1 00:00:02,360 --> 00:00:06,400 Speaker 1: Happy Saturday, everybody. Today is the birthday of Charles Frederick Worth, 2 00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:08,720 Speaker 1: who was the founder of the House of Worth. So 3 00:00:08,760 --> 00:00:11,920 Speaker 1: we're going back to our episode on his life and 4 00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:15,600 Speaker 1: the birth of VAT culture and if you like fashion history, 5 00:00:15,680 --> 00:00:17,760 Speaker 1: Just in case you have missed it, there is also 6 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:21,239 Speaker 1: a whole fashion history podcast on our network. It is 7 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:24,840 Speaker 1: called Dressed. It is hosted by April Callahan and Cassidy Zachary, 8 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:30,440 Speaker 1: who are fashion historians and it is a delight so enjoy. 9 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:34,960 Speaker 1: Welcome to stuff you missed in history class from house 10 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:43,840 Speaker 1: stuff Works dot com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 11 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:47,760 Speaker 1: I'm Holly Fry and I'm trace Phoebe Wilson. We get 12 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:51,519 Speaker 1: a lot of request to do more fashion related podcasts, uh, 13 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:54,000 Speaker 1: and specifically the one that we're going to talk about today. 14 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:58,240 Speaker 1: So this person set in motion really the very concept 15 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:01,960 Speaker 1: of a design house and established many of the practices 16 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:05,480 Speaker 1: that are standard business for designers today. I won't go 17 00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:07,240 Speaker 1: on a lot in the introduction because it all comes 18 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:09,320 Speaker 1: out in the story. Uh. This is a man who 19 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:12,399 Speaker 1: ran the Paris fashion scene in the late eighteen hundreds. 20 00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:16,679 Speaker 1: He really was sort of bizarre fashion for France at 21 00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:19,880 Speaker 1: that point. He's featured all over our pinter's board. He is, 22 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:23,520 Speaker 1: in fact Charles Worth. Before we start, could I just 23 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:26,400 Speaker 1: say that I'm glad you're around to field all these 24 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:29,319 Speaker 1: requests about fashion history, because if it were me, I 25 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:31,120 Speaker 1: would be like, once upon a time there was a 26 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:36,200 Speaker 1: garment and it went on people's bodies, which strikes me 27 00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:38,240 Speaker 1: as hilarious because the first time I met you, you 28 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:40,280 Speaker 1: were in a costume. So in my head, you're like 29 00:01:40,319 --> 00:01:44,319 Speaker 1: a fashion nut like me. But the costume things I 30 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:49,040 Speaker 1: can handle better than like the fashion things you know. 31 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:52,279 Speaker 1: To me, they're all tied up together to get onto 32 00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:57,760 Speaker 1: the subject. Charles Frederick Worth was born October eight to 33 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:00,760 Speaker 1: William and Mary Anne Worth and Link in Sure, England. 34 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 1: The Worth family at that point was really well off. 35 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:09,080 Speaker 1: William was one of a long line of attorneys, but 36 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:12,240 Speaker 1: things didn't quite stay so rosy. Early on in Charles's 37 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:15,560 Speaker 1: life the tide of affluents really shifted. His father was 38 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:19,440 Speaker 1: an alcoholic and basically squandered the family fortune, and when 39 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:23,680 Speaker 1: Charles was around eleven, he lost everything to the combination 40 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 1: of drinking gambling, and as a consequence, both Marianne and 41 00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 1: young Charles suddenly kind of were put in the position 42 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:34,320 Speaker 1: to have to support the family while his mother took 43 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:37,120 Speaker 1: on cleaning jobs to make ends meet. Charles, who was 44 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:41,800 Speaker 1: just twelve, became a printer's apprentice. Princing didn't really suit him, though, 45 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 1: and after a year in that trade, he went to 46 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:47,480 Speaker 1: work as a bookkeeper for Swan and Edgar, which was 47 00:02:47,520 --> 00:02:51,240 Speaker 1: a textile firm in London. He later shifted to the 48 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:54,920 Speaker 1: silk merchant trade, working for Louis and Allenby, and he 49 00:02:54,919 --> 00:02:57,440 Speaker 1: stayed with him until eighteen forty five, when he was 50 00:02:57,440 --> 00:03:01,760 Speaker 1: twenty years old. And the entire time that Worth was 51 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:04,800 Speaker 1: working on the business side of the fabric industry, you know, 52 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:08,680 Speaker 1: doing bookkeeping and administrative tasks, he was taking in a 53 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:12,000 Speaker 1: lot more than the bookkeeping. He was watching dressmakers and 54 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:16,359 Speaker 1: their fashionable clients select fabrics and choose designs, and he 55 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:18,680 Speaker 1: was learning as much as he could about textiles and 56 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:23,959 Speaker 1: the various qualities that separated luxury fabrics from more utility weaves. 