House of Worth

The Historic House of Worth

Charles Frederick Worth opened his own design house in 1858, in partnership with Otto Bobergh, in Paris at 7 Rue de la Paix. Worth previously worked at Swan & Edgar and Lewis & Allenby in London, and at Maison Gagelin in Paris. It was at Gagelin where he first established his reputation as a dressmaker. In the 1850s, his designs for Gagelin won commendations at Universal Expositions in London and Paris.

While Worth was still at Gagelin, the house had supplied the trousseau for the newly married Empress Eugénie. After opening his own house, the Empress appointed him court designer. Her patronage increased his reputation and business success. He dressed leading performers of the day: Sarah Bernhardt, Lillie Langtry, Jenny Lind, and Nellie Melba. Worth also created unique special-event pieces for his best clients, such as masquerade ball costumes and wedding dresses.

Worth was known for preparing several designs for each season, which were then shown by live models. Clients would make their selections and have them made to their own measurements in his work rooms. His designs incorporated elegant fabrics, detailed trimming, and superb fit. Wealthy women in the 19th century had four changes of dress during the day, and many clients would purchase their entire wardrobes from Worth.

In 1871, Worth dissolved his association with Bobergh. His design and promotional talents had made the House of Worth a highly successful international business. Upon Worth's death in 1895, sons Gaston-Lucien (1853–1924) and Jean-Philippe (1856–1926) assumed the business.

In 1924, the House, now operated by grandson Jacques Worth, ventured into the perfume market. The company's first fragrance, developed by perfumer Maurice Blanchet, was Dans la Nuit, and glassmaker René Lalique was commissioned to design the bottle. Les Parfumes Worth was established as a separate business and launched more than 20 fragrances between 1924 and 1947.

The house remained successful under Worth's descendants but faced increasing competition. In 1950, the House of Worth was taken over by the House of Paquin. In 1956, the house shut down the couture operations. From 1968, House of Worth was owned by Sidney Massin of Massin Furs in Wigmore Street, London] who put it up for sale in 1987 for £750,000.

After the closure of the Paris couture house, Les Parfums Worth was bought by Société Maurice Blanchet.

Gallery

File:Evening ensemble MET 87.115b-c CP4.jpg|Evening dress designed by Charles Frederick Worth, 1862-1865 File:Elisabeth of Austria, by Franz Xaver Winterhalter.jpg|Portrait of Empress Elisabeth of Austria wearing a courtly gala dress designed by Charles Frederick Worth, 1865 File:Afternoon dress MET 31.27a-b front CP4.jpg|Afternoon dress designed by Charles Frederick Worth, ca. 1875 File:Pierre-Auguste Renoir 094.jpg|Portrait of Marguerite Charpentier (1848–1904) wearing a black silk day dress in a painting by Renoir, 1878 File:Evening ensemble MET 26.359a-b front CP4.jpg|Evening dress designed by Charles Frederick Worth, 1887 File:Cora Lily Woodard Aycock.jpg|Cora Lily Woodard Aycock wearing a dress by Jean-Philippe Worth, 1901 File:Worth Dress view 2.jpg|Early 1900s court presentation dress designed by Jean-Philippe Worth File:Mary Leiter, Lady Curzon, wearing a 1903 gown by Jean-Philippe Worth - William Logsdail 1909 portrait.jpg|Portrait of Mary Curzon wearing the peacock dress designed by Jean-Philippe Worth for the second Delhi Durbar (1903) House of Worth evening coat (51465).jpg|Evening gown ca. 1900 featured in the 2024 Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Fragrances of the Les Parfumes Worth. 1924 – 1947

Source:

• Dans la Nuit (1924) – M. Blanchet/R. Lalique (the bottle)
• Vers le Jour (1925) – M. Blanchet/R. Lalique (the bottle)
• Sans Adieu (1929) – M. Blanchet/R. Lalique (the bottle)
• Je Reviens (1932) – M. Blanchet
• Vers Toi (1934) – M. Blanchet
• Projets (1935)
• Imprudence (1938) – M. Blanchet
• Requête (1944)

The Revived House of Worth

In 1999, the brand House of Worth was revived by entrepreneurs Dilesh and Hitesh Mehta. The fashion and perfume intellectual properties were consolidated from the original firm's various family and corporate descendants into a single corporate entity. Giovanni Bedin became its principal designer. Couture operations were launched for the Spring/Summer 2010 seasons. The look updated and modernized Edwardian corsets elaborately decorated with lace and feathers. The voluminous crinolines of the nineteenth century were turned into ballerina-like skirts of tulle netting. The short (65 cm) skirts would also be featured in subsequent couture collections. The prêt-à-porter label Courtworth was launched in 2011 in the United States. The last couture collection was presented during the Fall/Winter 2013 season.

The revived house continues to produce perfumes. It reissued Dans la Nuit (2000) and Je Reviens (2005) in reformulated versions. It also introduced new scents Je Reviens Couture (2004), W Superbe, Joyeux Retour, and Courtisan.

References

References

1. Krick, Jessa. "Charles Frederick Worth (1825–1895) and The House of Worth". The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
2. "Charles Frederick Worth". designerindex.net.
3. "Dans la Nuit, Worth {{!}} International Perfume Bottle Association".
4. "Worth, Les Parfums". Perfume Intelligence Ltd.
5. "Worth: Future Generations". Worth Paris.
6. "Shaneel Enterprises Ltd". Shaneel Enterprises Ltd.
7. "HOUSE OF WORTH LIMITED". Comdevelopment Ltd.
8. Bumpus, Jessica. (27 January 2011). "Giovanni Bedin". British Vogue.
9. Goldstein, Melissa. (17 December 2010). "Giovanni Bedin Revitalizes a Heritage Brand". The Wall Street Journal.
10. Menkes, Suzy. (26 January 2010). "Special Report: Haute Couture - Worth Returns". The New York Times.
11. Menkes, Suzy. (6 July 2010). "Carven, Worth and Olivier Saillard". The New York Times.
12. "Velvet Covered Boning at the House of Worth". TheCuttingClass.com.
13. "Les belles endormies : Worth (French)". Stylistiquement vôtre.fr.
14. Wagner, Chantal-Hélène. "Courtesan by Worth Paris". The Scented Salamander.