How the world's first clothing brand for little women conquered Japan and the USSR: Madame Carven

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Usually fashion brands bear the names of their creators, but in this story, things turned out a little differently. The founder of the Carven house has always been called Madame Carven, but in reality she bore a different name. Madame Curven dressed stewardesses, taught men not to be afraid of elegant aromas, conquered Japan and opened a "window to Europe" for Vyacheslav Zaitsev. But - as strange as it may sound - the fashion house Carven might not have been born, had its creator been … taller.

At birth, she received the name Carmen de Tommaso. She was born in the old French town of Chatellerault in 1909. From a young age, Carmen was interested in art, studied architecture and aspired to become an interior decorator - this was how designers were called in those days. She also loved to go shopping - since childhood. Beloved aunt, heading for a new dress, always took her young niece with her and literally spent hours discussing fashionable novelties with her. Comprehending the intricacies of architecture, Carmen still could not pass by the showcase of a fashion boutique. With bated breath, she looked at photographs of luxurious women in luxurious dresses against the backdrop of luxurious interiors, at Hollywood stars in furs and diamonds, at long-legged fashion models, whom the whole world admired even then … She dreamed of looking just as adorable, wearing the same sophisticated and elegant outfits. But there was only one problem. Carmen's height was only one hundred and fifty-five centimeters.

Of course, she was not the only Frenchwoman of this height (although her mother apparently thought otherwise, regularly lamenting about such a terrible "disadvantage"). But all the couturiers seem to have forgotten that there are short women in the world! All the newfangled dresses were tailored for very tall girls. It was possible, of course, to customize the clothes at the dressmaker's, to adapt the styles, but then these outfits did not look so impressive. And then Carmen decided - if fashion designers do not create clothes for women of small stature … then there is an empty niche.

Here her architectural education came in handy. It was the study of architecture that taught Carmen to feel proportions and volumes. Among her acquaintances there were many small women - they became her first clients, critics, assistants … In 1945, she opened her own fashion brand and named Carven - in this strange word her own name and the surname of that very fashionable aunt, Boyriven, merged together. The French fashion industry was just recovering from the war, Paris was seized with anticipation of something new, something extraordinary … It was the best time to create your own fashion house - especially when there was no competition at all. The first successful and replicated model of the Carven house was light summer dress in New Look style with white and green stripes. It was called "Ma griffe" - just like one of the first Carven fragrances, "dressed" in a white and green packaging.

The number of Carven clients grew exponentially. Edith Piaf, Michelle Morgan and Leslie Karon appreciated the tailored cut, quality and sophistication of the outfits she created. They were joined by Egyptian princesses, the bride of the future French president Valerie Giscard d'Estaing, the mother of François Mitterrand … Dresses and costumes fit perfectly and flatter the figures of their owners, emphasizing their dignity and visually adding height. However, taller women also flaunted in her outfits - Madame Curven designed costumes for Alfred Hitchcock's film "The Window to the Courtyard." In the 60s, she designed uniforms for Saudia flight attendants, Charles de Gaulle airport employees and Air France. Madame Curven didn't just rework popular models for her non-model-sized clients - she created her own recognizable style, very fresh, very elegant and very French. She played on nuances - several shades of white, delicate embroidery at the collar, collars, cuffs, straps … And with all her love for detail, the designer never went beyond the bounds of impeccable taste. Her fashion house was one of the first to launch a separate youth clothing line. Before Madame Carven, fashion designers focused more on older women than on young girls, but it was with her submission that high fashion turned to the interests and aspirations of young people.

In the seventies, the brand expanded outside of France. It's time to conquer the world! And the first to fall under the onslaught of elegance was … Japan. The Japanese women, on average rather petite, were just delighted - finally, a real European fashion designer sewed something that might suit them! Madame Curven was generally famous for her love of travel - she often looked for inspiration in the culture of distant countries, presented her creations in Egypt, Thailand, Brazil and … in the USSR. In 1988, the show of the Carven house took place in the Soviet Union. Madame Curven met there a young fashion designer Vyacheslav Zaitsev, and it was she who contributed to his trip to Paris.

However, today the Carven brand is associated more with perfume than with clothing. Surprisingly, the most memorable invention of Madame Curven was not a special cut of things for petite ladies, but … the men's Vetiver perfume. She created it for her beloved husband - an elegant and unusual scent, restrained, but memorable.

Madame Curven retired in 1993 - she will be destined to live more than a hundred years, and her creation will outlive its creator. In the last years of her life, she loved to repeat that fashion, only fashion, made her truly happy.

Few fashion houses, born in the early years after the end of World War II, continue to exist today, and even fewer remain at the pinnacle of glory for so long. House Carven is no longer among the leading brands today - but it cannot be said that it has disappeared from fashion radars. In 2010, Guillaume Henri became the creative director of the house, reviving the brand. Today, Carven loyal fans include Kate Middleton, Kim Kardashian, Rooney Mara, Emma Watson, Kirsten Dunst and Beyoncé.