Charvet (shirtmaker)

Charvet (shirtmaker)

Charvet is a French high-end bespoke and ready-to-wear shirtmaker from Paris, France. Its flagship store, is located at 28 Place Vendôme in Paris. It is famous for its inspiring display of colours, "where the rainbow finds ideas" [Cocteau, Jean (1912). "La danse de Sophocle", p.133. Mercure de France ] . "Charvet is the greatest artist in creation!" wrote the American painter WhistlerMunhall, Edgar (1995). "Whistler and Montesquiou: The Butterfly and the Bat", p.145. Frick Collection]

History

Foundation

Founded as a shirtmaking business by Christophe Charvet (whose father had been "keeper of the wardrobe" [Masson, Frédéric (1894). "Napoleon at Home: The Daily Life of the Emperor at the Tuileries". H. Grevel and co] for Napoleon Bonaparte) in 1836, the company had its first fame in 1838 with the establishment of a store which could claim to be the first of its sort in Paris (previously all shirtmakers had gone to their clients)Gavenas, Mary Lisa (2008). "Encyclopedia of Menswear", p.86. Fairchild Publications, New York. ISBN 9781563674655 ] . Some historians of fashion consider it was the first store ever where measurements were taken and fabrics selected from displays Vergani, Guido & al.(1999). "Dizionario della moda", p.152. Baldini & Castoldi, Milano. ISBN 8880895850] . At that time, Charvet was the official shirtmaker of the Jockey Club, a gathering of the elite of nineteenth-century French society, then headed by Napoleon Joseph Ney, Prince of the Moskowa. The founder of the company is also credited with the idea, radical for its day, of attaching collars and cuffs to the garment cite news|title=The Shirt Maker|last=Flusser|first=Alan|date=October 1982|work=TWA Ambassador] .

Royal Customers

During the 19th century the Parisian shirtmaker has catered to a large array of Royal customers, including:
* King Edward VII since he was Prince of Wales: Royal Warrant of "Chemisier in Paris" granted in 1869;
* Alfonso XII of Spain: Warrant of "Proveedor de la Real Casa" granted in 1878;
* Antoine, Duke of Montpensier: Warrant of "Proveedor de la Real Casa" granted in 1879;
* Philippe, comte de Paris: Warrant granted in 1893;
* Sultan Abdul Hamid II: some pieces on display at the Topkapı Palace
* Edward VIII, Duke of Windsor

Other famous customers

Other famous customers include (in alphabetical order):

Colban takeover

When in 1965 the Charvet heirs sought to sell the firm, they were contacted by an American buyer. The French government, knowing Charvet had been for a long time General de Gaulle's shirtmaker grew concerned. The French Ministry of Industry instructed Denis Colban, who sold fabrics to all the fine haberdashers in France, to locate a French buyer. Rather than approaching investors he decided to purchase the company himself.

Until then, Charvet was operated in much the same way as it has been since its foundation: a customer was shown only what he requested, in most cases something fairly conservative. After Mr. Colban bought the store, things changed. It started when Baron Rothschild came into the store and asked to see some shirting fabrics. One of them was pink. Mr. Colban, following previous Charvet custom advised against. To which the Baron retorted, "If not for me, who is it for?" Some time later, Nelson Rockfeller requested some shirt swatches be sent to New York. Bold stripes and unusual colors were sent and eventually selected. From that point on, Mr. Colban changed the point of view of Charvet as well as its role with the customer [Flusser, Alan (1981)."Making the man", p.190. Wallaby books, New York. ISBN 0671791478] .

Colban also brought significant changes to the aspect of the store, painting it black, having all the furniture hand-varnished in te same color and the wall decorated with an olive and gold paper . He also transformed the store in a veritable casbah of subtle colors and rare fabrics . "Today style is more important than quality for most people", he said. "I want to give them both".. He established extended the company's offerings to women and established the business of finely made off-the-peg shirts in addition to bespoke . A few years after, he was one the first of many famous European shops ans designers to sell ready-to-wear shirts, ties and accessories to Bergdorf Goodman [Neimark, Ira (2006). "Crossing Fifth Avenue to Bergdorf Goodman", p.163. Specialist Press International. ISBN 1561712086] . Colban refused numerous offers to sell the company, maintaining the single store in Paris and continuing the house as a family business.

"Charvet is about the possibility of choices" says Anne-Marie Colban, who today runs the House of Charvet with her brother Jean-Claude. With a collection of over six thousand shirting fabrics, offering four hundred shades of white and two hundred of bluescite news|url=http://www.portfolio.com/culture-lifestyle/goods/style/2007/03/23/Get-Shirty|title=Get shirty|last=Soltes|first=Eileen|date=April 2007|work=Portfolio|accessdate=2008-10-01] , the company is considered to offer "the largest selection of fine shirtings in the world - sea-island and Egyptian cotton broadcloths and royal oxfords, gabardines and voiles, gossamer batistes and chambrays; silk woven in France, Switzerland and Italy; Irish and French linens, even denim"cite news|url=http://www.departures.com/login|title= Charvet and the well-tailored man|last=Boyer|first=Bruce|date=February 2002|work=Departures Magazine|accessdate=2008-10-02] . Most fabrics are from specially chosen Egyptian cotton, loomed only for Charvetcite news|title= Incomparably Charvet|last=Cannon|first=Michael|date=January 2002|work=Town & Country] . The company is often considered as the "Rolls-Royce of bespoke shirtmaking" . "Charvet stripes are often multicoloured but thinner than English stripes, softer in the matching of shades, less contrasted... and more elegant" says Jean-Claude Colbancite news|title= Luxury|last=Foulkes|first=Nick|date=June 2003|work=GQ]

The shirtmaker achieved significant coverage in Irish media when it emerged that former Taoiseach Charles Haughey had misappropriated state funds while in office to purchase Charvet shirts and had them delivered via the diplomatic "black box" system, at a time when he was exhorting Irish citizens to "tighten their belts".

