Alexandra Jaffré will give a Brown Bag Lunch presentation on Tuesday, October 24, at 12:15 pm. Her talk is entitled “Jacques Doucet: Couturier of the Belle Époque Stage.”

Although Jacques Doucet was active in the fashion industry for nearly fifty years and was one of the most famous couturiers of the Belle Époque and a great art collector, he has mostly been forgotten today. In this presentation, Jaffré will show theatrical designs by Doucet from the mid-1880s to the mid-1920s and will discuss his significance as a pioneer of modern fashion publicity, his role as one of the most important couturiers in the fashion world, and why he was considered the unrivaled leader of stage costume during the Belle Époque.

Alexandra Jaffré is an art historian, art dealer, and advisor specializing in twentieth-century French decorative arts. From 2004 to 2010 she collaborated with Camard Auction House, owned by Jean-Pierre Camard, who was the first Art Deco auction expert in France and sold the Doucet art collection in Paris in 1972. Over the past five years she has been working as an independent art researcher and has discovered previously unknown archives relating to Jacques Doucet on the history of his house, his art circle, and his modern art collection. Jaffré is currently working on publishing this new material.

This event will be livestreamed. Please check back the day of the event for a link to the video. To watch videos of past events please visit our YouTube page.