The Countess Greffulhe's Closet
"And as she passed me, she acknowledged me, sometimes with a faint smile, as if she had painted me a watercolor that was a masterpiece and added a personal dedication to it. Each of her dresses seemed like a natural setting, inevitable, like the projection of a particular aspect of her soul."
-Marcel Proust, “In Search of Lost Time”
“Lily Dress” by House of Worth, black velvet with application of ivory silk in the form of lilies, embroidered with pearls and sequins, 1896
In Proust’s most celebrated novel, In Search of Lost Time, the character of Oriane--Duchess of Guermantes, was inspired by Marie Anatole Louise Élisabeth, or Countess Greffulhe. “The Countess Greffulhe believed in the artistic significance of fashion,” says Dr. Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of The Museum at FIT.
The Countess is known to have built her own wardrobe collection to forge a distinct and personal style. A true fashion “influencer” of her time, she commissioned and collected pieces from top couturiers including Charles Frederick Worth, Paul Poiret, Mariano Fortuny, Jeanne Lanvin, and Nina Ricci. She lived through the Belle Époque and the Roaring Twenties, and was recognized as the head of the Paris high society for most of the first half of the 20th century.
The Museum at FIT presents an intimate picture of a personal wardrobe collection, from someone who chose what she wore, and who collaborated with couturiers to interpret her ideas. Most of the fashion exhibitions we saw in the recent past were surveys of a designer’s work, or themed around a time-relevant subject. But this exhibition, in concept, is like a “closet” as it is personal, and it tells a story of her time, taste, and habitat. It is less about the designers, but more about the influential client who supported and appreciated good design.
Below are some of the pieces featured in "Proust's Muse, The Countess Greffulhe", on view at The Museum at FIT through January 7, 2017. Fashion Institute of Technology is on Seventh Avenue at 27th Street, in New York City. Museum hours are noon-8pm, Tuesday-Friday; 10am-5pm, Saturday.
Click here to read more about the exhibition. Click on the photos below for a full screen view.
"Cape" and "Byzantine Gown", both by House of Worth
Installation view of the exhibition Proust’s Muse, The Countess Greffulhe at The Museum at FIT
Photograph by Paul Nadar, the Countess Greffulhe wearing the “Lily Dress” created by the House of Worth, 1896. © Nadar/Galliera/ Roger-Viollet.
Photos courtesy of The Museum at FIT.