Jenny Sacerdote: Parisian Couture, Military Chic, and Ocean Travel Elegance (1910s–1920s)

A Portrait of Jenny Sacerdote by Henri Gervex, 1921. Oil on Canvas. | GGA Image ID # 217d59add7

✨ Review & Summary – Jenny Sacerdote: Parisian Couture for the Ocean-Going Elite

🎀 Introduction & Relevance to Ocean Travel

Jeanne Adèle Bernard, better known as Jenny Sacerdote (Madame Jenny), was one of the most celebrated Parisian couturiers of the 1910s–1920s. Renowned for her “little grey suit” and streamlined elegance, Jenny’s creations became staples for women traveling aboard luxury steamships. Her fashions balanced utility and refinement, ideal for women navigating the dual demands of transatlantic voyages and high-society engagements.

Teachers & Students will find in Jenny’s work a clear link between wartime austerity and the return of postwar opulence, providing insight into how global events shaped fashion.

Historians & Genealogists will appreciate the documented designs as cultural artifacts, reflecting the social status, tastes, and aspirations of early 20th-century ocean travelers.

Jenny, the moniker for Jeanne Adele Bernard (married name, Jeanne Sacerdote), was hugely successful in the late 1910s and 1920s.

Jeanne Adèle Bernard (1868-1962),  also known as Jenny Sacerdote and Madame Jenny, was a French couturier known for the "little grey suit." Her fashion brand was Jenny, and in 2018, La Suite Jenny Sacerdote was established, paying tribute to her name.

One of Bernard's most prominent and best collections of tailor-made coats I have ever seen is that shown. Although all the other branches of sartorial art are equally well represented here, the tailleurs stand out as models of elegance.

First on the list are a series of classically cut three-quarter coats and skirts with very much tailored revers. The waistline is ever so slightly indicated, fastened with plain horn buttons and edged with braid.

Sometimes double-breasted, they are made of heavy serges, diagonals, cheviots, nēgre, Havana tobacco, iron-gray, dark green, and somber plaids.

Next come the same long lines in lighter materials, such as brocade, satins, and duvetyn. The sides of the coat are slightly shirred, and the skirt may also have flat double pleats on either side.

Tailored Suit of Gray Duvetyn by Jenny Trimmed With Gray Lamb Fur. Garment Manufacturers' Index, October 1920. GGA Image ID # 1a4d1b2c09

The collars on these suits are high. A dark-gray brocade has a tie collar of skunk, although I did see a low shawl collar tied in a bow at the waist.

Among the shorter suits, there is a great deal of fancy braiding, waxed or plain. There are numerous medium coats with relatively wide Basques pinched at the waist.

One beige duvetyn has a huge seal shawl collar, with fur all around the front breadths. Another charming Persian duvetyn wears a standing collar of gray lamb, open in front, the lamb also edging the front panels.

Among the short, loose coats, we find much navy and peacock blue. Some of the skirts are pleated, and a great many costumes are embroidered. A new fancy serge is shown interestingly on a short model. The skirt is plain dark blue, and the Eton jacket is woven in different-colored lozenges, like a harlequin's dress.

Dress of Kashavella by Jenny, Trimmed With Bands of Wared Satin and Wooden Beads. Garment Manufacturers' Index, September 1920. GGA Image ID # 1a48ae0966

Coat wraps may be described as long and straight, with huge armholes and big collars, much varied by embroidery and fur. The collars may be deep, standing affairs, or so broad that they form shawls at the back when open. Apart from rough stuff, there are many duvetyns and a lot of cloth, especially in greens.

A jade-green duvetyn coat with an oversized seal collar that ends in a scarf of the goods bordered by the fur is chic; seal edged the sides, which are slit up to the waist and the hem.