57 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:28,640 Speaker 1: He went to art galleries and really vociferously studied the 58 00:03:28,639 --> 00:03:33,079 Speaker 1: fashions of eras as represented through art, and he basically 59 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:36,560 Speaker 1: observed the entire world of contemporary fashion that was playing 60 00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:39,320 Speaker 1: out in these fashions in these textile houses that he 61 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:42,280 Speaker 1: was working in. By eight forty five, he felt like 62 00:03:42,320 --> 00:03:44,520 Speaker 1: he was ready to move out of the records office 63 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:47,200 Speaker 1: and into the actual world of fashion, so he left 64 00:03:47,240 --> 00:03:49,880 Speaker 1: his job at Louis and Allenby and moved to Paris. 65 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:53,640 Speaker 1: His first job in France, as a sales clerk at 66 00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:57,720 Speaker 1: Gagelon and Opeg, was not only his first real step 67 00:03:57,760 --> 00:04:00,200 Speaker 1: into the fashion world, but it also proved to be 68 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:03,800 Speaker 1: a really personal turning point as well. It was there 69 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:06,240 Speaker 1: at the fabric and accessories shop that he would meet 70 00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:11,200 Speaker 1: Marie Vernet, who sometimes modeled the shops goods, and Charles 71 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:14,120 Speaker 1: and Marie fell in love. They got married in eighteen 72 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:17,240 Speaker 1: fifty one, and she was still modeling accessories for the 73 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:20,920 Speaker 1: luxury shop at that point. After their marriage and Charles 74 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:24,120 Speaker 1: kind of decided to put all of those years of 75 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:27,320 Speaker 1: self directed study to work, so he started to design 76 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:30,760 Speaker 1: and stitch gowns for her to wear while she was 77 00:04:30,839 --> 00:04:33,800 Speaker 1: modeling the accessories, like the high end shawls and leases 78 00:04:33,839 --> 00:04:37,960 Speaker 1: that the shop provided. This got the attention of several 79 00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:42,719 Speaker 1: of Casalon's customers who would ask about Marie's lovely garments. 80 00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:46,160 Speaker 1: Worth saw a potential market and started to pitch an 81 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:49,640 Speaker 1: idea to his bosses he would make gowns to sell 82 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:53,080 Speaker 1: alongside the accessories that the shop was already well known for. 83 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:57,279 Speaker 1: In Worth's plan, the shop would provide the raw materials 84 00:04:57,320 --> 00:05:01,000 Speaker 1: and he would do all the work. Okay, So for context, 85 00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:04,720 Speaker 1: that may not sound particularly groundbreaking in the least to you, 86 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:08,320 Speaker 1: our listeners, but prior to this, there was really no 87 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:11,560 Speaker 1: such thing as walking into a store and purchasing a 88 00:05:11,640 --> 00:05:15,920 Speaker 1: ready made garment. So the idea of having a dress, look, 89 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:17,440 Speaker 1: this dress is done, would you like to buy it? 90 00:05:17,520 --> 00:05:21,000 Speaker 1: Completely alien. Everything was made to order at that point, 91 00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:24,960 Speaker 1: so the idea of marketing a finished gown was frankly radical. 92 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:28,000 Speaker 1: It just no one had ever done it, and no 93 00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:31,839 Speaker 1: one at that point even really thought it could be done. 94 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:34,920 Speaker 1: So this was before there was like uniformity of sizes. 95 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:36,800 Speaker 1: You couldn't walk in and say, hey, I'm a size 96 00:05:37,279 --> 00:05:40,120 Speaker 1: eight or ten or twelve, what do you have? It 97 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:42,920 Speaker 1: was more like, here are my measurements, make my outfit? Well? 98 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:49,200 Speaker 1: And there's also little uniformity of sizes now right, well, 99 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:54,000 Speaker 1: but there's more than they're used to be sure um, 100 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:57,000 Speaker 1: And prior to vanity sizing it was much more uniform 101 00:05:57,080 --> 00:06:00,960 Speaker 1: but Unfortunately, this grand idea of Worth was not met 102 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:05,000 Speaker 1: with enthusiasm by G and OPG. But buoyed by the 103 00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:07,839 Speaker 1: fact that his dresses were quickly becoming the talk of 104 00:06:07,960 --> 00:06:12,400 Speaker 1: fashionable circles, Worth eventually partnered with a Swedish man he 105 00:06:12,480 --> 00:06:16,960 Speaker 1: met through his work. His name was Otto Beaubert was 106 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:20,440 Speaker 1: after a decade of working for the accessory shop that 107 00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:23,280 Speaker 1: Worth set up shop with his new partner and a 108 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:27,320 Speaker 1: few dozen staff members. So the business duo opened Worth 109 00:06:27,320 --> 00:06:30,360 Speaker 1: in Beaubert in Rude la Pay in the late eighteen fifties. 110 00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:33,880 Speaker 1: And the start of words shop wasn't really an instant 111 00:06:33,920 --> 00:06:37,039 Speaker 1: success you may have anticipated, like he's still groundbreaking and 112 00:06:37,040 --> 00:06:40,479 Speaker 1: people already are talking about him. It didn't really take 113 00:06:40,520 --> 00:06:43,279 Speaker 1: off gangbusters like they had hoped. He had customers, but 114 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:45,880 Speaker 1: it just was not the blockbuster that he and Boubert 115 00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:48,440 Speaker 1: had envisioned. He knew he was going to have to 116 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:51,640 Speaker 1: reach out to prominent and stylish people to get them 117 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:55,720 Speaker 1: interested in his clothes and build his reputation. So nowadays, 118 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:58,760 Speaker 1: for example, asking a celebrity who they're wearing is de 119 00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:01,960 Speaker 1: rigor on red carpet. But this was another concept that's 120 00:07:01,960 --> 00:07:05,520 Speaker 1: pretty much entirely worth doing. No one really talked about 121 00:07:05,560 --> 00:07:08,520 Speaker 1: