Callot Soeurs

Callot Soeurs

Company type	Private
Industry	Fashion, haute couture
Founded	1895 (1895) in Paris, France
Founder	Marie Callot Gerber, Marthe Callot Bertrand, Regina Callot Tennyson-Chantrell, Joséphine Callot Crimon
Defunct	1952 (1952)
Headquarters	Paris , France
Area served	International (including South America, Japan, United States)
Key people	Marie Callot Gerber (leader), Pierre Gerber (later)
Products	Women's fashion, dresses, embroidery, embellished garments
Number of employees	200+ (circa 1900)

Callot Soeurs () stood as a prominent fashion atelier during the 1910s and 1920s.

Origins

Established in 1895 at 24, rue Taitbout, Paris, Callot Soeurs was created by four sisters: Marie Callot Gerber, Marthe Callot Bertrand, Regina Callot Tennyson-Chantrell, and Joséphine Callot Crimon.

Marie, who had dressmaking training and previous experience with Raudnitz and Co., led the group. Their mother instructed them in lacemaking, which they initially applied to embellish blouses and lingerie using antique laces and ribbons before broadening their offerings to include a wider range of garments.

In 1897, Joséphine's death was surrounded by rumors of suicide; however, family narratives suggest it was accidental.

Growth and peak

At the 1900 Paris World's Fair, Callot Soeurs showcased their work while employing around 200 workers and generating sales of two million francs. By 1901, both their staff numbers and sales had more than doubled.

Their day dresses received recognition at the 1915 San Francisco Universal Exhibition. In 1916, Henri Bendel emerged as their largest purchaser in New York. That same year, American Vogue referred to the sisters as the Three Fates, emphasizing their significant role in shaping women's fashion and French industry.

During World War I, American orders ranging from 300 to 800 pieces each July helped sustain the business amid a downturn in European demand. To address counterfeit products during the 1910s and 1920s, Callot Soeurs promoted authorized retailers through advertisements in The New York Times.

In 1919, the company moved to more spacious quarters at 9-11 Avenue Matignon.

After Marthe passed away in 1920 and Regina retired, Marie oversaw operations single-handedly for seven years.

Throughout the 1920s, Callot Soeurs expanded internationally with branches established in Nice, Biarritz, Buenos Aires, and London. A 1922 article in Ladies' Home Journal highlighted their extensive affluent clientele spanning from South America to Japan.

American designer Elizabeth Hawes appreciated Callot Soeurs for their resilient embroidery work despite some customers considering them outdated by the mid-1920s.

Their foremost American patron was socialite Rita de Acosta Lydig, who commissioned numerous gowns and is said to have influenced some designs. Notably, she sent her husband's mistress to Callot Soeurs for wardrobe updates and wore a silver dress from them in a Boldini portrait dated 1911.

Later history

Marie Callot Gerber passed away in 1927. Her obituary published in Le Figaro remarked: "One of the most distinguished figures of Parisian luxury commerce has now vanished."

In 1928, Pierre Gerber—Marie’s son—assumed control but faced difficulties competing within the market. By 1937, the House of Callot Soeurs ceased operations and was integrated into the House of Calvet (Marie-Louise Calvet), continuing under the Callot brand. The advent of World War II further strained French fashion houses. Similar to the fate of the House of Vionnet in 1939, Calvet alongside the Callot label ultimately closed down in 1952.

Influence and legacy

Madeleine Vionnet, who later became a renowned couturier, honed her skills as the lead seamstress at Callot, attributing much of her professional development to the Callot Soeurs. She famously remarked, "Had I not been inspired by the Callot Soeurs, my work would have remained ordinary. Their influence enabled me to create masterpieces akin to Rolls-Royces." Another notable designer, Marie-Louise Bruyère, also received her training under the guidance of Callot Soeurs.

The Callot Soeurs were trailblazers in integrating exotic embellishments into their designs and were among the earliest fashion houses to incorporate gold and silver lamé fabrics in their gowns.

A collection of twenty-one dresses by Callot Soeurs is maintained within the Acton Art Collection at New York University’s Villa La Pietra in Florence. Furthermore, significant examples of their work are preserved in prestigious institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Museum at FIT, Palais Galliera, Victoria and Albert Museum, Kyoto Costume Institute, LACMA, Indianapolis Museum of Art, and the Ulster Museum in Belfast.

External links

• Callot Soeurs at Chicago History Museum Digital Collections
• Dresses by the Callot sisters at the Philadelphia Museum of Art