Artist Info
Jean Dessès
Best known for his chiffon evening gowns inspired by elements of antiquity and classical Greek dress, Jean Dessès’s designs showcase some of the most intricate craftsmanship of the haute couture. By draping and entwining supple fabrics, such as chiffon or mousseline de soie over a rigid wire frame, Dessès produced gowns of great technical complexity that evoked a sense of classical sculpture.
The son of Greek parents, Dessès was born in Egypt, but moved to Paris in the 1920s to pursue a career in law and diplomacy. However, he soon abandoned his studies and went to work for the Parisian couture house, Maison Jane. By 1937, he had opened his own couture house on the rue de la Paix, boasting the Royal family of Greece, the Duchess of Windsor, and society hostess Elsa Maxwell among his well-heeled clientele. His students included Valentino, who apprenticed with Dessès during the 1950s (and acquired Dessès’s penchant for sweeping drapery).
Eschewing black, Dessès’s palette featured shades of rose, lavender, taupe, brown, eggplant, and pale pink, in addition to a range of grays and whites. These colors were often used to produce ombré patterned fabrics which were, in turn, elaborately plaited, twisted, and pleated, or gathered into bunches or panniers while using as much as 65 yards of fabric in the process. Despite their fluid appearance on the surface, Dessès’s dresses retained a hard understructure that molded the body.
His health failing, Jean Dessès closed his couture house in 1963. Since that time however, his dresses have garnered renewed interest, as celebrities such as Naomi Campbell, Renee Zellweger, Jennifer Lopez, and Penelope Cruz have all worn vintage Dessès gowns on the red carpet.