designers like they would certainly share, oh I have a 122 00:07:08,520 --> 00:07:11,560 Speaker 1: great dressmaker you could use. But it wasn't like with 123 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:15,960 Speaker 1: that level of um, you know, cashet attached to it 124 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:17,680 Speaker 1: where they would be like, oh, this is the one 125 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:19,640 Speaker 1: rose Berta a little bit and we'll talk about her 126 00:07:19,640 --> 00:07:23,520 Speaker 1: again a little bit later, but just not not the 127 00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:26,800 Speaker 1: thing to talk about your designer. While out for a 128 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:31,160 Speaker 1: walk with Marie one evening, Charles noticed the Princess Pauline 129 00:07:31,240 --> 00:07:33,760 Speaker 1: de Metternich of Vienna, and that was the wife of 130 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:37,640 Speaker 1: the Austrian ambassador to Paris. She was traveling in her 131 00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:40,760 Speaker 1: carriage on her way to be presented at court. He 132 00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:43,520 Speaker 1: was impressed with her demeanor and how she carried herself, 133 00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:46,320 Speaker 1: and he thought she could be the perfect ambassador for 134 00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:50,320 Speaker 1: him among the royals and the wealthy, and within a 135 00:07:50,360 --> 00:07:53,160 Speaker 1: few weeks a meeting had been arranged, so he sent 136 00:07:53,240 --> 00:07:56,080 Speaker 1: Marie to present the princess with a book of fashion 137 00:07:56,120 --> 00:07:59,520 Speaker 1: sketches that her husband had done, and at that meeting, 138 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:02,640 Speaker 1: the princess ordered two gowns. She paid only three hundred 139 00:08:02,680 --> 00:08:06,920 Speaker 1: francs for each, which was certainly not cheap, but for 140 00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:09,680 Speaker 1: someone of her rank it really was not a terrible expense, 141 00:08:10,080 --> 00:08:13,120 Speaker 1: and she also promised to wear one of them to 142 00:08:13,240 --> 00:08:16,000 Speaker 1: an upcoming ball, so she kind of was in on 143 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:18,000 Speaker 1: the plan from the beginning of like, hey, it would 144 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:19,800 Speaker 1: be great if you would wear our clothes and show 145 00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:23,400 Speaker 1: them to your friends. The dress was white tool with 146 00:08:23,560 --> 00:08:26,600 Speaker 1: silver threading, and it was embellished with daisies and diamonds, 147 00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:30,920 Speaker 1: which just sounds happy and sparkly to me. The ball 148 00:08:31,080 --> 00:08:35,040 Speaker 1: was hosted by Napoleon the third Empress Eugenie, and Eugenie 149 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:37,839 Speaker 1: was a striking woman and arrived at the ball also 150 00:08:37,960 --> 00:08:40,439 Speaker 1: in white Tool, and she had this garland of fresh 151 00:08:40,440 --> 00:08:44,440 Speaker 1: flowers in her hair and a lavish spread of diamonds 152 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:48,720 Speaker 1: everywhere else. And while by all accounts the Empress was 153 00:08:48,760 --> 00:08:51,240 Speaker 1: certainly the belle of the ball, at anything you read 154 00:08:51,280 --> 00:08:54,120 Speaker 1: about her, and particularly about that evening, they talked about 155 00:08:54,160 --> 00:08:57,920 Speaker 1: just how incredibly luminous and beautiful she looked. Many people 156 00:08:58,000 --> 00:08:59,720 Speaker 1: regarded her as one of the most beautiful women of 157 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:02,280 Speaker 1: the day. But she did indeed notice the gown that 158 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:05,640 Speaker 1: Princess Metternick was wearing, and she actually inquired about it, 159 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:08,080 Speaker 1: and when the princess mentioned that it was made by 160 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:11,559 Speaker 1: an englishman named Worth. Uh, and they discussed it briefly. 161 00:09:11,640 --> 00:09:14,520 Speaker 1: The Empress then requested that he come to visit her 162 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:19,400 Speaker 1: almost immediately the next day. And so with that, Charles 163 00:09:19,400 --> 00:09:22,920 Speaker 1: Worth's career sort of took off at a really dizzying speed. 164 00:09:23,880 --> 00:09:25,640 Speaker 1: But before we get to that, do you want to 165 00:09:25,679 --> 00:09:36,160 Speaker 1: take a word from a sponsor. Yes, To get back 166 00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:39,679 Speaker 1: to Charles Worth, he really tended to buck social conventions 167 00:09:39,679 --> 00:09:42,559 Speaker 1: and to dress in a much more casual and eclectic 168 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:45,679 Speaker 1: way than you might expect for a gentleman of that time. 169 00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:49,160 Speaker 1: And this was true when he went to Tuelry to 170 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:52,320 Speaker 1: meet the Empress. You would expect a man to be 171 00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:56,560 Speaker 1: or anyone really informal dress on such an occasion, but 172 00:09:56,679 --> 00:10:01,319 Speaker 1: he had on casual clothing and a beret this uh. 173 00:10:01,360 --> 00:10:03,079 Speaker 1: And we'll talk about it a little bit more later, 174 00:10:03,160 --> 00:10:06,760 Speaker 1: but he really seems like he was maybe the mold 175 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:11,839 Speaker 1: maker for the bohemian artiste designer that has really followed 176 00:10:12,559 --> 00:10:15,880 Speaker 1: been followed by numerous people, uh since. And I have 177 00:10:15,960 --> 00:10:19,599 Speaker 1: to wonder if they're aping Worth, whether they consciously or 178 00:10:19,679 --> 00:10:23,360 Speaker 1: unconsciously are doing so. You know, anytime you sort of 179 00:10:23,400 --> 00:10:26,559 Speaker 1: think of, um, those people that sort of carry themselves 180 00:10:26,559 --> 00:10:29,880 Speaker 1: with a little bit of pretense and pretense and their artistes. 