Callot Soeurs

Callot Soeurs (French pronunciation: [kalo sœʁ]) was one of the leading fashion design houses of the 1910s and 1920s.

[6] That same year, American Vogue dubbed the sisters the Three Fates, and declared them "foremost among the powers that rule the destinies of a woman's life and increase the income of France.

[5] In response to the proliferation of knockoffs in the 1910s and 1920s, Callot Soeurs regularly placed advertisements in The New York Times listing the official retailers of their designs.

[2] A January 1922 article in Ladies' Home Journal claimed that "Callot probably has more rich clients than any other establishment in the world.

[8] Callot Soeurs's greatest American supporter was Rita de Acosta Lydig who ordered dozens of dresses at a time.

According to her sister Mercedes de Acosta, "Rita designed most of her own clothes and they were made for her by Callot Soeurs.

"[9] Supposedly, Rita was such a fashion plate that when she learned her husband was having an affair with a poorly dressed woman, she sent the mistress to Callot Soeurs for new clothing.

[1] Twenty-one Callot Soeurs dresses are preserved in the Acton Art Collection at New York University's Villa La Pietra in Florence.

Callot Soeurs dress label
A Callot Soeurs dress, circa 1915
The sales room of the haute couture house Callot Soeurs, c.1910.
Portrait of Rita de Acosta Lydig by Giovanni Boldini, 1911