Doesn't She Look Like a Little Soldier in Her Trig Walking Costume? The Full Skirt Is Very Short, but It Displays to Advantage the Polonaise Boots, Close-fitting and Very High, Which Jenny Has Made of Patent Leather Expressly for Her Clientele. Even the Hat Expresses the Militaire. Harper's Bazar, December 1914, p. 36. | GGA Image ID # 1cbc102e08

Thick serges boast unique lines woven across, forming yokes and collars, creating a truly intriguing effect. Wool embroidery, a testament to the artistry, adorns the smartest yokes; a beige model showcases one in two shades of brown, reaching the knees in the back.

Silk chain stitch is also pretty; the reverse effect from yokes is fur hems rounding the corners and coming up the sides in points.

Dresses, a testament to the adaptability of the sheath and princess line, are elevated by embroidery, allowing for easy fitting of the stuff to the figure under the patterns. Tinsel or silk and wool cover the whole back or front breadth, further enhancing the design's adaptability.

One green duvetyn, a soft and lightweight fabric faintly embroidered in jet, fringed in monkey fur, is pinched at the waist by long fur tassels. These dresses fasten visibly down the front or side of the back. Braids done in plaids or diagonals are a frequent occurrence. Scarf collars or straight ones tied in a bow are liked as neckwear.

Among more elaborate gowns, there is a new line; a black crêpe has a broad apron of the stuff, wrinkled from side to side over the front. A bright blue braid holds The apron on each side, and the remaining stuff is hanging in shells.

A dinner gown, a true showstopper, graces the collection with its presence. A black net blouse, darned all over in bright green wool, is paired with a black velvet skirt, creating a stunning ensemble in jade velvet, a fabric that exudes elegance.

Jeanne Adele Bernard (married name, Jeanne Sacerdote) worked as "Jenny"—an oddly British-sounding name. (There were other designers in Paris named Bernard.) The name "Jenny" became as well known as "Georgette" or "Lucile." She had been hugely successful in the late 1910s and adapted to the 1920s just as well.

Jeanne Sacerdote "Jenny" née Jeanne Adele Bernard. Image and Signature. Harper's Bazar, December 1914, p. 37. | GGA Image ID # 1cbca55bb7

Use Braid and Fur Trimming, Combined with Simplicity and Unity of Color, Distinguish Many Attractive Models.

The craze for rich, elaborate trimmings is everywhere, and we may congratulate the Parisian dressmakers on their ingenuity in making their creations different. Mme. Jenny's creations are marked by simplicity and great unity of color and design. The entire collection presents a straight, unbroken silhouette, very chic and plain except for the various embroideries.

In This Model, Jenny Has Dropped a Full Tunic of Navy Blue Serge Over a Black Satin Underdress Banded in Silver Embroidery To Match the Zouave Jacket-like Bodice. Harper's Bazar, December 1914, p. 37. | GGA Image ID # 1cbbe0bff2

The tailor-made runs in sober colors: black, greys, blues, and blue and red; mouflon, duvetyn, and velvet are the leading materials. The skirts sometimes have a few pleats at the sides; in one instance, a pleated apron is worn over a plain sheath.

Coats are short, almost boléros, medium-long, but always straight and not too loose. The collars are primarily high, turned over or not, and may finish in a double loop at the side. Then, we have scarf collars thrown over one shoulder made of rows of mouflon fur; there are also examples of shawl revers, very loose and low.

Reflective of the Peace To Come Is This Evening Gown of Gold Lace, Pink Satin, and Cloth of Gold. The Tunic of Gold Lace Is Slit in the Front To Show the Underdress, Cut Shorter in the Front as Is Typical With Jenny This Winter - Perhaps a Concession to the Dance. Harper's Bazar, December 1914, p. 36. | GGA Image ID # 1cbcb8460c

When the collar has a loop, the coat fastens down the left under embroidery, fine red silk soutache, for instance, on bright blue velvet. We notice low, loose belts of ribbon and metal or just a jeweled clasp at the waist in front.

Tailleurs are often edged and bordered by a narrow band of fur. Mouflon (Tibetan goat) is used in preference to a monkey. A chic and simple black duvetyn suit has a vest and collar of grey squirrel; lamb and Agnella, its substitute, make good trimmings and collars. A fawn suit is an edged coat and skirt by incrusted squares of broadtail; another trimming is tiny strips of fur caught into braid several rows deep.

