Boué Soeurs

Boué Soeurs was a French fashion house active from 1899 to 1957. It was founded by sisters Madame Sylvie Montegut and Baronne Jeanne d'Etreillis under their maiden name, Boué.

Boué Soeurs

Dress, Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris
Industry	Apparel
Founded	1899 in Paris, France
Founders	Sylvie Montegut Jeanne d'Etreillis
Defunct	1957
Headquarters	9 Rue de la Paix, Paris , France
Area served	Paris, New York

History

Sylvie and Jeanne Boué took an interest in design at a very early age. In a 1922 article in Arts & Decoration magazine, Jeanne wrote:

From our earliest childhood Madame Montegut and myself have craved the beautiful: our desire first took shape in the collecting of dainty ribbons, soft silks, all luxurious materials, flowers, laces – everything that expressed beauty in form and color. We began by dressing our dolls in the prevailing mode and later found an outlet for our love of the beautiful in creating our own attire.^[1]

In 1899 they opened their first shop on the Rue de la Paix in Paris where they sold women's apparel such as evening dresses, gowns, wedding dresses, frocks, lingerie, and camisoles.^[2][3] Baronne d'Etreillis opened a second shop in New York City in 1915.^[1][4][5]

Style

Boué Soeurs was known for creating elaborate ensembles with very feminine designs. Signature elements included fine Alençon and Duchesse lace, embroidery, ribbon work, and gold and silver textiles.^[1][4][6] While some of their evening dresses retailed for $145-150 in the 1920s,^[7] designs with more exotic materials could cost as much as $2,000.^[4] Among the house's more elegant offerings was the robe de style, a design popularized by Jeanne Lanvin, which they continued to produce into the 1940s.^[4][6][8]

References

1. D'Etreillis, Jeanne (June 1922). "The Gift of Creating". Arts & Decoration. 17: 121. Retrieved 17 August 2016 – via Google Books.
2. "Boué Soeurs". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
3. Glier Reeder, Jan (2010). High Style: Masterworks from the Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 54. ISBN 9781588393623. Retrieved 17 August 2016 – via Google Books.
4. "Boué Soeurs". FIDM Museum. 21 August 2009. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
5. "Bringing Rue de la Paix to America". The American Jewish Chronicle. Vol. 2. 1917. p. 724. Retrieved 17 August 2016 – via Google Books.
6. Glier Reeder, Jan (2010). High Style: Masterworks from the Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 75. ISBN 9781588393623. Retrieved 17 August 2016 – via Google Books.
7. "Evening Gowns". Montreal Gazette. 5 November 1924. p. 22. Retrieved 17 August 2016 – via Google News.
8. Webber Kerstein, Melinda (23 November 2015). "Robe de Style". Clothing and Fashion: American Fashion from Head to Toe. ABC-CLIO. p. 263. ISBN 9781610693103. Retrieved 17 August 2016 – via Google Books.