French couturier and founder of the Carven fashion house, Madame Carven has sadly passed away aged 105, WWD reported. Née Carmen de Tommaso, the iconic designer launched her fashion house in 1945, with the hopes of dressing petite women who mirrored her particularly small frame, making her one of the few women couturiers in Paris, alongside Elsa Schiaparelli and Gabrielle Chanel.
“I decided to make haute couture outfits in my size because I was too short to wear the creations of the top couturiers, who only ever showed their designs on towering girls,” the small 5’1″ designer said in 1950. “But I wanted to retain my style – sober, practical and young, with a lot of sports garments.“
The name ‘Carven’ was created by combining the first half of the designer’s name, Carmen, with the surname of her aunt Josy Boyriven, who first introduced her to the world of couture.
Madame Carven fits a model in 1950
The couturier entered the fashion world during the post-WWII era in Paris and first rose to popularity by dressing the likes of Edith Piaf, Leslie Caron and Michèle Morgan. Madame Carven traveled the world with her collections as one of the first French couturiers to stage fashion shows in jet-setting destinations including Brazil, Singapore, Mexico, Thailand, Morocco and more. In 1955 the fashion house launched Carven Junior along with an array of licensing deals. This led to the couturier’s role in creating uniforms for over 20 different airlines as well as Paris’s female traffic wardens. Throughout Madame Carven‘s career, she led the fashion house into fragrances, bridalwear and accessories and is even accredited with patenting the push-up bra, which she originally designed for bustier couture gowns.
Carven models in Vogue, June 1956
Madame Carven lived a colourful life, and was bestowed with many important accolades in 1978 she was named a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and in 2009, she was made a Commander of the Legion of Honor, which is France’s highest distinction for civilians.
The house she founded re-branded in 2008 with the hiring of Guillaume Henry, who has since departed for Nina Ricci, and is being replaced by Alexis Martial and Adrien Caillaudaud. They have quite a legacy to live up to.
