Jacques Doucet: The Designer Who Discovered Vionnet and Poiret

Jacques Doucet was one of the great French couturiers of the Belle Époque and an important figure in the history of haute couture. His Paris fashion house became famous for exquisite lace, silk, embroidery, tea gowns and the soft femininity of early 20th-century fashion. Yet Doucet’s influence went much further: Paul Poiret and Madeleine Vionnet both worked for him before becoming legendary designers themselves. Jacques Doucet also inhabited another world — modern art. He dressed celebrated women including Sarah Bernhardt and Cécile Sorel, collected extraordinary 18th-century art, and later turned toward the avant-garde. His collection eventually included Pablo Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, one of the defining works of modern art. This is what makes Doucet so fascinating. The couturier associated with lace, refinement and Belle Époque elegance was also connected to some of the most radical changes taking place in fashion and art. In this fashion history documentary, we explore the House of Doucet, his famous clients, his relationship to Paul Poiret and Madeleine Vionnet, his remarkable art collection, and the couture aesthetic that made Jacques Doucet one of the most influential designers of his generation. CHAPTERS 00:00 Jacques Doucet: Fashion, Art and the Belle Époque 00:37 The Doucet Family and Paris Fashion 01:13 Sarah Bernhardt, Cécile Sorel and Doucet’s Famous Clients 03:09 Paul Poiret and Madeleine Vionnet at the House of Doucet 03:44 Jacques Doucet’s Art