PARFUMS GRES

The little girl known as Alix Barton— born Germaine Emilie Krebs—with dreams of being a sculptor or ballerina, entered the world of fashion as a hat-maker and then set her sights on couture. Madame Grès, as she was fondly known and admired, designed women’s clothes like art, sculpting fabric on the model’s body—her childhood dream unfolding—and dancing among the silks and chiffons of her evening dresses. In 1942, she adopted the name GRÈS, an anagram of her Russian husband’s name, Serge. Vogue's 1988 History of 20th Century Fashion named her "the greatest living couturier." Her first and famed perfume, Cabochard, launched in 1959. Others followed, like Cabaret, Cabotine, Caline, Folie Douce and Pastel.