Jenny is exceptionally fond of braid—the narrow black silk variety, soutache into geometrical designs, or as in the case of a grey boléro, bordered in black design.

This is a smart black velvet suit. The jacket is much braided below medium length. A wide green band is let in at the hip level, and the large shawl collar fastens just above the green and silver jeweled belt clasp.

The list of coats opens with a chic cinnamon-brown blanket traveling coat lined with bright blue, the lining supplying the revers when the wrap is thrown open.

Another New Jenny Skirt Is Surprisingly Full and Shorter in the Front. Made of Navy Blue Serge and Bound in a Black Braid, It Has a Trim Tailored Air Which Is Enhanced by the High Collar of White Charmeuse Buttoned Close to the Throat-heralding the Advent of Collared Necks. Harper's Bazar, December 1914, p. 36. | GGA Image ID # 1cbd39fc6d

For a change on a black coat, the wide pagoda sleeves form a cape front instead of the already popular cape back. A stylish cape coat of beige duvetyn is edged with row after row of narrow skunk bands.

The evening wraps are highly fanciful. One cape shapes right up to the chin without a collar, ties in front by a large batik ribbon bow; another coat with a deep fur yoke is brocade, embroidered and traced over in bold red and gold much in relief, like a tapestry.

All the dresses present a straight line. Apart from narrow panels and detached aprons, we have the perfectly flat frock, the high turned-over collar, and the sash in contrasting materials. A black serge coat dress striped in silk braid has a nasturtium crêpe de Chine sash and collar lined with the same.

Sashes are plentiful here; knotted loosely to one side, a lovely grey velvet trimmed with a squirrel has a grey satin bow. Then again, a dark sheath is slashed into long slits at the waist, revealing a bright lining. Sometimes, we find these tight sheaths open to one side and fold back, showing braiding (yes, there is lots of it on dresses, too) or embroidery underneath.

Jenny Has Differentiated Her Underdress With Ruffles on a Clever Restaurant Frock of Taffeta Striped in Black Velvet. Strips of Ermine Lighten the Bodice by Outlining the Vest and Collar. Harper's Bazar, December 1914, p. 37. | GGA Image ID # 1cbddee5e7

A new and pretty interpretation of the sheath is to wrinkle it in lateral folds around the figure from waist to knee. A beige velvet model has each wrinkle fastened by a button on the left side and a high fur collar tied by a velvet bow.

Low-waisted turquoise or jade velvet bodices are frequently embroidered and worn over black skirts, tiny streamers, or loops from the blouse connecting the two colors.

An embroidery of childish simplicity and would-be carelessness is of thick beige wool in the ordinary "run" stitch, forming a yoke of rows of "piques" on a black crêpe marocain.

Georgette, in rust brown, Persian blue, orange, and nègre, makes delightful rather than less clinging afternoon gowns. The light floating panels are weighted down by soutache, chain stitch, or braid!

Combined and superposed, yellow and light blue chiffon gives beautiful changing reflections, especially by artificial light, for these sheer dresses are to be worn informally in the evening.

The formal evening dress is quite conservative, showing the same tight lines. It is often wrinkled (one can hardly call it draping; it is so slight) up slightly to the side. The neckline is square with tiny shoulder straps; these low bodices, a single fold of bright ribbon, are veiled to the neck by straight net or lace panels. The waistline is very low and further accentuated by the frequent use of broad, loose sashes, the ends trailing on the ground.

Afternoon gown by Jenny, photographed by O'Doye, 1924. The Delineator, February 1924. | GGA Image ID # 217d7185f6

JENNY has one of the season's largest and most successful collections; after writing that, one is struck by the dullness of prose compared to the brilliant reality of the exhibition itself.

Everyone knows the celebrated Jenny line, straight and severe. Each season brings the conviction that extreme simplicity combined with unexpected and exquisite detail is only to be attempted by the hand of genius.