181 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:33,600 Speaker 1: I think Worth may have been the genesis point of 182 00:10:33,640 --> 00:10:37,280 Speaker 1: a lot of the stereotypes that we have come up 183 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:42,880 Speaker 1: with around artists. But his timing, more importantly, when he 184 00:10:42,960 --> 00:10:46,920 Speaker 1: met Princess Metternick, had really been impeccable because he had 185 00:10:46,920 --> 00:10:48,480 Speaker 1: managed to get his foot in the door with the 186 00:10:48,559 --> 00:10:52,240 Speaker 1: royal class at the same time that Empress Eugenie, with 187 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:55,880 Speaker 1: Napoleon the Third's urging, was really looking to up her 188 00:10:55,960 --> 00:10:58,960 Speaker 1: game when it came to style and fashion. She wasn't 189 00:10:59,360 --> 00:11:03,040 Speaker 1: unfashioned a bowl and she had style, but she really 190 00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:05,199 Speaker 1: was tended to be a little bit more simple than 191 00:11:05,679 --> 00:11:08,440 Speaker 1: than one would anticipate and what the people tended to 192 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:11,800 Speaker 1: desire in the woman who sat at the the highest 193 00:11:11,800 --> 00:11:14,040 Speaker 1: position in France. So it was really in her best 194 00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:18,240 Speaker 1: interest to cultivate a more stylish image. And so while 195 00:11:18,280 --> 00:11:20,600 Speaker 1: she had a natural style and she was by all 196 00:11:20,640 --> 00:11:24,439 Speaker 1: accounts very elegant, she really needed someone to shape her 197 00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:27,960 Speaker 1: wardrobe worthy into one that would be worthy of her station. 198 00:11:28,520 --> 00:11:31,680 Speaker 1: And that is at the point where Charles Worth entered 199 00:11:31,679 --> 00:11:36,400 Speaker 1: her dressing room. During that first meeting, which was held 200 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:39,000 Speaker 1: in her dressing room, she ordered one evening dress from 201 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:41,640 Speaker 1: the designer, and that doesn't sound like a lot, but 202 00:11:41,679 --> 00:11:43,559 Speaker 1: it would work out to be the first of many. 203 00:11:44,480 --> 00:11:47,360 Speaker 1: Oh yes, he ended up basically providing all of her 204 00:11:47,360 --> 00:11:49,839 Speaker 1: clothes as time went on, and in addition to the 205 00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:52,760 Speaker 1: wonderful timing of meeting Eugenie, just as she was plotting 206 00:11:52,760 --> 00:11:56,920 Speaker 1: a wardrobe overhaul, Worth was also inventing the idea of 207 00:11:56,960 --> 00:12:00,559 Speaker 1: a fashion designer. At the same time that court functions 208 00:12:00,840 --> 00:12:05,440 Speaker 1: really required multiple wardrobe changes each day, and wearing the 209 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:09,120 Speaker 1: same dress twice was something of an image suicide. There are, 210 00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:13,199 Speaker 1: in fact stories of Eugenie withdrawing invitations to people after 211 00:12:13,320 --> 00:12:16,320 Speaker 1: they had appeared in court and had not been stylish enough. 212 00:12:17,240 --> 00:12:19,040 Speaker 1: So she then was like, hey, you know how I 213 00:12:19,080 --> 00:12:21,679 Speaker 1: said come back next week. I didn't mean that I'm 214 00:12:21,679 --> 00:12:24,720 Speaker 1: gonna withdraw that, and she was usually quite direct and said, like, 215 00:12:24,800 --> 00:12:28,400 Speaker 1: you know, due to clothing that was unbecoming. So basically 216 00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:31,640 Speaker 1: at this point, as he's getting there, Eugenie wants an overhaul, 217 00:12:31,840 --> 00:12:36,480 Speaker 1: and for everyone else kind of in the higher strata 218 00:12:36,520 --> 00:12:38,880 Speaker 1: of social structure, if you wanted to hang out at 219 00:12:38,920 --> 00:12:41,600 Speaker 1: French Court, you really better have a closet full of 220 00:12:41,679 --> 00:12:45,840 Speaker 1: incredibly sumptuous finery, and once people knew that he was 221 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:50,120 Speaker 1: dressing the Empress, Worth was in demand constantly morning and night. 222 00:12:50,679 --> 00:12:53,920 Speaker 1: His popularity grew so quickly that the street outside of 223 00:12:53,920 --> 00:12:57,239 Speaker 1: his shop was said to be constantly clogged with carriages. 224 00:12:57,880 --> 00:13:01,000 Speaker 1: The shop itself was crowded with wealth the patrons who 225 00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:03,720 Speaker 1: were there to socialize and to be seen in the 226 00:13:03,840 --> 00:13:08,200 Speaker 1: shop as well as to actually order gowns. And for 227 00:13:08,320 --> 00:13:12,760 Speaker 1: his part, Worth really basked in the spotlight. Uh. He 228 00:13:12,880 --> 00:13:16,080 Speaker 1: would entertain high profile customers, you know, in a group. 229 00:13:16,120 --> 00:13:17,720 Speaker 1: He would sit there and chat with all the ladies 230 00:13:18,080 --> 00:13:20,480 Speaker 1: and he would he had this habit that to me 231 00:13:20,559 --> 00:13:24,960 Speaker 1: sounds so horrible, but I can see where it would 232 00:13:24,960 --> 00:13:28,679 Speaker 1: appeal to the society. He would call one or another woman, 233 00:13:28,760 --> 00:13:31,240 Speaker 1: like whoever he picked at any given moment, uh, in 234 00:13:31,280 --> 00:13:35,120 Speaker 1: their little social circle forward, and then he would critique 235 00:13:35,120 --> 00:13:39,000 Speaker 1: their ensemble head to two, like it's like what not 236 00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:45,520 Speaker 1: to weare? Yeah, I mean I presume if you were 237 00:13:45,559 --> 00:13:47,920 Speaker 1: going to visit him, you probably already tried to be 238 00:13:47,960 --> 00:13:50,600 Speaker 1: turned out and look as as good as you possibly could. 239 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:54,920 Speaker 1: But that sounds very scary to me. Uh. And sometimes 240 00:13:54,920 --> 00:13:57,600 Speaker 1: he would be very um positive and say, oh you 241 00:13:57,600 --> 00:13:59,160 Speaker 1: look beautiful. You know, this is all working. But he 242 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:01,520 Speaker 1: would also critique people and tell them like, your outfit 243 00:14:01,640 --> 00:14:04,480 Speaker 1: is horrible and here's what needs fixing. And while you 244 00:14:04,559 --> 00:14:08,079 Speaker 1: might think this kind of behavior could potentially drive customers away, 245 00:14:08,160 --> 00:14:10,840 Speaker 1: it did not. It kind of upped his appeal. Uh. 246 00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:13,600 Speaker 1: He ended up designing not only for Empress Eugenie, but 247 00:14:13,720 --> 00:14:16,960 Speaker 1: even the likes of Queen Victoria and Empress Elizabeth. He 248 00:14:17,480 --> 00:14:20,960 Speaker 1: designed Elizabeth's coronation gown when she became Queen of Hungary, 249 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:23,640 Speaker 1: and so a high end gown from the House of 250 00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:26,480 Speaker 1: Worth could run as much as ten thousand dollars, although 251 00:14:26,520 --> 00:14:29,240 Speaker 1: there were customers and clients that did not spend that much. 252 00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:31,120 Speaker 1: Some would spend that much in a year, but some 253 00:14:31,280 --> 00:14:33,200 Speaker 1: would drop that much at a pop. And that's a 254 00:14:33,240 --> 00:14:37,880 Speaker 1: lot when you consider mid eighteen hundreds. Uh. Also part 255 00:14:37,960 --> 00:14:42,800 Speaker 1: