[2] Sent out to work as a young teenager, Jeanne trained as a dressmaker at Rouff (a Paris couture house established in 1884 and located on Boulevard Haussmann[3][4]).

Isidore owned Paquin Lalanne et cie, a couture house which had grown out of a menswear shop in the 1840s.

[5][8][9] Paquin also frequently collaborated with the illustrators and architects such as Léon Bakst, George Barbier, Robert Mallet-Stevens, and Louis Süe.

[11] The same year, Jeanne signed an exclusive illustration contract with La Gazette du Bon Ton.

La Gazette du Bon Ton featured six other leading Paris designers of the day – Louise Chéruit, Georges Doeuillet, Jacques Doucet, Paul Poiret, Redfern & Sons, and the House of Worth.

[12] In 1913, Jeanne accepted France's prestigious Legion d’Honneur in recognition of her economic contributions to the country – the first woman designer to receive the honor.

[11] During World War I, Jeanne served as president of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture.

In 1941, de Pombo left, and her assistant, Antonio del Castillo (1908–1984) took over as head designer.

He was succeeded by Colette Massignac, who was tasked with the challenge of keeping Paquin going during the post-War years, when new designers such as Christian Dior were receiving greater publicity and attention.

However, Graham's understated designs failed to reinvigorate the brand of Paquin, and the Paris house closed on 1 July 1956.