Designers and Couture Houses
As the primary record of the creative process, design sketches offer important insights into how ideas evolve and how they are executed. The Campbell-Pretty Research Collection holds ten workbooks of leading twentieth-century couturière Madame Grès, a series of gestural and expressive fashion illustrations by Yves Saint Laurent, and sketches from the couture houses of Marcelle Dormoy, Marcelle Chaumont, Mad Carpentier, Jacques Fath and Jacques Heim. They reveal different views of a garment, item descriptions, costs, fabrics and suppliers, and the names of the seamstresses or vendeuses (saleswomen) allocated to the design. Compilations of studio drawings from the House of Lanvin, created after a garment’s completion, also demonstrate how collections were communicated to clients or the press.
For access and information on the Campbell-Pretty Fashion Research Collection, please contact the NGV Research Collection and Archive.
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