Marie-Louise Carven was the doyenne who founded the house of Carven and shaped French fashion in the postwar years. Launching in 1945, Carven came in on the tailwinds of the Chanel-generation, carving herself a niche market in serving women of petit statue (she was herself 153cm tall). The early Fifties saw her enter ready-to-wear after a successful with fragrance debut, joining Pierre Balmain and a select few of the fashion pack as the first French couture ‘contemporaries’ to transition into off-the-rack. A Carven matriarch, the designer favored simple constructions and clean lines; inspired by her studies in architecture and interiors at Paris’ Beaux Arts. This birthed Carven’s signature ‘Ma Griffe’ green-and-white stripe print that became synonymous with the brand. Carven established the concept of an on-the-road show. She took her seasonal collections to exotic lands - Egypt, Thailand, Morocco, Cuba, Brazil, Singapore and Mexico – bringing back cultural nuances from each, which inspired her fabric, fit and color. She has been credited as birthing the push-up bra with lingerie designer Marie-Rose Lebigot and was the first designer to provide specific fashion for younger women. She continued designing until she was 84 but her illustrious house went on. And will continue to do so. Fresh Stripes The mint-ish green, barber-pole Carven stripe was first used for a summer frock, accentuated by a plunging neckline, cinched waist and pin-tucks. Then, the late forties saw Carven design a green-and-white-stripe skirt in linen, representing a ‘drawn theater curtain’ pleat, which exposed a white linen underskirt hand painted with a Paris street scene. Up until 1949, Carven worked her stripe into playsuits with green linen shorts, a striped bodice and a contrasting red and white striped bolero. Africa Motifs A trip to Africa inspired Carven’s Spring 1949 collection. Models with sun kissed skin wore embroidered neckline dresses inspired by war shields, with Moroccan cuff decorations and navy linen frocks, which carried straw patch pockets. Carven placed straw flower embroidery on the necklines of cocktail dresses, too – reminiscent of her contemporary design ethnographer, Louella Ballerino. Oriental The richness and colors of Asian lanterns inspired Carven in the Fifties. Even the shape of the Chinese light worked its way into her range, as the designer crafted puffed shoulders, narrow hiplines and flaring bottoms that came into fullness under the knee. Gold flowers were embellished on evening gowns, next to colored embroideries of Persian and Chinese inspiration.