Overview

An illustrated monograph of haute couture designer Jean Patou's life and career during the apex of twentieth-century glamour, drawn from previously unpublished family archives. During the 1920s and 1930s, the French couturier Jean Patou was Chanel's main rival: day pajamas, jersey sportswear, swimwear, and the little black dress were all among the innovative designs marking Patou's remarkable, albeit brief, career as the king of Parisian fashion. With his untimely death at 49, he had only fifteen years to make his mark on the history of couture, yet in that short time he amassed a colossal fortune, opened shops and studios in Paris, Deauville, Biarritz, and New York, and invented some of the world's legendary fragrances, including Joy and Que Sais-Je. This book recounts the story of Patou's charmed life and career during the most glamorous years of the twentieth century. For the first time, the heirs of the Patou family have agreed to share their extensive private archives, and author Emmanuelle Polle spent more than two years reviewing thousands of unpublished documents: photographs, diaries, client lists, and original, hand-colored sketches. Signed by major names in fashion photography (Baron de Meyer, Laure Albin Guillot, or the Seeberger brothers), the vintage photographs--presented alongside fashion designs, original fabric swatches, art deco furniture, perfume bottles, and garments photographed especially for this volume--retrace the universe of this extraordinary aesthete and speak of a certain minimalism. This book is an essential reference for anyone interested in the history of fashion and of the greatest years of Parisian style.

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9782080202970

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Reviews

Jean Patou: A Fashionable Life is a monograph in the truest sense covering the life and career of Jean Patou from a business standpoint as well as from a personal one.Emmanuelle Polle offers the reader an unusually precise accounting of life and times of the man whose name is synonymous with French fashion as well as French perfume. There is so much here about why Monsieur Patou should be even more revered and recognized within the annals of fashion history... Jean Patou: A Fashionable Life is a book that can be and should be read for intellectual fulfillment, and sheer entertainment as a real life French fairy tale that revolves around the world of fashion. The book is a must read for those who wish to round out and enhance their knowledge of fashion-and definitely for those who are just learning about the subject. New York Journal of Books It is an essential reference for anyone interested in the history of fashion and of the greatest early years of modern Parisian style. Society Diaries CHIC READ. Jean Patou, A compendium of never-before-seen archival photos and sketches from the illustrious French designer and perfumier whose heyday was the 20s and 30s. Wall Street Journal unprecedented access by Patou s heirs to diaries, letters, sketchbooks and client lists, reveals the brief but flowing arc of his career. Flare.com There are few things more luxurious than the glamour and haute couture of the twentieth-century, and this book totally embodies that. At long last, Jean Patou s archives have been opened and we ve gotten a glimpse into his charmed career. In the 20s and 30s, Patou was Chanel s biggest rival. Though his career was cut short, what he accomplished during those years was truly inspiring. What we wouldn t give to revisit Paris in the 20s and be a fly on the wall in Patou s studio. With this book- we can! Rue This is a fantastic and much-needed primer on Patou The Paris Blog

Author Information

Emmanuelle Polle is a historian and journalist. She curated an exhibition on Christian B rard at the Mus e d'art moderne Richard Anacr on in Granville, France, in 2011.

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