Boris Lipnitsky / Roger-Violet
The only daughter and adored muse of fashion designer Jeanne Lanvin, this musician reinvented herself as a countess throughout interwar Paris. Story told by Virginia Giraud*.
Have you ever noticed that upon arriving at Lanvin’s house, two little figures, a mother and her daughter, dance a merry twirl? Some readers will recognize the Arpège perfume logo, which was created in 1927. Designed by Paul Irib, the two small stylized characters were inspired by a photograph of Jeanne Lanvin and her daughter, aged around 10.
In the photo, the duo wear matching black dresses and miters made for a Mardi Gras party. Arpège is the famous couturier’s tribute to his daughter Marie-Blanche de Polignac to celebrate her 30th birthday. But the young woman was not always called that…
” data-script=”https://static.lefigaro.fr/widget-video/short-ttl/video/index.js” >
A modest dream
Jeanne Lanvin herself was 30 years old when she gave birth to Marguerite, her only daughter. He already runs a successful hat shop. Nicknamed “the little omnibus” as a child because he delivered his first master’s works, he was born into poverty. Becoming a milliner at just 13 seemed sensible, but Jeanne has too much talent and ambition to settle for a blue-collar job.
He saves penny after penny, stripping himself of everything, hoping to one day open his own business in the Faubourg Saint-Honoré, this new district between the Madeleine and the Concorde in Paris, where all the creatives who seek to supply The Belle Epoque bourgeoisie. His dream, modest at the time, came true in 1889. Seven years later, the business leader married an Italian-born roper who posed as an aristocrat. Emilio di Pietro is a diamond digger, but he at least has the dignity to give Jeanne a child.
E:make mother angry
At the same time as she raises her daughter, the milliner develops her business by envisioning a clothing line. Her little model becomes her child, the blonde doll. She makes her dresses and poses for Nadar’s son, who prepares her advertisements. However, photos are not enough to expand the customer base.
© Decorative Arts, Paris
Jeanne walks her daughter between the Champs-Élysées and the Rue de Marigny to reach the ladies of the Golden Triangle. Marguerite unwittingly catches all eyes in starched armor dresses, ermine coats and elegantly bejeweled hats. Moms loved the little girl’s style and were soon frequenting the house of Lanvin. But Margarita prefers sheet music to ornaments…
A rare talent
He really has a rare talent for piano and singing. A spoiled child, at 19 she married one of Clemenceau’s grandsons, a childhood friend whom she met in the gardens of Marini. She then married a second time to Comte Polignac, who renamed her Marie-Blanche. The new aristocrat now devotes himself to art and idleness. In 1946, after his mother’s death, he inherited the Lanvin empire.
It was impossible for her to live up to her mother, but she kept the house when the young Christian Dior pushed pre-war designers out of fashion. The countess, who died in 1958, had the wisdom to hand over the artistic leadership to fashion designer Antonio Castillo, thus perpetuating the work of Jeanne Lanvin, whose name is still associated with French luxury and elegance.
Discover other historical figures on the podcast with Virginia Giraud At the heart of the story
Source: Le Figaro
