October 18, 2006

Paris, France - Hanae Mori, the last foreigner to receive the distinction and honour of being recognized as a grand couturier by the French Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, presented a stunning and breathtaking retrospective of her work on October 5, 2006.

The event took place at the Maison de l’Amérique Latine in Paris’s 7th district. It was an occasion for Madame Mori to receive clients who followed her and wore her creations throughout her career. Attendees included Elie Saab, Suzy Menkes, Jean-Louis Scherrer, Franck Sorbier, the Duchess of Wurttemberg, the Marquis and the Marquise of Persan, Sir Henri Michel Anders Cavendish, etc.

Madame Mori was born on January 8, 1926. She studied Japanese literature at Tok-Won Women’s Christian College. After marrying she turned her attention to fashion design and in 1951, she opened her first atelier. She credits a 1961 meeting with Coco Chanel as the decisive moment which turned her to the world of haute couture. Following her first presentation in New York in 1965, she opened boutiques at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel and on Madison Avenue at 79th Street. In 1977 (and two years after showing in Monaco in the presence of Princess Grace), she opened her haute couture house and boutique in Paris. In that same year, she too became a member of the Chambre Syndicale. In doing so, she became the rare exception for foreigners and the last woman to receive the title of grand couturier. Her “last women distinction” to receive that honour would last for the next 30 plus years.

Often working on themes of nature, Madame Mori became known as the Madame Butterfly of the closed circle of haute couture. Her creations were the favoured meeting spot where the East and West met in perfect harmony. Her collections were often praised by the wealthiest women in the world. During the retrospective, Madame Mori confessed to this writer that just one piece of the many embroidered...

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