Mlle Maggy L*** Wearing an Afternoon Cape by Jenny. Photo by Félix. (Comœdia illustré, 20 March 1914) | GGA Image ID # 225d05be2e

Madame Jenny is one unquestionably. Every model shown bears the unmistakable stamp of good taste and a love of distinctive lines. The entire collection gives a consistently youthful, relatively short line, immensely varied in materials and trimmings.

Among the tailleurs, short coats with slightly gored skirts, that characteristic spring idea, elaborate linings, and amusingly complicated sleeves predominate.

Sleeves take center stage in Madame Jenny's collection, often becoming the focal point of an otherwise plain dress. This unique design choice adds a layer of intrigue and makes each dress a statement piece in its own right.

Jenny Combined Both Ivory and Black Lace With Black Satin and a Beaded Belt on This Very Feminine Gown, Sketched by Soulie. the Delineator, April 1924. | GGA Image ID # 217da0a083

Fine serge, reps, étamine de laine, and a certain amount of taffeta make good fancy tailleurs; combinations of black skirts and white jackets are ever successful. A most elegant black afternoon tailor-made attracted much attention. Long and straight in line, the coat was covered entirely with a delicate tracery of shiny black beads and bordered with a narrow fringe, all meticulously handcrafted from [specific materials used in the embroidery].

Discover the versatility of Jenny's interpretation of embroidery, adding a unique touch to each tailor-made coat. These coats, loose and short, are a perfect complement to the dress they are almost always worn with. As the dresses often feature enormous long sleeves, the outer garment is designed to be easily slipped off, offering a variety of style options.

Jenny Dared Combine the Colors Turquoise and Rose in a Very Feminine Creation Developed in Rayon Satin Faille. Dresses, May 1928. | GGA Image ID # 217dc8390a

The usual spring stuff is represented, but Jenny adds fine wool canvas and moiré. Although we find a good deal of embroidery, soutache, narrow silk braid, and a new galon that looks like silk lacing is much used: a delightful voile model of blue and scarlet was trimmed with lateral rows of these lacings, the sleeves, loose and hanging, adorned with close rows of the same novel braid.

Miss Eve Lavallière, Dressed by Jenny, Has Just Created, With Her Usual Originality and Exquisite Talent, the Role of Albertine in “My Aunt of Honfleur,” (Comœdia illustré, 5 April 1914) | GGA Image ID # 225dcc8b48

Jenny at the Théâtre des Variétés. Mile Eve LAVALLIÈRE, in the role of Albertine in "My Aunt of Honfleur," at the Variétés, Dressed by Jenny. After Her Success on the Variétés Stage, Jenny Showcased Highly Personal Creations Each Evening With Lavallière. Jenny’s Distinctive and Original Designs Gained Immense Popularity at Longchamp and Various Competitions, Appealing to Elegant Parisian Women Eager to Enjoy the Outdoors, Whether in the Forest, at Fontainebleau, Compiègne, or Saint-Germain. Photos Reutlinger. (Comœdia illustré, 5 April 1914) | GGA Image ID # 225dbbec51

Her “Capes” Became a Real Sensation, as Did the Long, Flared, and Pleated Tunics. Madame Dartaix Wore These Pieces With the Allure and Grace for Which She Is Well Known. No One Wears a Jenny Creation Better Than This Elegant and Refined Parisian. However, She Credits Many of Her Successes to the Innate Taste of the Two Talented Designers Behind the Creative House, Who We Can Expect to See This Summer on the Champs-élysées. Mlle Dartaix, Dressed by Jenny. Photo by Reutlinger. (Comœdia illustré, 20 April 1914) | GGA Image ID # 225e92232c

Maison Jenny Created a Muslin Dress Adorned With White Moisre Ribbon Ruffles, as Mlle Goldberg Wore. Additionally, Jenny Designed an Original Dress Featuring Wide Ribbon Ruffles, Showcasing a Distinctive Chic Style. What Fantasies Can Ribbon Create When Crafted by Such Skilled Hands? The Clothing Worn by Mlle Goldberg in These Columns Serves as a Prime Example. Photo by Talbot. (Comœdia illustré, 20 April 1914) | GGA Image ID # 225d7bb46b