of his sort of uh mystique or his cultivated personality, 256 00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:47,000 Speaker 1: Empress Eugenie would sometimes butt heads with him about how 257 00:14:47,680 --> 00:14:50,600 Speaker 1: a garment or a gown should be executed or what 258 00:14:50,640 --> 00:14:54,200 Speaker 1: cloth should be used, but she basically always caved into 259 00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:56,480 Speaker 1: what he wanted to do, which is saying a great 260 00:14:56,480 --> 00:15:00,160 Speaker 1: deal about his power. Uh. You know, he basically is 261 00:15:00,200 --> 00:15:02,560 Speaker 1: with the most powerful woman in the country and going no, no, no, 262 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:04,760 Speaker 1: you're wrong. Just let me do my thing, and she 263 00:15:04,760 --> 00:15:08,240 Speaker 1: would go okay. She ended up nicknaming him the Tyrant 264 00:15:08,240 --> 00:15:12,040 Speaker 1: of Fashion. By eighteen sixty four, so five years into 265 00:15:12,080 --> 00:15:15,360 Speaker 1: his creative relationship with the Empress, Worth had become the 266 00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:19,200 Speaker 1: official corturier of the French court, and it's estimated that 267 00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:23,000 Speaker 1: his fashion house was producing between ten thousand and eleven 268 00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:26,960 Speaker 1: thousand pieces a year in gowns and outerwear to keep 269 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:31,960 Speaker 1: the finest ladies in France outfitted in the latest styles. 270 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:34,640 Speaker 1: So with that level of output, obviously he was not 271 00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:38,480 Speaker 1: doing all the stitching himself. Uh. He maintained the integrity 272 00:15:38,480 --> 00:15:41,640 Speaker 1: of his brand though by just being a really conscientious manager. 273 00:15:42,040 --> 00:15:45,480 Speaker 1: He held his garments to the highest quality standards. He 274 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:49,720 Speaker 1: hired only the best seamstresses and dressmakers to execute his designs. 275 00:15:50,280 --> 00:15:54,560 Speaker 1: One of the sort of signatures of his clothing was 276 00:15:54,600 --> 00:15:57,640 Speaker 1: that the interiors of the garment garments had to be 277 00:15:57,720 --> 00:16:00,520 Speaker 1: finished so well that they would rival the outside in 278 00:16:00,560 --> 00:16:04,840 Speaker 1: beauty like. There was no ugly interiors, everything was beautiful 279 00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:09,400 Speaker 1: inside and out. He also used only the finest fabrics. 280 00:16:09,560 --> 00:16:12,560 Speaker 1: His textile choices could really make a year for a weaver. 281 00:16:13,360 --> 00:16:16,840 Speaker 1: Leon had been known as a hub of really x 282 00:16:16,960 --> 00:16:20,360 Speaker 1: was exquisite silk and worth take advantage of having such 283 00:16:20,480 --> 00:16:24,880 Speaker 1: incredible fabrics so close by, and his adopted home country 284 00:16:25,040 --> 00:16:28,480 Speaker 1: textile mills would send worth samples and the hopes of 285 00:16:28,480 --> 00:16:32,720 Speaker 1: getting a lucrative order out of it. Yeah, he really 286 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:34,880 Speaker 1: you know, his word was gold in terms of the 287 00:16:34,920 --> 00:16:39,520 Speaker 1: textile world. Like if he endorsed a particular weaver, whether 288 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:41,160 Speaker 1: or not he did a huge order for that year, 289 00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:45,000 Speaker 1: they basically were going to do great for that year. Uh. 290 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:47,560 Speaker 1: And as his fame and prestige grew, worth, as you 291 00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:50,160 Speaker 1: may have surmised from our anecdote a few moments ago 292 00:16:50,200 --> 00:16:52,480 Speaker 1: about how he would critiquely these outfits in front of 293 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:56,800 Speaker 1: their peers, could sometimes be a bit of a pill um. 294 00:16:56,920 --> 00:17:00,360 Speaker 1: His mannerisms would sometimes come off as affected. He kind 295 00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:06,400 Speaker 1: of really did cultivate this personality of being a colectic, 296 00:17:06,480 --> 00:17:09,240 Speaker 1: being a little bit nutty. He would often wear really 297 00:17:09,280 --> 00:17:13,159 Speaker 1: colorful robes, and he always wore his signature black beret 298 00:17:13,240 --> 00:17:16,320 Speaker 1: or a black skull cap. And at one point he 299 00:17:16,440 --> 00:17:18,880 Speaker 1: decided he was going to design his own coat of arms, 300 00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:20,720 Speaker 1: which he did and had it worked into the gates 301 00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:23,840 Speaker 1: of his home. Uh and in some ways he became 302 00:17:23,880 --> 00:17:27,000 Speaker 1: almost as famous for his ego as for his designing talent. 303 00:17:28,119 --> 00:17:30,760 Speaker 1: But you know, none of that ever seemed to distract 304 00:17:30,840 --> 00:17:34,320 Speaker 1: people from thinking his work was amazing. And so things 305 00:17:34,359 --> 00:17:37,200 Speaker 1: were going swimmingly for him, and he was the darling 306 00:17:37,359 --> 00:17:42,240 Speaker 1: of the French court until circumstances intervened. She will talk 307 00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:53,960 Speaker 1: about after another brief break. So back to Charles Worth. 308 00:17:54,560 --> 00:17:57,480 Speaker 1: During the Franco Prussian War of eighteen seventy, the House 309 00:17:57,600 --> 00:18:01,240 Speaker 1: of Worth, like many high end businesses in France, closed temporarily. 310 00:18:02,040 --> 00:18:05,840 Speaker 1: Charles's greatest benefactor, of the Empress Eugenie, was forced into exile, 311 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:08,480 Speaker 1: and the Rue Lapey home of the House of Worth 312 00:18:08,560 --> 00:18:12,959 Speaker 1: actually became a hospital for injured French soldiers during the fighting. 313 00:18:14,080 --> 00:18:17,040 Speaker 1: But once the conflict had ended and the dust had settled, 314 00:18:17,040 --> 00:18:21,119 Speaker 1: the House of Earth reopened, surprisingly to even greater success. 