close-up of an ivory lace shawl with floral embroidery on a mannequin.
Story

Callot Soeurs: a female fashion family affair

One of the most influential and successful fashion houses of the early 20th century founded by four sisters

On Avenue Matignon in Paris, one may notice - or inadvertently step on - a mosaic representing a woman in a light-blue dress beside the words 'Callot Soeurs'.

Commemorating the address of one of their shops, the mosaic keeps the memory of Callot Soeurs alive, one of the most influential and successful fashion houses of the 20th century.

a plaque in a pavement with a mosaic figure wearing a blue dress and the words 'Callot Soeurs'.
black and white photograph, a woman wearing a long dress and jacket with a floral hat.

What was Callot Soeurs?

Callot Soeurs was a successful Parisian fashion house between the 1900s and 1920s. Marcel Proust praised them as one of the greatest maisons de couture in his novel À la Recherche du Temps Perdu.

The fashion house was founded in 1895 by four sisters: Marie Callot Gerber, Marthe Callot Bertrand, Regina Callot Tennyson-Chantrell and Joséphine Callot Crimont.

black and white advertisement for Callot Soeurs from a newspaper.
A vintage blue dress displayed on a mannequin, with gold embroidery and sheer sleeves.

Who were the Callot Soeurs?

They descended from a family of art and textile dealers and were thus accustomed to the precious fabrics, lingerie and laces that their family shops were renowned for.

Mannequin wearing a long red dress with a leaf pattern.

Their mother was an expert lacemaker. Because of its intricacy and beauty, lace was one of the fabrics that most influenced the sisters' work.

Their couture dresses were made with handmade lace, usually reconstituted in the XVIIIth century. However, they also introduced more innovative fabrics such as gold and silver lamé and an elastic gabardine for their 'sports' couture.

close-up of an ivory lace shawl with floral embroidery on a mannequin.

Callot Soeurs is also remembered as being among the first designers to abandon the corset for less constrictive silhouettes.

Marie Gerber, the eldest of the sisters, was a talented designer, having trained as a première in the atelier of Raudnitz & Cie.

Inspired by the oriental and avant-garde arts, she eventually also designed dresses reminiscent of Cubist influences, made of laces and embroideries resembling collages. She draped fabrics on models and let her toile-makers execute the design.

Vintage gown with golden yellow fabric, gold embroidery and a pink scarf.

From 1901 to 1906, one of these toile-makers was no less than Madeleine Vionnet.

Later, the great couturiére would recognise Callot Soeurs as those who inspired her work. She declared: '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'.

black and white illustration of a model wearing a fitted coat and hat, seen from front and back.

After the death of Marie Berger, the couture house was run by her sons Pierre and Jacques, who continued to sell to the maison's loyal clientele. However, the economic crash of 1929 had a great impact on the business, which was then closed in 1937.