House of Doucet: Parisian Lace, Elegance, and Ocean Travel Couture (1816–1920s)

Mlle Violette Wearing a Tailored Dress of Black-and-White Checkered Fabric With a White Piqué Collar. Creation by Doucet. (Le Magazine de la Revue des Français, 20 July 1913) | GGA Image ID # 2351ebeae9. Clcik to View a Larger Image.

✨ Review & Summary – House of Doucet

🎀 Introduction & Relevance to Ocean Travel & Fashion

The House of Doucet, founded in 1816 and guided by Jacques Doucet in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, epitomized Parisian refinement. Known for lace, lingerie, and the innovative robe flou (a soft, flowing gown), Doucet’s creations became synonymous with elegance without eccentricity.

For teachers and students, the Doucet profile illustrates how couture intersected with architecture, art collecting, and social culture.

For genealogists and historians, it highlights how fashion houses structured their ateliers, salesrooms, and showrooms to cater to elite clients, including ocean travelers crossing the Atlantic to acquire Parisian wardrobes.

The House of Doucet

The House of Doucet was founded in 1816 by the grandfather of Monsieur Jacques Doucet, who is the present owner. At first, only lingerie was dealt in, and it was not until the middle of the 19th century that the house began to specialize in robes. It was this house which first brought out the "robe flou."

Monsieur Jacques Doucet is an art "dilettante" and has a collection of pictures and objects of art. A judge on the subject of masculine as well as feminine elegance, he has personally initiated new styles. For men of sober elegance, originality may be welcome, but never eccentric.

America had an excellent opportunity to judge the beauty of Doucet robes on the person of Mlle. Cecile Sorel, of the Comedie Francaise, on her American tour.

The House of Doucet is so constructed that clients enter the shop at No. 21 Rue de la Paix. In contrast, employees enter at No. 17. The buildings that form Nos. 17, 19, and 21, as well as the buildings facing the Rue Louis-le-Grand at the back, are occupied by the "ateliers."

No goods are displayed in the shop front of No. 21, and behind the window is an oak screen, which prevents the curious from seeing into the interior. Inside, there is the usual stock-in-trade of lingerie, umbrellas, handbags, fancy belts, etc., indispensable to modern members of the fair sex.

In the square formed and surrounded by the five-story buildings where the workshops are lodged, there is a large single-story construction with a glass roof. This building is divided into three rooms, which are naturally very well-lit. First, there is the large showroom in which the mannequins display the robes, this room being decorated and furnished in Louis XVI style. Then, there are two adjoining salesrooms in which the sale can be completed. The mannequins' dressing room is connected to the showroom by a wide gallery.

On the first floor of the larger buildings are the trying-on rooms, as are also the storerooms with the stock of materials, etc.

Workrooms occupy the remainder of the building formed by Nos. 17, 19, 21, and also the buildings at the back that help to surround the salesrooms. One floor of a building facing the Boulevard des Capucines is also occupied.

The style of robes is characterized by elegance without eccentricity, the search after a pretty and harmonious outline, soberness, perfection of line, and beauty of movement. All kinds of robes are made: walking-out dresses, tailor-made, afternoon gowns, evening dresses, mantles. Furs are also dealt in, but owing to a lack of space, only one room in the Rue de la Paix is devoted to furs.

The staff is fed in an apartment facing the Rue Louis-le-Grand, but there is no lunchroom for the workwomen.

🌟 Most Engaging Content

The description of Doucet’s atelier complex at Rue de la Paix — with separate entrances for clients and employees, and a Louis XVI–style showroom — gives a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into couture operations.

The emphasis on elegance without eccentricity positions Doucet as a counterbalance to flashier couturiers, making his work appealing for transatlantic travelers seeking chic reliability.

The link to actress Cécile Sorel’s American tour illustrates how Parisian fashion houses exported not just clothes, but an image of France abroad.

🖼️ Noteworthy Images

Mlle Violette in Tailored Black-and-White Checks (1913) – A timeless tailored gown with crisp piqué collar, showing Doucet’s mastery of refined simplicity.
Le Magazine de la Revue des Français, 20 July 1913.

📖 Brief Dictionary of Terms

Robe flou – A soft, flowing gown that contrasted with stiffly structured dresses.

Piqué collar – A textured cotton fabric collar, crisp and durable, often used for tailored pieces.

Atelier – The workshop or studio where couture garments were made.

Mantle – A formal cloak or wrap, often for evening wear.

Bibliography

"European Dressmaking Art: Intimate Glimpses of Paris Shops," in Harmony in Dress, Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences, Scranton, PA, 1926:16-17.