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After World War II, Paris, much like almost
all of Europe, was in shambles from the occupation of the Nazi troops.
Suffering from years of shortages, deprivation, and humiliation,
the government felt that it was important to show the world that
France remained resilient and strong in the face of adversity. One
idea floated by Raoul Daultry, then Minister of Reconstruction and
Urbanism, and Robert Ricci, co-founder with his mother of the Nina
Ricci fashion house, was to create a public event that would provide
an opportunity for all of the professional branches of fashion to
demonstrate the unsinkable vitality of their individual industries,
as well as to prove to the world that Paris still led the world
in producing beautiful clothing.
Despite the lack of materials needed to create
all the outfits for such a major undertaking, the Fédération
Française de la Couture du Prêt-à-Porter des
Couturiers et des Créateurs de Mode, using a timely suggestion
from Mr Ricci’s deputy, Gén Paul Caldeagues, came up with
a brilliant solution. They would ask the 53 participating fashion
houses to create doll-size renditions of their new designs, thus
allowing the much-rationed fabrics, leathers and trimmings to be
evenly distributed to all, with the understanding that it would
be made crystal clear that these are not doll’s clothes.
And so Théâtre de la Mode, the resulting
exhibition, was born. The original organizers then turned to artisans
from other artistic fields to bring their idea to life. Eliane Bonabel,
a talented young illustrator, was asked to design the prototype
mannequin. Artist Jean Saint-Martin, using the prototype (a third-scale
wire mannequin made from salvaged material), created a range of
28-inch figures, each with its own individual look. Artists Boris
Kochno did the lighting for the various displays. Painters André
Dignimont, Georges Douking, Emilio Grau-Sala and Louis Touchagues,
working closely with theatrical designers Jean-Denis Malcles, Georges
Wakhevitch and André Beaurepaire, painted and built the miniature
stage settings on which the dolls were to be displayed.
Nothing was left to chance. Each outfit, as small
as it was, was fully complemented with its own underwear and accessories.
This reflected the mindset that quality should not suffer because
one was facing a less-than-ideal situation. The hats were the size
of a coin, with each little shoe fashioned by famous French shoemakers
of the time. Even the furs, feathers and jewellery received the
first-class treatment. The end result was that on March 27, 1945,
13 miniature stage sets displaying 237 beautifully attired dolls
featuring the best, top-flight designs from all of Paris’s design
community, opened to a dazzled audience at the Musée des
Arts Décoratifs. The exhibition later travelled to other
countries and finally came to the United States in 1946 where it
was well received by the public, as well as being a critical success
with members of the fashion community in New York City.
CONTINUED 
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ABOVE: La Place Vendôme,
a replica of the stage set by Louis Touchagues. Photograph by John
Acurso appears in Edmonde Charles-Roux’s Théâtre
de la Mode, reviewed at the end of this article by the author.
BELOW: Continuing the tradition
of theatrics, Betsey Johnson’s spring 2004 collection.
 
   
Betsey Johnson’s spring
2004 collection had the usual over-the-top crazy glamour that is
intrinsically her own
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