Return of the House of Worth

1/6
10 April 2012

Iwatch as, in a 19th-century ballroom in Paris, British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman, French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld and Suzy Menkes of the International Herald Tribune inspect the 2011 summer couture presentation of the House of Worth.

They pore over ballerina-inspired dresses and coats with tiny corseted bodices, large sleeves, antique lace and delicate embroidery — the handiwork of Worth's new designer, Giovanni Bedin.

With a price tag of £6,000, you can imagine heiress Daphne Guinness or actresses Eva Green and Freida Pinto in these mini-tutus with thigh-high leather boots, slimline trousers or over-a-red-carpet evening skirt. The rest of us will have to wait for the launch of the Worth ready-to-wear spring collection (ranging in price from £200 to £2,000) available from the end of February 2011. It's very hush-hush, but Browns will be stocking the collection initially.

Although the Worth perfume brand continued, the fashion house closed in 1956, after its acquisition by its former arch-rival, Maison Paquin. But now Worth is back. There will be a stand-alone store in Paris (probably on the site of Charles Frederick Worth's old shop on the rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré), and another one in London.

Mention Worth to fashion followers and they go into ecstasies. British-born Charles Frederick was the father of haute couture: the first designer to sew personal labels into bespoke garments, the first to prepare a collection in advance, and the first to display his wares using live models (making him the inventor of the modern catwalk). Born in 1826, he was apprenticed as a draper in London, at Swan and Edgar. At the age of 21, he set out to find his fortune at Maison Gagelin in Paris. Among his innovations was the introduction of ready-made muslin dress samples, from which patrons could choose a style.

At Gagelin, Worth met Marie Vernet, a house model, whom he married in 1851. His designs were featured at the Great Exhibition in London, where they won a gold medal. In 1857, he started his own company.

As Haussmann was designing what became the "grands boulevards" of Paris, Worth was designing the art that became haute couture. Both were products of an era of conspicuous consumption. Worth popularised sumptuous crinolined gowns and bustles. His clients included Empress Eugénie, consort of Napoleon III, and the actress Sarah Bernhardt.

Today, his dresses form part of major collections in Europe and the States. The current Yves Saint Laurent show at the Petit Palais in Paris demonstrates just how much Worth's designs paved the way for future stars such as Hubert de Givenchy and Saint Laurent.

When Worth died in 1895, his two French-born sons took over the business. In 1932, they turned their father's perfume, Je Reviens, into a hugely successful brand. In its blue skyscraper bottle, it became a gift favoured by Second World War soldiers for their sweethearts.

A few years ago, British entrepreneur Martin McCarthy purchased the intellectual property to the label. Now, he and business partner Dilesh Mehta (CEO of Shaneel Enterprises, which manufactures and distributes brands worldwide) have reunited the clothes and perfume.

The entrepreneurs have brought in Giovanni Bedin, 35 — who has worked with Karl Lagerfeld and Thierry Mugler — to create modern pieces inspired by Worth's style. "It's a severe line with a very, very feminine inside," Bedin tells me, revealing layers of hand-crafted petticoats. "We worked a lot on big shoulders and tiny waists. But it's adjustable because all the materials are stretchy."

For McCarthy, the designer is an obsession. He grew up in Worth's birthplace, Bourne, in Lincolnshire — "Worth influenced my whole career." For the past 15 years, McCarthy — who has worked at Gianfranco Ferré, Nino Cerruti, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren — has been talking about relaunching the house.

Thanks to new clients in Russia and China, couture is one of the few industries to buck the recession and the brand is ripe for expansion. In future there will be bags, gloves, homeware and jewellery. McCarthy hints that a big British designer is interested in doing the menswear.

"It's inclusive luxury," he boasts. "We have hundred-million-dollar businesses that want to collaborate." Meanwhile a new version of Je Reviens will be relaunched in August at Harrods — part of its Perfume Diaries exhibition, celebrating the world's greatest fragrances.

Fashion critics will be watching closely. Any bets Lady Gaga will be wearing Worth next year?
worthparis.com

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in