A TRUE FASHION PIONEER

Jeanne Paquin (1869–1936) was a leading French fashion designer, known for her resolutely modern and innovative designs. She was the first major female couturier and one of the pioneers of the modern fashion business (source: Wikipedia under Creative Commons License).

It’s not surprising we chose Paquin as one of our inspirations for re-creating vintage couture fashion. Paquin was and remains a true icon of her time and the years that followed her reign in the early part of the 20th century.

There is already much written about the fashion designer Jeanne Paquin. Here we would just like to pay hommage to this talented designer and visionary who impressed many generations with her enthusiam and imagination for fashion.

Paquin inspired innovative fashion designs in the body of work that followed her at the House of Paquin. Our first reproduction of one of her pattern designs is an example of the innovation and bold aesthetics of the ‘Paquin Look’ in the 1950’s. 

A fitted collarless jacket with a vented neckline says much about the novelty, or lack thereof, of collars. The House of Paquin designers at the time do away with this feature and make a broad pleated scarf attached to the neckline the hero feature, giving the jacket the attention it deserves!

Click through the slideshow to see the cover illustration of the design!