Gres, Madame (Alix)

Madame Gres was born Germaine Krebs in Paris 1903. She later changed her name to Alix Barton and and then again to "Madame Grès" (the name Grès was a partial anagram of her husband's first name Serge). As a young woman she studied painting and sculpture. She apprenticed with Premet Paris, then began designing in 1930 at Maison Alix, in 1933 she became Gres. A reclusive designer, she is best known for her intricately pleated, goddess style dresses and gowns. Though she gained only moderate fame and fortune, she is often regarded as one of the greatest couturiers of the era. Sadly, she died penniless under horrible conditions in the 1993