Jacques Fath

 

Jacques Fath (1912-1954), a key figure in the postwar revival of the Paris fashion industry, created colorful and inventive designs for a young and sophisticated international clientele who identified with the vitality of his label. Though Fath was considered one of the "big three" Paris designers in the early 1950s, along with Christian Dior and Pierre Balmain, his untimely death at the age of forty-two meant that the impact and importance of his work was frequently overlooked in comparison to that of his contemporaries. While Fath's designs nailed the glamorous postwar look, it was his business attitude and understanding of the power of publicity and marketing that set this charismatic and flamboyant designer apart from his contemporaries.

Early Life

Fath was born in 1912, just outside of Paris, into an artistic family. René-Jacques Fath, his grandfather, was a successful artist. Although Fath's great-grandmother was an artist who dabbled in fashion illustration, the designer did little to dispel the rumor that she had worked as a couturière for Empress Eugénie. Fath worked for a stockbroker for two years after finishing his education, after being encouraged by his family to pursue a career in business. However, after completing the required year of military service, he realized that a more creative career awaited him. He attended drama school and also took evening drawing and pattern cutting classes. Fath met Geneviève Boucher de la Bruyère, a photographer's model and fellow drama student, during this time, and she became his wife in 1939. She was the model for many of Jacques Fath's early creations and came to represent the elegantly finished style of the Jacques Fath woman.

Couture House

Fath established a couture house in the rue de la Boetie at the end of 1936 and showed his first collection of only twenty garments in the spring of 1937. The collection was well received, allowing Fath to build up a steady clientele, despite the fact that he was still living on the edge in the 1930s. Guillaune mentions how, in later years, Fath recalled how he frequently used the money from a deposit on a garment to buy the fabric for it.

During WWII, Fath served in the French Army. He continued to run his house on a small scale after he was demobilized following the German occupation of France in 1940. Fath secured a permanent home for his label in an imposing eighteenth-century building on the avenue Pierre Premier de Serbie, having already moved once. In 1945, he created four designs for the Théâtre de la Mode, a traveling fashion doll exhibition that featured the work of top Parisian couturiers.

Expanding the Line

Fath, an astute businessman, decided to add a perfume line to his fashions. In 1945, he released his first perfume, Chasuble, and a year later, Iris Gris. Recognizing the enormous potential for growth in the United States, he signed a contract with New York manufacturer Joseph Halpert in 1948. Fath agreed to provide two collections per year, each with about twenty models to be sold in large department stores across the United States. Rita Hayward chose him to design her wedding gown and trousseau for her marriage to Prince Aly Khan in 1949, which increased his popularity in America even more. Fath had a devoted following in Hollywood and designed costumes for a number of films in both the United States and Europe. His costumes for Moira Shearer in the classic film The Red Shoes (1948) were regarded as timeless.

Lavish Lifestyles

Fath, an attractive and outgoing individual, recognized the significance of associating his brand with fantasy and marketing images of a lavish lifestyle that his clients could share. He was frequently photographed with his stunning wife at evening events in Paris or sunbathing on the Riviera. He threw lavish, themed costume parties at his château, inviting an international mix of socialites, actors, and fellow couturiers—ensuring maximum press coverage.

Boutique and Perfume

The designer had a busy year in 1950, with the release of his perfume Canasta and the opening of his boutique. Fath's boutique sold more affordable items such as scarves, ties, and stockings. He was also chosen by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture to be one of five designers to form a group of associated couturiers, alongside Carven, Desses, Paquin, and Piguet. Later that year, he established Parfums Jacques Fath to market his expanding line of fragrances. Fath decided to launch a ready-to-wear collection in 1953, anticipating similar moves by other designers to target a larger market. The Jacques Fath Université collection was inspired by the designer's observations of fast and efficient mass-production methods in the United States.

Influences

Fath's love of the dramatic was visible in his attire. He was heavily influenced by historical costume, theater, and ballet. These influences can be seen in his use of recurring motifs such as the bustle and corsetry, as well as his playful and undulating lines. He mastered the hourglass silhouette, enhancing it with plunging necklines, sharp pocket details, and dramatic pleats. Fath played with asymmetry, pleating, and volume, creating massive voluminous skirts for both day and evening wear. These skirts cascaded from his signature constricted waistline or appeared as fabric explosions beneath large enveloping coats and jackets. Color was used cleverly by Fath, ranging from subtle juxtapositions of soft colors to loud prints in strong shades. His designs frequently combined tartan patterned and plain fabrics in one garment, and he was unafraid to use bold modern prints to add dimension to the controlled lines of his tailored garments.

Innovative Designs

Fath's 1948 collections were notable for rejecting the full New Look silhouette in favor of severe tubular skirts and diagonally cut dresses. His spring 1950 collection created a stir when it debuted, with dresses featuring a plunging décolletage paired with starched wing collars fastened with a bow tie—a suggestive look later associated with Playboy bunnies. Fath loved fine wool tweed and jersey fabrics for daywear, often draping them directly onto mannequins to create a new design. For evening gowns, he preferred rich satins, taffetas, and fine chiffons, and he frequently used fur, both as trimmings and as full garments, to dramatic effect.

Leaving Behind an Empire

Jacques Fath died tragically young in 1954, at the age of 42. He left behind a fashion empire at the pinnacle of its success, with over 600 employees. Geneviève Fath bravely took over the business for a few years, but the clothing line was closed in 1957. The Fath name was used as a perfume label until 1992, when it was bought out by a number of different companies. The France Luxury Group was the most recent owner of the Fath label, resurrecting the clothing line in 2002 in an attempt to restore the success of this once great house.