Elegance in Transit: The House of Peron and the Revival of Parisian Couture in the Steamship Era (1920)
Blue Gabardine Dress With Apron Tunic of the Same Shade of Blue Silk; Red and Silver Embroidery. Garment Manufacturers' Index, September 1920. GGA Image ID # 1a48fc338f. This Standout Image Shows a Blue Gabardine Day Dress, Enhanced With Red and Silver Embroidery. The Harmonious Blend of Structured Tailoring and Rich Embellishment Represents a Signature of the House of Peron. It’s a Garment Designed for Visibility and Prestige—an Excellent Case Study for Students Examining Fashion as a Means of Identity During Elite Ocean Voyages.
🌍 Introduction: A Rising Star of Paris Couture Meets the Ocean-Traveling Elite
The House of Peron, as profiled in this 1920 trade journal article, represents an emerging fashion force during the golden age of steamship travel and couture fashion. For teachers, students, genealogists, and fashion historians, this piece offers a richly descriptive tour through the house's collection, with particular relevance to transatlantic ocean travel—a time when haute couture wardrobes were a status symbol among first-class travelers.
Directed by M. de Fontenay, a former associate of both Paquin and Lucile, the House of Peron fused refined craftsmanship with inventive silhouettes. The article provides an extraordinary fashion inventory, filled with tactile language and technical detail—making it a valuable primary source for researchers studying post-WWI fashion, Parisian couture houses, and travel culture in the 1920s.
The dresses and gowns in this collection stand out with their fine beadwork and new embroidery in raised plush, adding a unique touch to each charming model.
M. de Fontenay, the director of this rising house, has a rich career history. He started at Paquin and later joined Lucile's, where he was associated for many years. His excellent taste and business acumen are evident in the new premises at 2 rue de la Paix, which are poised to rival our most significant houses.
I found a complete collection comprising draped and straight styles at Peron's. However, there is a distinct leaning toward closely following the lines of figures:
- Many serge and gabardine dresses.
- The somberness of dark blues and browns is relieved by varied embroidery.
- A much lighter tone.
The collection includes:
This firm originates a new kind of raised elegant designs surrounded and underlined by wool or silk. I noticed this idea on many models, woolen stuffs, velvets, and Georgettes, giving outstanding results.
Now that labor conditions are a little better and finding skilled workers easier, beautiful beadwork has been resurrected. One robe chemise is covered with blue, black, and gold beads, the design forming immense points and lozenges; a large, loose belt of yellow and black is knotted to one side. It is much used here.
"Ouragan," a blue serge, has a plain skirt trimmed all around in a broad, perpendicular, outstanding bias of black satin closely beaded in white.
The long belt line and tight sleeves often go with a high turned-over collar, which buttons to the throat or can be worn open, as we see by a bright pink duvetyn. The collar is lined with a complementary shade of blue, matching the tight row of buttons down the front.
We find a few sashes with the lower waistline. The skirt is shirred on at the hips and slightly draped to one side in the very unusual case of a dressed kid gown, the kid as supple and pliable as satin, faintly figured in dull beige and blue.
Another blue serge, this time, has a very tight bodice, immense bell-shaped sleeves embroidered closely in pink plush and wool, and a draped tunic skirt.
Yet another has a skirt made of rows of narrow petals edged with brick embroidery, which proves that flat ruffles have not said their last word.
The zouave effect, with the turned-in hemline and tight bolero, can be found several times here.
A black velvet skirt with detached side panels and an almond green vest worked in black silk are chic. A very distinguished-appearing model is taffeta and black velvet. Onto a high-necked, long-waisted bodice is shirred a round taffeta apron overlapping an identical one at the back, each edged with a broad velvet rush.
I still need to mention a three-piece dress with a quaint jacket. The little frock has a deep yoke embroidered in red beads, while the straight Eton coat ends in long streamers that tie loosely over one hip.
The evening dresses in this collection are a true feast for the eyes, with their highly fanciful designs. One standout is a pale yellow silk poplin, featuring a large, loose fichu standing out very high at the back, and a skirt that is a succession of flat scalloped ruffles by yellow chenille fringe.
The iridescent and dull beads combined in a compact design, bordered by a broad violet satin ribbon, draped around the figure and caught up to one side, make one stylish dress.
There is a decided tendency here to unsymmetrical bodices, the pointed décolleté making it possible for one side to be the material, the other a piece of lace and a strap.
My favorite evening dress is cherry chiffon velvet, almost classical in the cut. Sleeveless, it has a deeply pointed bodice; the skirt, which is draped, has one side seamless and hanging free, lined with gold lamé.
