Madame Gres; Noted Figure in Fashion Design

Madame Alix Gres, who discreetly reigned for 50 years as one of the great French fashion designers, uncharacteristically made news Tuesday when her death was disclosed 13 months after it occurred.

She died on Nov. 24, 1993, at a nursing home in southern France. She was 90. Her death was concealed by her daughter, Anne Gres, who said she acted “out of love” for her mother and out of resentment toward a fashion industry that she felt had neglected one of its greatest creators.

The newspaper Le Monde disclosed the death Tuesday, and municipal authorities in Paris subsequently confirmed it.

Born Germaine Krebs in Paris, the designer was known to the fashion world as Madame Gres.

In 1937, she started a shop with a partner and called the shop and herself Alix. After World War II, she set up a couture salon alone as Madame Gres.

She was highly respected for draping her favorite fabrics of jersey, silk and wool into fashions that resembled ancient Greek sculptures.

An ardent champion of haute couture, she was president for many years of the Federation Francaise de la Couture, the powerful fashion syndicate.

She designed frequently for the theater and films, and was known for attending big fashion parties wearing her trademark turban.

Madame Gres developed a line of men’s accessories in 1957, launched a perfume company in 1959 and custom-designed jewelry for Cartier in 1979.

Her fashion house was bought by businessman Bernard Tapie in the 1980s and now belongs to the Japanese group Yagu Tsusho.