Making the Cut
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
For many of us, the idea that the great Gabrielle Chanel was not the first woman to design modern clothing holds little interest. Our daily experience, after all, remains bookended by her legacies: the pantsuit and the little black dress. But occasionally, we are reminded that the Pantheon of couture includes at least five other Madames – Lanvin, Vionnet, Paquin, Schiaparelli, Gres – and one long-forgotten Lady: Lucy Duff Gordon, the British couturiere known as Lucile (1863-1935). The new Fashion Institute of Technology exhibition,” Designing the It Girl: Lucile and Her Style,” takes a stab at reviving her legacy.
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