heated workrooms.

The specialist manufacturers supplied the ateliers

with hand worked lace, silk flowers, embroidery, but

tons and hats. As the government had realised,

haute couture supported a whole army of skilled arti

sans as well as textile manufacturers.

As the project gained momentum, it seems a

friendly rivalry broke out: originally, the figures were

only to be dressed, no hats or shoes would be need

ed. But if these figures were to represent a chic

Parisienne, and properly advertise not just France’s

flair but her ability to rebuild her shattered industries;

gloves, shoes, hats were essential. And so, the

milliner Janette Colombier created a pink satin tur

ban for Pierre Balmain’s figure and there were black

suede sling back platforms by Leandre for Nina

Ricci’s elegantly dressed mannequin.

Meanwhile, artists were busy creating back

drops. Jean Cocteau’s, Ma Femme est une Sorcièère

was an ‘homage’ to Renéé Clair. The scene of

destruction with its tattered black and white images

of buildings was a shocking contrast to the dolls in

their satin and tulle gowns. Christian Berard, darling

of the French decorative arts, composed a impres

sionistic theatre set whilst the young Andréé

Baurepaire created an enchanted grotto.

The exhibition opened on 27 March, 1945 and

all of Paris gasped in delight. After taking a million

francs for the national reconstruction fund, l’Entraide

Franççaise, the dolls toured to London, Stockholm,

Vienna and the USA. Then, despite the theatre’s

amazing success, the figures were forgotten, pre

sumed lost or destroyed. Until fashion historian,

Stanley Garfinkel discovered that some of the figures

had found their way to the Maryhill Museum of Art in

Washington. Along with Susan Train, Condéé Nast’s

Paris Bureau Chief, the idea was conceived to bring

the mannequins back to France to be restored. In

1990 the figures once again delighted Paris when

exhibited at the Muséée de la Mode.

The late David Seidner was commissioned to

take new photographs and these form the bulk of the

book Theatre de la Mode Fashion Dolls: The Survival

of the Haute Couture. The sets had been lost and so

he photographed them as theatrical divas, lighting

them dramatically. He wrote, “Some of them were

charming and cooperative, other capricious. Some

were sophisticated, others provincial. Some were so

convincing that it was frightening to watch them

come to life under the lights, and some were just

impossible.” But after weeks of photography, he “fell

under their spell and found it difficult to leave the

studio each night.” It is astonishing that after over 60

years, these figures still have the ability to charm and

as such are a testimony to the creativity and skill of

France’s haute couture.•••Kate Constable

Theatre de la Mode Fashion Dolls: The Survival of

Haute Couture (Palmer/Pletsch) £25.99