N
Noir*Boudoir
Guest
I can see this is going to be another of those mysterious insoluables. But I thought I'd give it an airing and see if anyone has insights, since I'm an ignorant so-and-so.
OK, so the name Marcel Fenez is mostly notable, as the label resource suggests, for the fact that Roland Klein designed there from 1965 and was head of the house from 1973. This is when it was a model house based in London.
But of course these rather nice c.mid 50s-mid 60s dresses turn up saying 'Marcel Fenez, Paris' on them, which suggests they had something to do with a Mr.Fenez, from Paris.
(Even if he was probably flogging them in London - after all, the nice local Saville-esque tailor Sig.Penge put 'Roma' on his labels, and he lived across town from me for 20 years - of which more later. Much later).
At this point, M.Fenez could be the owner of the house, or the figurehead name of the firm, without necessarily designating a designer, perhaps?
*spanner in the wheel*
I've just won a dress (which is either going to get marked up for mall sale or, hehe, might fit me) which carries the label:
<b>'Carven Paris, by Marcel Fenez'</b>
<img src="http://users.ox.ac.uk/~wolf1360/auction/clothes/labels/carven%20marcel%20fenez.jpg" alt="carven marcel fenez">
Flouncy 50s, with boning & spaghetti straps.
Now Carven is easy to track down:
The diminuative duenna Madame Carmen de Tommaso, who studied architecture at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, founded her Haute Couture house on the Rond Point des Champs Elysées in 1945. She specialised in designing gowns for petite women (since one of her motivations for designing was to fill a gap in the market she had discovered for herself).
I think partly as a result of this focus, she had early success overseas, in territories such as Egypt, Brazil and the Far East, where her designs represented the epitome of French chic.
Now the brand has been licensed to death, although it is still managing to produce a haute couture line as of this year.
But in what cutting room or salon was this alliance forged?? Marcel Fenez was up to something in Paris c.195something and I'm really curious as to what it was!
Not that it's hugely important, but seeing as I've got a ton of other work to do, this is totally distracting me...
Ring any bells?
L
Oh, and here's the seller's photo of the dress. Not counting my chickens or anything...
<img src="http://users.ox.ac.uk/~wolf1360/auction/clothes/labels/carvenfenez.jpg" alt="fenez for carven dress">
OK, so the name Marcel Fenez is mostly notable, as the label resource suggests, for the fact that Roland Klein designed there from 1965 and was head of the house from 1973. This is when it was a model house based in London.
But of course these rather nice c.mid 50s-mid 60s dresses turn up saying 'Marcel Fenez, Paris' on them, which suggests they had something to do with a Mr.Fenez, from Paris.
(Even if he was probably flogging them in London - after all, the nice local Saville-esque tailor Sig.Penge put 'Roma' on his labels, and he lived across town from me for 20 years - of which more later. Much later).
At this point, M.Fenez could be the owner of the house, or the figurehead name of the firm, without necessarily designating a designer, perhaps?
*spanner in the wheel*
I've just won a dress (which is either going to get marked up for mall sale or, hehe, might fit me) which carries the label:
<b>'Carven Paris, by Marcel Fenez'</b>
<img src="http://users.ox.ac.uk/~wolf1360/auction/clothes/labels/carven%20marcel%20fenez.jpg" alt="carven marcel fenez">
Flouncy 50s, with boning & spaghetti straps.
Now Carven is easy to track down:
The diminuative duenna Madame Carmen de Tommaso, who studied architecture at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, founded her Haute Couture house on the Rond Point des Champs Elysées in 1945. She specialised in designing gowns for petite women (since one of her motivations for designing was to fill a gap in the market she had discovered for herself).
I think partly as a result of this focus, she had early success overseas, in territories such as Egypt, Brazil and the Far East, where her designs represented the epitome of French chic.
Now the brand has been licensed to death, although it is still managing to produce a haute couture line as of this year.
But in what cutting room or salon was this alliance forged?? Marcel Fenez was up to something in Paris c.195something and I'm really curious as to what it was!
Not that it's hugely important, but seeing as I've got a ton of other work to do, this is totally distracting me...
Ring any bells?
L
Oh, and here's the seller's photo of the dress. Not counting my chickens or anything...
<img src="http://users.ox.ac.uk/~wolf1360/auction/clothes/labels/carvenfenez.jpg" alt="fenez for carven dress">
