Georges Doeuillet

Georges Camille Doeuillet was born 16 July 1865 in Oise, Northern France. Doeuillet became one of France's best known Couturiers along with his peers Louise Chéruit, Jeanne Paquin, Paul Poiret, Redfern & Sons and the House of Charles Worth. In 1911 he was made an Officer of the Legion of Honour in recognition of his contribution to fashion. Georges Doeuillet was President of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture until 1915. He was known for his refined and elegant design style.

Early in his career Georges Doeuillet was business manager at the fashion house of Callot Soeurs. Doeuillet was ardent in business. At Callot Soeurs he was responsible for discovering Madeleine Vionnet who undertook an apprenticeship at the house prior to establishing her own fashion house Vionnet.

In 1900 Georges Doeuillet opened his maison at 18 Place Vendôme in Paris, France. Doeuillet, his fashion house was considered one of the most influential houses in France. He was the first designer to locate his maison in the Place Vendôme before other fashion houses followed him to this location. In 1914, he moved his maison to a larger location at 24 Place Vendôme.

Doeuillet designed the dresses for the first performance at the Théâtre Mogador when it opened in 1913. At the performance he showed the world's first robes de style (Cocktail Dress) that influenced a generation of fashion designers who incorporated such styles into their collections.In 1914, in reference to his influential introduction of the cocktail dress he was quoted by Vogue as saying, "[these] styles are much younger and prettier. In fact, I think we now have the most beautiful style that has been evolved in modern times. It is so good that we can't change it. The women who wear fine clothes insist upon keeping essentially the same silhouette and they are quite right."

The French Government supported the couture "old masters" including Doeuillet during World War I. They sent dresses from their prestigious designers to demonstrate French fashion at the Panama Pacific International Exposition of 1915. Dresses designed by Georges Doeuillet can be found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs at the Louvre in Paris.