In the 1870s, Paris was reborn following the Franco-Prussian War. As Napoleon III waged territorial battles with the Germans, the conflict affected spirits, trade, finance, and travel. As Parisian life returned to normal, Cleveland tourists braved the trans-Atlantic voyage. By 1895, Harper’s Magazine even criticized those who seemed to come only for fashion: “...American girls never see anything of Paris during their four weeks’ stay there each summer, because so much of their time is taken up at the dress-makers’.”
In 1880, after a decade of European travels and a proposal from a Parisian Count, Helen Cowles married the Secretary of the US Legion, George Pomeroy, in Paris. This dress by Madame Dumonteil may have been part of her trousseau. Clevelanders recommended couturiers to friends, and in 1886 Helen’s neighbor Emma Sterling wrote about two-hour fittings for her Dumonteil gowns, which cost up to $90, roughly $2200 today., Gift of Julia Pomeroy. Featured in "Si Jolie!" Exhibit.
The effects of the Great Depression and World War II reached far and wide, including the way people dressed. For reasons of expense and principle, many Americans eschewed French fashion during these periods, but everything changed with Christian Dior. In 1947, he created the “New Look” which emphasized a return to traditional femininity (women were expected to leave wartime work and return to the home) through hourglass silhouettes and sumptuous materials., Gift of Mrs. Kenyon C. Bolton. Featured in "Si Jolie!" Exhibit.
The opera was the center of a tourist’s Parisian world. Performances provided the opportunity to wear new gowns and observe the latest fashions. In 1890, Ellen and Adella Prentiss “Had a fine opportunity of seeing Paris dress, or undress, for some of the ladies wore shamefully low necked dresses.” At home, the Euclid Avenue Opera House operated from 1875 until 1922. Whether in Paris or Cleveland, elaborate hats and coats were an important part of opera fashion. Liberty of London sold this velvet coat in their Parisian store., Gift of Mrs. Harold T. Clark. Featured in "Si Jolie!" Exhibit.
After decades of romance, Parisian designers looked to the future. Andre Courreges and Pierre Cardin created playful, futuristic looks like Greta Millikin’s whimsical polka-dot dress. Greta filled her home with French furniture, and her closet with French fashion. During the 1980s, First Lady Nancy Reagan’s influence created a patriotic push toward American designers, but Greta continued to collect Parisian couture., The Mrs. Severance A. Millikin Collection. Featured in "Si Jolie!" Exhibit.
Clevelanders demanded French style and department stores answered. Halle Bros. offered the Antoine Salon, which used the methods of the Parisian hair dresser Monsieur Antione. Higbee’s organized an annual Import Fair, with fashion shows and specialty goods. Both stores offered imported fashions year round, as well as designs inspired by the runways. This ice blue Higbee’s coat mimics the fashionable, oversized shapes of Paris design houses like Balenciaga., Gift of Miss Carol Kirkstadt. Featured in "Si Jolie!" Exhibit.
A 1900 European voyage lasted about ten days and could be stormy. Nellie Wade was seasick aboard ship, but both she and sister-in-law Alice Everett rallied for Parisian shopping. Nellie and Alice shopped at the major couture houses, including Jeanne Paquin’s, right next to Charles Frederick Worth, the most coveted designer. Alice Everett’s Paquin gown was originally a robin’s egg blue with shining silver threads., Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry. Featured in "Si Jolie!" Exhibit.
Cleveland’s boutiques such as Quinn-Maahs and Mary Kazhal advertised the latest French fashion “direct from the Paris houses” including Lanvin and Chanel. These women entrepreneurs traveled to Paris, scouting the newest styles. Back home in Cleveland, they also offered house-made garments inspired by Parisian couture. Marianne Millikin Hadden’s printed dress may be the work of Elsa Schiaparelli or a clever boutique owner., Gift of Mrs. John A. Hadden. Featured in "Si Jolie!" Exhibit.
The Hanna Theater opened in 1921, filling the role of the former opera house. With four new theaters, the press called that strip of Euclid Avenue “Playhouse Square.” Locals flocked to see performances, and many were proud “First Nighters,” there to open the season in grand style. Anna Chandler, whose husband owned the Chandler Motor Car Company, chose a racy short hemline to match her family’s sleek cars – in typical 1920s fashion., Gift of Mr. Frederick C. Chandler and Mrs. Montgomery Frazier and Gift of Mrs. Theo Ernst. Featured in "Si Jolie!" Exhibit.