Alix Barton, Alix

Place: Paris

Born: 1903

Death: 1993

Biography:

Madame Grès, also known as Alix Barton and Alix, was a leading French couturier and costume designer, founder of haute couture fashion house Grès as well as the associated Parfums Grès. Remembered as the 'Sphinx of Fashion', Grès was notoriously secretive about her personal life and was seen as a workaholic with a furious attention to detail, preferring to let her work do the talking. Grès, best known for her floor-length draped Grecian goddess gowns, is noted as the 'master of the wrapped and draped dress' and the 'queen of drapery'. Grès's minimalistic draping techniques and her attention to and respect for the female body have had a lasting effect on the haute couture and fashion industry, inspiring a number of recent designers.