Piguet

Robert (1901-1953). French designer. An unsuccessful banker, in 1918 he moved to Paris from his native Yverdon, a small Swiss town on the shores of Lake NeuchÀtel. He brought nothing but his brief experience as a shoe designer for Bally, and a few sketches of his batik print designs. He dared to show these to Maison Lanvin, which rejected them. Unshaken and undeterred, in 1920 he opened his own dressmaker’s with the support of his lawyer brother, but it did not work out. He worked for Poiret and then for Redfern, who produced the first women’s uniform for the Red Cross. He looked to his family for support again and set up a new fashion house in 1933. This was managed by his second brother Georges, and was followed by a branch in London in 1936. He alternated sober daywear with sensational evening dresses that evoked the finery of the 1800s. He is still renowned for his pleated crinoline supported by a stiffened band, and romantic long, full-skirted dresses with contrasting fitted bodices, as modeled for the fashion magazines by his wife Mathilde. He launched the perfumes Bandit and Fracas in 1944. He stayed in business until 1951, when he retired for health reasons. His clients included many stars of French cinema and theater such as Arletty and Edwige Feuillère.