Vionnet married at the age of 18, but it did not last long and she left her husband and moved to London to work as a hospital seamstress. After leaving the hospital, Madeleine also worked as a fitter for Kate Reily, a noted British dressmaker.
She did not remain in London, however, Vionnet eventually returned to Paris and trained with the well-known fashion house Callot Soeurs and later with Jacques Doucet, all proved incredibly valuable experience. By 1912 Vionnet had worked hard in the fashion industry and believed it was time to make a difference herself. She founded her own fashion house, a short time before World War 1, ‘Vionnet’.
Her work was considered controversial as it introduced clothes cut on the bias, a technique for cutting fabric diagonal to the grain meaning it moves with the body and can be draped, or fitted on a specific figure. Vionnet used this method of cutting to create a smooth, sleek, flattering, body-skimming look that helped to transform women’s wear and propel her to fashion stardom. The House of Vionnet grew to employ over 1,100 seamstresses and became the first fashion house to generate prêt-à-porter (ready to wear) haute couture clothing to be sold in the United States.
The seemingly simple styles of The House of Vionnet meant an extensive preparation process. Dresses would have to be made in smaller form and would have to be cut, draped, and pinned on to miniature dolls, before recreating them in chiffon, silk, or Moroccan crepe on life-size models. Vionnet used feminine fabrics to suit her designs such as crêpe de chine, gabardine, and satin to make her clothes; fabrics that were unusual in women's fashion of the 1920s and 30s. She would order fabrics two metres wider than necessary in order to make room for draping, creating clothes that were lavish and beautiful, whilst still being modern and simple. Typical Vionnet styles that fitted and moved with the wearer included the handkerchief dress, cowl neck, and halter top.Avoiding corsets, padding, stiffening, and anything that interrupted the natural curves of a woman's physique, her clothes were known to emphasize the natural female form. Influenced by the modern dances of Isadora Duncan, Vionnet created designs that showed off a woman's natural shape. Vionnet’s extravagant creations took huge inspiration from countries around the world. For example, in 1922 her designs were inspired by Greek vases and Egyptian paintings. The bias cut was used to insure the dresses would fit tightly at the waist and flare out at the skirt to form a bell shape. In 1925 Vionnet was also responsible for producing ‘seam decorations’. This is a technique in which she would decorate a visible seam in star of flower shapes.
The unique aspect of Madeleine’s designs assured she dominated haute couture in the 1930’s, and was one of the biggest trend setters to women worldwide with her stunning gowns. Her vision of the female form meant she transformed trends and the popularity of the bias cut formed her reputation. Vionnet struggled but succeeded to form copyright fashion laws and wanted to insure that her employees were happy too by considering revolutionary labour practices, including maternity leave, day-care, paid holidays, a dining hall, and a resident doctor and dentist. All these gracious acts led her to be awarded the Legion d’Honneur, Frances highest honour.
The start of the Second World War in 1939 forced Vionnet to close the house with the intent to re-open after the war, however this did not go to plan and the house remained closed. Till her death, Madeleine continued to follow and observe haute couture, as she had such a heavy contribution to the industry and still today remains one of the greatest designers of all time. Vionnet died on the 2nd of March 1975, aged 98.
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