For the first time ever, the Palais Galliera is displaying the fabulous wardrobe of Élisabeth, Countess Greffulhe, the cousin of French dandy and poet Robert de Montesquiou, who was born at the end of the Second Empire, who saw two Republics and two world wars.

In the years that followed her marriage to the Count Henry Greffulhe in 1878, she became one of the leaders of fashion in Parisian society. Several articles has been wrote to talk about her style and in 1891, from a pen portrait published in the Figaro, we learn that she was “beautiful and pretty, very elegant.”

Otto (Otto Wegener), Portrait of Élisabeth Greffulhe wearing an evening gown and coat lined with Mongolian lamb, circa 1886-1887 Albumen print © Otto/Galliera/Roger-Viollet

She was the most beautiful woman in Paris, as Proust wrote to Montesquiou : ‘There is no single part of her to be found in any other woman, or anywhere else for that matter. The entire mystery of her beauty is in the glow, above all in the enigma of her eyes. I have never seen a woman as beautiful as she. Then he immortalised her for posterity as the Duchess of Guermantes in the famous novel In Search of Lost Time. Also she had a beautiful mind. As founding president of the Société des Grandes Auditions Musicales, she turned charity work into public relations, producing and promoting operas and shows, which included Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde and Twilight of the Gods, Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, and Isadora Duncan.

Worth, evening gown known as “La Robe aux Lis”, circa 1896. Black velvet, ivory silk appliqués in the form of lilies embroidered with beads and metal sequins © L. Degrâces et Ph. Joffre/Galliera/Roger-Viollet

In addition to this, she was involved in politic and a she was passionate sponsor of science. But, first of all, Countess Greffulhe was the epitome of elegance. She used to wear glorious outfits, made by the most important couturiers. Her public appearances were highly theatrical, with a sense of their being rare, fleeting and incomparably fascinating, with outfits chosen to emphasise her slender figure.

Manteau du soir designed by Vitaldi Babani. 1915/1920. Courtesy of Les Arts Décoratifs, Paris. All rights reserved

The Palais Galliera displays fifty models bearing the labels of grands couturiers such as Worth, Fortuny, http://www.europeanafashion.eu/portal/browse.html?inpSearch=babani#searchTerm%3Dbabani, and Lanvin. Coats, indoor clothes, day dresses, evening dresses, and accessories are exposed close to portraits, photographs and films, as an invitation to go ‘in search of lost fashion’ and to become acquainted with this great figure of Paris Society.

Discover more about the exhibition on Europeana Fashion Event Area!