Madeleine Vionnet, one of the most influential French couturiers of the 20th century, was born in 1876 and is often remembered as the "Queen of the Bias Cut" for her revolutionary techniques in fashion design. Vionnet’s career spanned from the early 1900s through the mid-20th century, and she left an indelible mark on haute couture. She began her career training at the prestigious Callot Soeurs, where she honed her skills before opening her own couture house in 1914 at 50 Avenue Montaigne, Paris. However, her business was quickly interrupted by the outbreak of World War I. Despite this setback, Vionnet returned to work in 1919, after the war’s end, and resumed creating some of the most innovative and graceful garments of her time.
Vionnet is particularly renowned for pioneering the technique of cutting fabric on the bias, which allowed her creations to drape the body in a way that had never been achieved before. Her designs, featuring soft, flowing lines, were often a departure from the rigid silhouettes of the era. She also specialized in handkerchief hems, cowl necks, and the elegant Grecian drape, all of which emphasized movement and fluidity in her garments. Vionnet's work was deeply influenced by classical art and architecture, with a focus on creating a silhouette that embraced the natural form of the body. Her designs were a favorite among the most fashionable women of the time, as they allowed for both comfort and high style.
In addition to her groundbreaking work in fashion, Vionnet also ventured into the perfume industry during the 1920s, a period when many couturiers began to offer fragrances alongside their clothing collections. She adopted the trend of using simple, letter-based names for her perfumes, much like her contemporaries such as Lucien Lelong. The use of such minimalist names reflected the sleek, modern aesthetic of the era, while offering a sense of exclusivity. Vionnet’s perfumes were associated with high-quality craftsmanship, and reports suggest that they were made in collaboration with the renowned perfume house Coty, adding a layer of prestige to the scent offerings. The elegant black glass cube-shaped bottles for her perfumes were designed by Vionnet’s Art Director, Boris Lacroix. These sleek, geometric bottles reflected the Art Deco influences of the time, complementing her fashion designs that embraced modernism and simplicity.