La stilista dimenticata dalla moda. A Berlino apre una mostra su Madame Grès
A new exhibition titled "Many Shades of Grès" has opened at the Kunstgewerbemuseum (Museum of Decorative Arts) in Berlin, dedicated to the life and work of French couturier Germaine Émilie Krebs, known as Madame Grès. The show features 25 of her garments displayed across nine rooms, alongside accessories, drawings, photographs, and student works from the Berlin University of Applied Sciences. Madame Grès, who rose to prominence in the 1930s alongside Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli, dressed Hollywood icons such as Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, and Grace Kelly. The exhibition highlights her architectural approach to fashion, her resistance during the Nazi occupation of Paris, and her enduring influence on design.
This exhibition matters because it rescues Madame Grès from relative obscurity, reasserting her significance as a pioneering figure in fashion history whose sculptural, drape-heavy aesthetic anticipated contemporary trends. By pairing her original creations with student reinterpretations, the show bridges historical craftsmanship and current design education, emphasizing the lasting relevance of her work. The display also underscores the role of decorative arts museums in preserving and contextualizing fashion as an art form, especially for designers whose houses no longer exist.