Callot Soeurs

Callot Soeurs was one of the leading fashion design houses of the 1910s and 1920s.[1]

Origins

Callot Soeurs opened in 1895 at 24, rue Taitbout in Paris, France. It was operated by the four Callot sisters: Marie Callot Gerber, Marthe Callot Bertrand, Regina Callot Tennyson-Chantrell and Joséphine Callot Crimon.[2][3]

The eldest sister, Marie, was trained in dressmaking, having earlier worked for Raudnitz and Co., prominent Parisian dressmakers, and they were all taught by their mother, a lacemaker. The sisters began working with antique laces and ribbons to enhance blouses and lingerie. Their success led to an expansion into other clothing.

In 1897, Joséphine was rumored to have committed suicide. There is no substantiated proof and family members believe her death was accidental. [4]

Growth and peak

In 1900, they were featured at the Paris World's Fair. That year, they had a staff of two hundred and did two million francs in sales. By 1901, they had tripled their workforce and doubled their sales.[4]

Callot Soeurs's day dresses were well received at the 1915 Universal Exhibition in San Francisco.[5] In 1916, Henri Bendel was the largest buyer of Callot Soeurs in New York City.[6] That same year, American Vogue dubbed the sisters the Three Fates, and declared them "foremost among the powers that rule the destinies of a woman's life and increase the income of France."[4] During World War I, American support was vital to the continued success of Callot Soeurs. While European sales fell, American buyers would order between 300 and 800 pieces every July.[5] In response to the proliferation of knockoffs in the 1910s and 1920s, Callot Soeurs regularly placed advertisements in The New York Times

Later history

Marie Callot Gerber died in 1927.[5] Her obituary in Le Figaro commented: "One of the most beautiful figures of the Parisian luxury business has now disappeared."[5]

In 1928, Pierre Gerber, Marie Callot Gerber's son, took over the business but could not survive in the highly competitive market and, in 1937, the House of Callot Soeurs closed and was absorbed into the House of Calvet (Marie-Louise Calvet);[2] under the Callot label. However, World War II made matters difficult in France. Similarly to what happened with the House of Vionnet in 1939, Calvet and the Callot label finally closed in 1952.

Influence and legacy

The couturier Madeleine Vionnet was head seamstress at Callot.[4] It was here that she refined her technique in couture. She explained that "Without the example of the Callot Soeurs, I would have continued to make Fords. It is because of them that I have been able to make Rolls-Royces."[4] Marie-Louise Bruyère was another designer who trained with the Callot Soeurs.[3]

Callot Soeurs clothing was known for its exotic detail. They were among the first designers to use gold and silver lamé to make dresses.[1]

Twenty-one Callot Soeurs dresses are preserved in the Acton Art Collection at New York University's Villa La Pietra in Florence.[10]

Gallery

External links

• Callot Soeurs at Chicago History Museum Digital Collections
• Dresses by the Callot sisters at the Philadelphia Museum of Art