Workmanship of the shirt

The making of a Charvet shirt has been considered by some authors to embody the "sartorial expression of French classicism"cite news|url=http://www.departures.com/login|title= Shirt tales|last=Walther|first=Gary|date=May 1999|work=Departures Magazine|accessdate=2008-10-01] because of the attention given to precision and symmetry. On a typical striped ready-to-wear shirt and unlike most other striped shirtsCoffin, David Page (1993). "Shirtmaking: Developing skills for fine sewing", p.134. The Taunton Press, Newton. ISBN 1561580155] , the collar stripes run parallel to the yoke stripes, the yoke stripes line up with the sleeve stripes, the sleeve stripes with the sleeve packet stripes, "so you have the feeling the shirt is all one piece", says Jean-Claude Colban . "We start by doing the placket - that is the axis of the shirt - and from that we decide how to cut the collar, and so on. If it is an asymetrical repeat or a little wider then it is more difficult". The fit is described as "full and snug at the same time. When you're standing, it seems to mold your body. Sitting, the shirt gives and becomes full." [cite news|url=http://www.departures.com/login|title=A great White|date=December, 2003|last=Hainey|first=Michael|work=Departures|accessdate=2008-10-10] The yoke is one-piece and curved to follow the back. The left cuff is made one-quarter inch longer than the right to allow for the watch. For men, shirttails are square and vented for a clean look. For women, they are rounded, with a signature side-seam gusset. Collars and cuffs are not fused: "When the collar is fused, it is dead", says Colban. Instead, a free floating stiffener provides much more comfort and a more elegant shape [cite news|http://www.luxuryculture.com/goto2.html?url=w/magazine/0/0/0000002/0000864|title=The perfect white shirt|date=June 27, 2006|work=Luxury Now|accessdate=2008-10-04] The stitching on a standard collar is four millimeters from the edge. Topstitching and edgestitching are extremely precise and well-planned.Buttons are made from pearl from Tahiti [cite news|title=On the right bank|last=Gavenas|first=Mary Lisa|date=February, 2007|work=DNR] . There are only fifty shirt-makers working in the Saint-Gaultier factory and only one person works on a shirt at a time, whether custom or ready to wear, doing everything except for the buttonholes and pressing the shirt [Flusser, Alan (1996). "Style and the Man", p. 317. Harperstyle. ISBN 006270155x] . As additional services, Charvet will also change a shirt's frayed collars and cuffs or launder and starch soiled shirts sent by special delivery, and return them to their clients upon their next trip to Paris [cite news|http://www.iht.com/articles/1996/03/16/service.t.php|title=Luxury Companies Focus on Service|last=Loyer|first=Michèle|date=March 16, 1996|work=International Herald Tribune|accessdate=2008-10-07] . Charvet pyjamas are made from the same shirting fabrics.

Neckwear

Charvet's neckwear "has always been prized for the extraordinary quality of its silks - satins, twills, crepes, Ottomans, repps, failles and grenadines. Ties are sewn entirely by hand".It has been ranked best designer's tie in the USA [cite news|url=http://www.forbes.com/2004/05/26/cx_ns_0526feat.html|title=The finest neckties|last=Santelmann|first=Neal|date=May 26, 2004|work=Forbes Magazine|accessdate=2008-10-01] . The unmistakably bold Charvet tie always seems to achieve the right knot, thanks to an unusually high thread count of soft-finished silk, a full-bias cut and an intricate weaving process that uses multiple colored threads

In the 1920s, Charvet conceived Flusser, Alan (2002). "Dressing the Man", p. 156. HarperCollins. ISBN 0060191449] a range of summery bold printed tie patterns which gained wide popularity in the USA. "Its chic was in their unfussy, nonchalant bearing. To the delight of their many admirers, the Charvets' open settings facilitated blending with all kind of fancy suits [...] The original Charvet prints became the first, and regrettably almost the last, bold figured necktie to symbolize upper-class taste" . Some such ties having belonged to John Ringling are on display at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art [cite news|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-30277437_ITM|title=Other estate happenings|date=April 1, 2007|work=Sarasota Magazine|accessdate=2008-10-08]

During the 1950s, it invented a special style of bowtie(a cross between a batwing and a butterfly) for the Duke of Windsor.

Charvet is also a common name for a certain type of fabric used to make neckties.

Literary allusions

Quote|Charvet, the legendary chemisier opposite the Ritz hotel. He could happily havelived in Paris forever. He did not know where he had acquired such tastes.|Ken Follett|"Jackdaws" (2002) p.12

Notes and references

Online stockists

* [http://www.bergdorfgoodman.com/search.jhtml?No=0&Ntt=charvet&_requestid=5914&N=0&va=t Bergdorf Goodman ]
* [http://www.couturelab.com/browse/D40.html Couturelab ]
* [http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/templates/P5.jhtml?itemId=cat000492&parentId=cat000504&masterId=cat000478&navAction=index Neiman Marcus ]
* [http://www.saksfifthavenue.com/main/ProductArray.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374304942921&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474399545537&bmUID=1222688771289&SECSLOT=BR-Charvet&brandname=Charvet Saks Fifth Avenue ]


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