The Midseason Openings Still Clearly Show a Preference for Black and White. One of Jenny’s Most Beautiful Afternoon Gowns Features a Youthful Silhouette With a Tiered Design Made From Black Crêpe de Chine. The Gown Is Adorned With Three Bows and Paired With a Little-Sleeved Jacket Trimmed With Ermine. (Harper's Bazar, July 1927) | GGA Image ID # 226866e16f

🌟 Most Engaging Content

1. Military-Inspired Tailoring – Jenny’s “little soldier” walking costumes (Harper’s Bazar, 1914) fused functionality with chic design, showing how global conflicts influenced couture.

2. Creative Use of Braid & Fur – From mouflon trims to intricate soutache embroidery, Jenny elevated plain silhouettes with luxe, tactile details.

3. Stage & Society Connections – Her costumes for actresses like Eve Lavallière highlighted how couture extended beyond salons and liners into theater, cinema, and public imagination.

4. Innovative Textiles & Colors – Jenny’s daring combinations of turquoise with rose rayon satin faille (1928) and Egyptian-inspired tassel gowns (1922) show her adaptability to changing tastes.

🖼️ Noteworthy Images

Portrait of Jenny Sacerdote by Henri Gervex (1921) – Establishes Jenny as both designer and cultural figure. | GGA Image ID 217d59add7

Tailored Suit of Gray Duvetyn with Lamb Fur (1920) – A classic “Jenny” look, ideal for shipboard and city wear. | GGA Image ID 1a4d1b2c09

Military-Style Walking Costume (1914) – Short skirt, high boots, and militant chic, reflecting wartime influences. | GGA Image ID 1cbc102e08

Evening Gown of Gold Lace, Pink Satin, and Cloth of Gold (1914) – A vision of luxury and optimism at the dawn of peace. | GGA Image ID 1cbcb8460c

Afternoon Gown in Crêpe de Chine with Ermine Jacket (1927) – Youthful elegance with tiered design, balancing modernity with tradition. | GGA Image ID 226866e16f

📖 Brief Dictionary of Terms

Duvetyn – A soft, short-napped fabric resembling suede, popular for coats and travel wear.

Mouflon – Wool or fur from wild sheep, prized for warmth and texture in trimming.

Soutache – Narrow flat braid used as ornamental embroidery.

Tailleur – A tailored woman’s suit, often worn for travel or daytime engagements.

Lozenge Pattern – Diamond-shaped motif, here used in harlequin-inspired weaving.

Crêpe de Chine – Lightweight silk fabric with a matte finish, ideal for fluid gowns.

⚓ Relevance to Ocean Travel

Jenny’s fashions directly addressed the needs of steamship passengers:

Tailored coats and serge suits → practical for embarkation days and deck promenades.

Evening gowns with embroidery and metallics → perfect for gala dinners at sea.

Capes and wraps → necessary for brisk Atlantic crossings and arrivals in northern ports.

Stage costumes → linked to the broader cultural network of actresses and socialites who traveled between Paris, New York, and London on luxury liners.

🎓 Educational Encouragement

Students should use this page to explore themes such as:

✍️ “How did World War I influence women’s fashion in both function and form?”

✍️ “What role did ocean liner travel play in spreading Parisian couture globally?”

✍️ “How did designers like Jenny Sacerdote balance tradition with modernity in the interwar years?”

By citing GG Archives, students gain access to primary source material, ensuring their research essays are grounded in authentic historical evidence.

Bibliography

"Bernard" in the Garment Manufacturers' Index, New York: The Allen-Nugent Co. Publishers, Vol. II, No. 3, October 1920.

"Jenny," in Garment Manufacturers' Index, New York: The Allen-Nugent Company, Vol. II, No. 9, April 1921.