Madame Gres. Sphinx of Fashion

Patricia Mears.

Yale University Press & The Fashion Institute of Technology. New Haven and London & New York. 2007. First edition. Hardback, quarto; blue cloth-bound boards, dust jacket. xii, 172 pages. Illustrated throughout in b&w and full-page colour plates. English. 330 x 230mm. 1.4kg. 9780300136920. Very good, in very good dust jacket; light shelf wear to boards and jacket.

This remains one of the most comprehensive books to be published on the couturier Madame Gres (1903-1993). It examines her enigmatic life and looks at the clothes she produced throughout her career. The book discusses her famous ability to create sculptural forms using beautiful drapery, inspired by classical and non-Western clothing. Her Grecian gowns, along with many other pieces, are generously illustrated and are accompanied by archive photographs.