315 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:25,080 Speaker 1: Although Otto Boubat was no longer part of the business, 316 00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:28,160 Speaker 1: he had been uneasy about setting the shop up again 317 00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:31,840 Speaker 1: after their first Their first venture was so abruptly cut 318 00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:35,639 Speaker 1: short due to the political climate, so Worth bought bought 319 00:18:35,640 --> 00:18:38,720 Speaker 1: out his share of the empire for one point five 320 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:43,040 Speaker 1: million francs, and while most of his French clients were gone, 321 00:18:43,400 --> 00:18:46,320 Speaker 1: he still had plenty of wealthy fans from the United 322 00:18:46,359 --> 00:18:49,600 Speaker 1: States and Europe who were happy to order gowns. So 323 00:18:49,720 --> 00:18:52,320 Speaker 1: business was really booming even though the climate was so 324 00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:55,760 Speaker 1: much different, So much so that the tiny shop that 325 00:18:55,840 --> 00:18:59,119 Speaker 1: started with just fifty employees wound up swelling to a 326 00:18:59,160 --> 00:19:02,800 Speaker 1: staff of more in a thousand. Yeah. He I mean, 327 00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:05,040 Speaker 1: we we've heard it so many times before when we've 328 00:19:05,040 --> 00:19:09,560 Speaker 1: talked about design houses or you know, people that uh 329 00:19:09,760 --> 00:19:14,000 Speaker 1: make their living in sort of extravagant arenas, that something 330 00:19:14,040 --> 00:19:16,119 Speaker 1: will happen like a war and they never quite recover. 331 00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:18,200 Speaker 1: But in fact he's sort of the exception that proves 332 00:19:18,240 --> 00:19:21,719 Speaker 1: the rule. He did great after the war, However, as 333 00:19:21,800 --> 00:19:26,520 Speaker 1: his career stretched into the eighteen eighties, his cachet started 334 00:19:26,520 --> 00:19:31,760 Speaker 1: to ebb. When the groundbreaking gownmaker died in eighty five, 335 00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:34,560 Speaker 1: he had really already been eclipsed by the next generation 336 00:19:34,560 --> 00:19:38,640 Speaker 1: of designers, including Pekka and Say. Of course, there would 337 00:19:38,640 --> 00:19:41,560 Speaker 1: have been no next generation of designers if Worth had 338 00:19:41,600 --> 00:19:45,240 Speaker 1: not paved the way. When Charles Worth died, his son's 339 00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:48,800 Speaker 1: Gaston and Jean Philippe inherited the family business, and that 340 00:19:48,840 --> 00:19:51,760 Speaker 1: worked out really well for a lot of years. Gaston 341 00:19:51,920 --> 00:19:54,719 Speaker 1: handled the business side of things while Jean Philipe did 342 00:19:54,720 --> 00:19:58,760 Speaker 1: all the designing. Through the years, other family members also 343 00:19:58,840 --> 00:20:02,880 Speaker 1: worked at the fashion house that was started by Charles Worth. However, 344 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:06,119 Speaker 1: eventually there was the anti corset movement and a trend 345 00:20:06,160 --> 00:20:10,399 Speaker 1: towards simpler lines, and those were led by previous podcast 346 00:20:10,480 --> 00:20:13,520 Speaker 1: subject Paul poor Ay. As that all Tooke called the 347 00:20:13,560 --> 00:20:17,280 Speaker 1: House of Worth found its business slowly dwindling year by year, 348 00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:19,840 Speaker 1: and it finally closed up shop for the last time 349 00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:24,119 Speaker 1: in nineteen fifty six. But I think to really understand 350 00:20:24,160 --> 00:20:28,560 Speaker 1: the importance of Charlesworth's stature in fashion history, we have 351 00:20:28,720 --> 00:20:32,399 Speaker 1: to look at some of the genuinely revolutionary ideas that 352 00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:35,320 Speaker 1: he introduced, and we'll start with one that did not 353 00:20:35,440 --> 00:20:38,960 Speaker 1: stick around, but it completely defined Victorian fashion for a 354 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:42,000 Speaker 1: lot of people, and that is the bustle. So over 355 00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:46,480 Speaker 1: time he evolved the crinoline, so the wide bottomed dresses 356 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:49,800 Speaker 1: into a partial crinoline which stuck out behind a lady, 357 00:20:49,920 --> 00:20:51,840 Speaker 1: so it gave her kind of a large rump shape 358 00:20:52,240 --> 00:20:55,680 Speaker 1: and projected beyond that while the front of her silhouette 359 00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:58,520 Speaker 1: remained narrow for the most part, and when people today 360 00:20:58,520 --> 00:21:02,119 Speaker 1: think of Victorian fashion, it is usually the bustle that 361 00:21:02,200 --> 00:21:05,000 Speaker 1: springs to mind in the silhouettes like they'll go of 362 00:21:05,080 --> 00:21:07,520 Speaker 1: course it and then bustle is usually second. And that's 363 00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:10,800 Speaker 1: all because of worth. And just for the record, I 364 00:21:11,080 --> 00:21:14,359 Speaker 1: love bustle gowns. I love, love, love bustle gowns. I 365 00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:16,520 Speaker 1: have several, you know at the at the top of 366 00:21:16,520 --> 00:21:18,760 Speaker 1: the episode where I was like, it's a garment and 367 00:21:18,840 --> 00:21:23,360 Speaker 1: it goes on your body. I also love bustles, uh, 368 00:21:23,400 --> 00:21:25,719 Speaker 1: and part of that is because of a costume class 369 00:21:25,720 --> 00:21:28,199 Speaker 1: that I took that was all about draping bustles and 370 00:21:28,320 --> 00:21:31,000 Speaker 1: different shapes that you could get with different bustle drapes. 371 00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:34,920 Speaker 1: I love them. I know to the modern eye people 372 00:21:34,960 --> 00:21:38,040 Speaker 1: that are not into historical fashion, they look ridiculous. I 373 00:21:38,160 --> 00:21:41,480 Speaker 1: just love that silhouette. I can't even describe why it 374 00:21:41,520 --> 00:21:45,000 Speaker 1: looks beautiful. It's super fun to wear well, and to 375 00:21:45,080 --> 00:21:47,120 Speaker 1: be fair, there were people who thought it was ridiculous 376 00:21:47,119 --> 00:21:50,200 Speaker 1: that at the time. I remember editorial cartoons that were 377 00:21:50,280 --> 00:21:52,560 Speaker 1: like a lady with a snail attached to the back 378 00:21:52,560 --> 00:21:58,359 Speaker 1: of her body. So other dressmakers were often dubious of 379 00:21:58,400 --> 00:22:02,520 Speaker 1: new technology, but we're really embraced the sewing machine as 380 00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:07,080 Speaker 1: a way to expedite production without sacrificing quality. And he 381 00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:11,080 Speaker 1: also used manufactured trims on his garments before people widely 382 00:22:11,119 --> 00:22:15,000 Speaker 1: accepted that either. Yeah, he was just ahead of his 383 00:22:15,080 --> 00:22:19,480 Speaker 1: time in all in his visions for fashion and in 384 00:22:19,560 --> 00:22:24,680 Speaker 1: another completely new approach to fashion. Remember, prior to this time, 385 00:22:25,119 --> 00:22:28,400 Speaker 1: all pretty much all garments were made to order specifically 386 00:22:28,480 --> 00:22:32,040 Speaker 1: for the wearer. But Worth would often sell his original 387 00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:35,240 Speaker 1: garment that he had made to foreign buyers, and he 388 00:22:35,280 --> 00:22:39,680 Speaker 