A wide wing hangs from one shoulder at the back, falling almost to the hem; it is of black net embroidered in cherry silk and edged in gold lace.
I noticed a big cape of brown duvetyn combined with a front and high collar of Kolinsky; the hemline was wide and flaring, an unusual thing. Other evening capes have a caught-in hem, which gives a narrow line at the foot.
This order includes a reversible cape: one in black and silver brocade with a white mouflon collar and the other in royal blue velvet.
This wrap has a deep yoke, as does this one of old rose brocade scalloped at the base; the coat's skirt (if I may thus express myself) is of rose velvet shirred on very full.
"Peron" in the Garment Manufacturers' Index, New York: The Allen-Nugent Co. Publishers, Vol. II, No. 2, September 1920: 30.
✨ Most Engaging and Educational Content Highlights
Diversity in Daywear and Outerwear
The collection offers an abundance of gabardine and serge dresses, with apron tunics, tight bodices, and embroidered plush sleeves. These garments were ideal for deckwear, afternoon promenades, or onboard luncheons, designed with both structure and movement in mind—features prized by women sailing on ships like the SS France or RMS Aquitania.
Exceptional Embellishments and Embroidery
The use of raised plush embroidery, red beadwork, gold lamé, and brick-colored edging creates garments that dazzle while remaining tasteful. The detailed beading and layering techniques—such as overlapping taffeta aprons or scalloped ruffles of chenille—reflect the post-war return to opulence and individuality in fashion.
Evening Gowns as Showpieces
The evening collection bursts with unsymmetrical bodices, draped velvet skirts, fichus, and floating wings—designs meant to stand out at shipboard dinners or gala evenings. One particularly theatrical gown combines cherry chiffon velvet and black net embroidered in cherry silk, topped with gold lace. These imaginative silhouettes were emblematic of fashion meant to be seen in grand salons or on marble staircases aboard ocean liners.
Capes and Outerwear for Ocean Travel
Descriptions of Kolinsky fur-trimmed capes, reversible brocade wraps, and mouflon-collared cloaks offer a rare glimpse into functional couture designed for both warmth and impact—ideal for departure day, arrivals at ports, or chilly nights on the open sea.
🧵 Brief Dictionary of Terms for the Casual Reader
Term: Definition
- Gabardine: A durable, tightly woven twill fabric used in suits and dresses, known for its smooth finish.
- Serge: A strong, soft woolen or worsted fabric with a diagonal weave—ideal for travel attire.
- Fichu: A lightweight triangular scarf worn over the shoulders or around the neck.
- Lozenge: A diamond-shaped design element used in beading or fabric patterning.
- Duvetyn: A soft, short-napped fabric resembling suede, used for coats or capes.
- Kolinsky: A luxurious fur from a type of weasel, prized for its softness and warmth.
- Mouflon: A type of fleece or wool used in high-end coats and capes.
- Tunic Skirt: An overdraped skirt style that resembles a tunic, often asymmetrical or layered.
⚓ Relevance to Ocean Travel
The House of Peron designed for women who traveled in style. The article’s focus on layering, weight, and cut reflects a deep understanding of what elite passengers needed for long voyages:
- Woolen and serge dresses for embarkation and deck walks
- Intricately beaded evening gowns for formal dinners
- Capes and wraps for Atlantic breezes and chilly arrivals
Genealogists studying immigration or social class can use these descriptions to decode family portraits or travel photos. Teachers might highlight the fashion rituals of travel as a way to engage students with real-world implications of social mobility and identity.
🎓 Conclusion
An Archive Gem for Fashion and Cultural Research
This profile of the House of Peron is more than a fashion editorial—it’s a snapshot of postwar elegance, artisan revival, and elite transatlantic culture. It’s especially valuable for:
🧑🏫 Educators, teaching students about interwar fashion and luxury travel
📜 Historians, tracing couture influences across designers like Paquin, Lucile, and Peron
👩💻 Students, exploring how clothing served as both art and status
👨👩👧👦 Genealogists, interpreting the wardrobes of fashionable ancestors
📚 Encouragement to Use GG Archives
🧭 Dive deeper into fashion’s voyage through history at the GG Archives!
💡 Whether you’re studying vintage couture, writing an essay on transatlantic society, or researching family immigration stories, let the GG Archives be your port of call.
👗✍️ Use this article as a source to craft essays, analyze garments, or explore the evolution of elite fashion in motion. Bon voyage into the past! 🌊