1: would also sell rights to copy and distribute it as 389 00:22:39,880 --> 00:22:42,320 Speaker 1: you know, the recreated style. So basically he was selling 390 00:22:42,320 --> 00:22:46,359 Speaker 1: the rights to make copies. So design licensing was born 391 00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:49,560 Speaker 1: with him, and on a related business model, he would 392 00:22:49,560 --> 00:22:52,400 Speaker 1: actually make ready to wear gowns to sell to department 393 00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:56,320 Speaker 1: stores abroad. Department stores are a completely new concept, so 394 00:22:56,760 --> 00:22:59,200 Speaker 1: you know, the idea that he was like, yeah, I'll 395 00:22:59,200 --> 00:23:01,359 Speaker 1: get in on this and willing to take this risk 396 00:23:01,400 --> 00:23:06,200 Speaker 1: and sell to them was really huge. So despite being 397 00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:09,639 Speaker 1: the designer of really lavish gowns for the elite ladies 398 00:23:09,680 --> 00:23:12,800 Speaker 1: of France, Charles Worth was also the first designer to 399 00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:15,520 Speaker 1: really turn a practical eye to the length of ladies 400 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:19,520 Speaker 1: gowns during this time, the hymns of Victorian gowns were 401 00:23:19,560 --> 00:23:23,520 Speaker 1: just notorious for dragging on the ground and getting completely 402 00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:27,560 Speaker 1: filthy anytime there was dampness or mud, and Worth thought 403 00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:30,200 Speaker 1: this was really a pity, so he shortened the hymns 404 00:23:30,240 --> 00:23:32,520 Speaker 1: of day gowns to create what came to be known 405 00:23:32,560 --> 00:23:35,679 Speaker 1: as the walking skirt. And these carts really weren't all 406 00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:38,040 Speaker 1: that short, but it was enough to stay lifted off 407 00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:40,359 Speaker 1: the ground while still offering kind of a head to 408 00:23:40,440 --> 00:23:45,200 Speaker 1: toe appearance. And just in case we were not entirely clear, 409 00:23:45,359 --> 00:23:47,680 Speaker 1: those were like the day gowns for evening, where it 410 00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:50,760 Speaker 1: still was full length, but forgetting about town and running 411 00:23:50,760 --> 00:23:54,159 Speaker 1: your errands and going calling, you could actually, you know, 412 00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:58,640 Speaker 1: stroll about without getting too mucky. Uh. And the House 413 00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:01,240 Speaker 1: of Worth and Bober is widely considered to have been 414 00:24:01,280 --> 00:24:04,440 Speaker 1: the first true fashion house, and it straddled the line 415 00:24:04,480 --> 00:24:07,640 Speaker 1: between being open to the public and also being very exclusive. 416 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:12,000 Speaker 1: So upon entry, customers were greeted by gentlemen and fine attire. 417 00:24:12,440 --> 00:24:16,320 Speaker 1: The shop was decorated really sumptuously and beautifully, and then 418 00:24:16,359 --> 00:24:19,800 Speaker 1: these customers would be brought to one of the shops 419 00:24:19,800 --> 00:24:23,560 Speaker 1: salons to see either a presentation of available gowns. They 420 00:24:23,560 --> 00:24:25,679 Speaker 1: could also go to a different salon de view fabric 421 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:28,920 Speaker 1: samples and design sketches, or they could go in this 422 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:33,240 Speaker 1: room to try on outfits that had um specialty lighting 423 00:24:33,240 --> 00:24:35,359 Speaker 1: designed for it. It was slightly dimmed and it was 424 00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:38,040 Speaker 1: meant to mimic the lighting that they would most commonly 425 00:24:38,080 --> 00:24:42,760 Speaker 1: find at like a ball or another formal event. Before Worth, 426 00:24:42,880 --> 00:24:45,280 Speaker 1: no one had ever thought to create a whole series 427 00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:48,040 Speaker 1: of garments to then present together as a fashion show. 428 00:24:48,160 --> 00:24:51,280 Speaker 1: So the concept of a collection was another one of 429 00:24:51,359 --> 00:24:55,280 Speaker 1: his innovations. Now there's this whole industry and culture around 430 00:24:55,359 --> 00:24:58,800 Speaker 1: seasonal showings of different designers, and that really started with 431 00:24:58,880 --> 00:25:03,000 Speaker 1: Charles Worth. Yeah, when you if anybody watched this project 432 00:25:03,080 --> 00:25:05,160 Speaker 1: Runway and they all talk about going to fashion Week, 433 00:25:05,240 --> 00:25:08,760 Speaker 1: and like, fashion Week would not have existed in the 434 00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:11,119 Speaker 1: form it was today had Charles Worth not been like, 435 00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:12,840 Speaker 1: here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna put together a 436 00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:15,040 Speaker 1: bunch of beautiful outfits. I'm gonna put on a little 437 00:25:15,040 --> 00:25:17,159 Speaker 1: show and then people can order them. That's how it 438 00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:19,600 Speaker 1: still works today, and it's all because he did this. 439 00:25:19,760 --> 00:25:22,960 Speaker 1: So because he was the first designer to offer a 440 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:25,600 Speaker 1: collection and market ready to wear gowns and produce a 441 00:25:25,680 --> 00:25:29,879 Speaker 1: large volume of garments each year. It's also probably no 442 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:32,119 Speaker 1: surprise that he is the one that came up with 443 00:25:32,160 --> 00:25:36,399 Speaker 1: the idea of standardized patterns. Uh. And this still holds 444 00:25:36,440 --> 00:25:39,760 Speaker 1: today to some degree. Worth in his dressmakers and drapers 445 00:25:39,840 --> 00:25:43,199 Speaker 1: developed a series of pattern slopers. So to oversimplify what 446 00:25:43,240 --> 00:25:45,879 Speaker 1: a sloper is, it's like a basic block pattern that 447 00:25:46,359 --> 00:25:49,640 Speaker 1: can then be modified. And these pattern pieces would work 448 00:25:49,640 --> 00:25:53,560 Speaker 1: interchangeably with one another, so any sleeve or caller in 449 00:25:53,600 --> 00:25:56,560 Speaker 1: the collection could be used on any bodice in the collection, 450 00:25:56,920 --> 00:26:01,560 Speaker 1: and it really just streamlined the whole process of manufacturing 451 00:26:01,600 --> 00:26:05,080 Speaker 1: these garments but still maintaining a really high level of quality. 452 00:26:05,119 --> 00:26:08,000 Speaker 1: So the idea of adding a signature to a garment 453 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:10,080 Speaker 1: the way a painter would sign a piece of art 454 00:26:10,200 --> 00:26:13,600 Speaker 1: was really unheard of until Charles Worth. You started doing 455 00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:17,119 Speaker 1: exactly that with labels, and prior to him, the idea 456 00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:19,600 Speaker 1: of telling someone who you were wearing would have been 457 00:26:19,680 --> 00:26:22,560 Speaker 1: really odd. Would have been sort of like telling someone 458 00:26:22,600 --> 00:26:25,160 Speaker 1: the name of your maid if they said that your 459 00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:29,520 Speaker 1: home looked very nice. Uh. But the label became sort 460 00:26:29,520 --> 00:26:33,560 Speaker 1: of a status symbol and Some of this, of course, 461 00:26:33,680 --> 00:26:38,080 Speaker 1: is also tied to industrialization. So to make a comparison 462 00:26:38,160 --> 00:26:42,000 Speaker 1: to our Marie Antoinette episode in rose Berta uh ladies, 463 00:26:42,280 --> 00:26:44,280 Speaker 1: in Marie Antoinette Era would never have said, oh, I'm 464 00:26:44,280 --> 00:26:47,359 Speaker 1: wearing rose Bertin in quite the same way that someone 465 00:26:47,400 --> 00:26:49,639 Speaker 1: would say, oh, I'm wearing a Worth. But part of 466 00:26:49,680 --> 00:26:51,840 Speaker 1: that was due to the fact that, you know, if 467 00:26:52,240 --> 00:26:55,320 Speaker 1: rose bertem made or embellished address for someone, everyone already 468 00:26:55,400 --> 00:26:58,840 Speaker 1: knew it. She was sort of so um able to 469 00:26:58,920 --> 00:27:04,359 Speaker 1: be really choosy in her clients. You know, she really 470 00:27:04,440 --> 00:27:09,040 Speaker 1: only serviced people of the French court. Worth certainly serviced 471 00:27:09,040 --> 00:27:11,080 Speaker 1: the French court, but he also, like we said, was 472 00:27:11,119 --> 00:27:14,879 Speaker 1: open to the public, so uh. And he was also 473 00:27:15,480 --> 00:27:19,399 Speaker 1: working in a time when the garment industry was diversifying 474 00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:23,879 Speaker 1: that there were more choices for consumers. Industrialization was allowing 475 00:27:23,880 --> 00:27:26,240 Speaker 1: a lot more garment houses to open up that weren't 476 00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:29,920 Speaker 1: necessarily design houses but just produced clothing. And also because 477 00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:33,439 Speaker 1: he licensed things, there were also copycats that were not 478 00:27:33,560 --> 00:27:36,000 Speaker 1: licensed that we're starting to crop up. So wearing an 479 00:27:36,040 --> 00:27:39,760 Speaker 1: original Worth did indeed have clout. In eighteen sixty eight, 480 00:27:39,840 --> 00:27:44,040 Speaker 1: Charles Worth established the official classification of oad couture, and 481 00:27:44,119 --> 00:27:47,000 Speaker 1: to be able to claim status as an old coat 482 00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:50,680 Speaker 1: your house a designer had to be recognized as such 483 00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:55,160 Speaker 1: by a division of the French Ministry of Industry known 484 00:27:55,240 --> 00:28:01,320 Speaker 1: as the Seampa Sindicale. Worth established both the chambre and 485 00:28:01,640 --> 00:28:04,240 Speaker 1: the requirements that a design house had to meet in 486 00:28:04,320 --> 00:28:08,200 Speaker 1: order to earn this honor. So to qualify, a designer 487 00:28:08,240 --> 00:28:11,720 Speaker 1: of hand finished custom made clothing had to employ at 488 00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:15,840 Speaker 1: least twenty artisans in a laboratory environment and show a 489 00:28:15,880 --> 00:28:19,880 Speaker 1: minimum number of new designs every year. Additionally, there were 490 00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:23,880 Speaker 1: strangent technical and creative standards, and the list of designers 491 00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:27,560 Speaker 1: allowed to use this label still exists. It's reviewed every year. 492 00:28:27,960 --> 00:28:30,720 Speaker 1: Then usually there are only about a dozen houses that 493 00:28:30,760 --> 00:28:33,480 Speaker 1: are on the list at any given time. It's a 494 00:28:33,520 --> 00:28:35,879 Speaker 1: phrase that's kind of lost a lot of its meaning 495 00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:39,960 Speaker 1: in the modern vernacular, but it really represents the absolute 496 00:28:40,040 --> 00:28:44,080 Speaker 1: highest level of excellence from both the design and an 497 00:28:44,120 --> 00:28:48,200 Speaker 1: execution standpoint for garments. Yeah, it's one of those things 498 00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:53,959 Speaker 1: you'll see people talking about couture and mentioning old couture. 499 00:28:55,680 --> 00:28:58,560 Speaker 1: It's but it's it's really much more specific than I 500 00:28:58,560 --> 00:29:02,720 Speaker 1: think people realize, because again, like you can't say most 501 00:29:02,720 --> 00:29:06,600 Speaker 1: designers are ocatour like Jean Paul Gautier is an officially 502 00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:11,640 Speaker 1: recognized OCA Tour designer, but most designers are not. Again, 503 00:29:11,680 --> 00:29:14,800 Speaker 1: this is a very short list, uh and it really 504 00:29:14,840 --> 00:29:18,520 Speaker 1: does represent an extremely high standard. There was a video 505 00:29:18,560 --> 00:29:19,840 Speaker 1: and I'll try to find it so we can put 506 00:29:19,840 --> 00:29:22,360 Speaker 1: it in the show notes. That is not particularly historical, 507 00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:24,240 Speaker 1: but it is a video of of sort of what 508 00:29:24,320 --> 00:29:27,240 Speaker 1: goes into a modern ocatour gown, and you see all 509 00:29:27,280 --> 00:29:31,400 Speaker 1: of the hours of painstaking labor that really really technically 510 00:29:31,400 --> 00:29:36,080 Speaker 1: skilled stitchers and artisans go through to apply embellishment and 511 00:29:36,120 --> 00:29:39,000 Speaker 1: make sure every scene is perfect and every scene again 512 00:29:39,960 --> 00:29:43,520 Speaker 1: the inside is just as beautiful as the outside. Uh So, 513 00:29:43,720 --> 00:29:46,080 Speaker 1: it really is quite a high honor and quite a 514 00:29:46,160 --> 00:29:49,440 Speaker 1: level of excellence that's associated with that term. Whereas you 515 00:29:49,480 --> 00:29:52,440 Speaker 1: will hear it mentioned on television and film all the time, 516 00:29:52,480 --> 00:29:55,840 Speaker 1: and it's not really exactly the correct usage of it. 517 00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:57,920 Speaker 1: I mean I used the sloppy usage as well. I'm 518 00:29:57,920 --> 00:30:02,040 Speaker 1: not judging anybody, but just clarity. That's the scoop without couture. 519 00:30:08,640 --> 00:30:12,080 Speaker 1: Thank you so much for joining us for this Saturday classic. 520 00:30:12,440 --> 00:30:14,560 Speaker 1: Since this is out of the archive, if you heard 521 00:30:14,600 --> 00:30:16,920 Speaker 1: an email address or a Facebook U r L or 522 00:30:16,960 --> 00:30:19,840 Speaker 1: something similar during the course of the show. 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