René Gruau: Legendary fashion illustrator

René Gruau, was born Renato Zavagli Ricciardelli in Rimini, Italy in 1909 to a family of aristocrats. His father was an Italian count. Following the divorce of his parents when he was three, and his mother's move to Paris, René took the maiden name of his well-born, artistically inclined French mother, Maria Gruau de la Chesnaie. He lived and worked in France.

Gruau worked for many patrons including Balmain, Givenchy, Schiaparelli, Jacques Fath and Edward Molyneux, and also for suppliers of top-quality textiles, cars and brandy. He did ballet sets and costumes. But arguably it was his creative collaboration with Christian Dior and the House of Dior that stamped his reputation. Beginning with Dior's New Look in 1947, Gruau's connection with the couture house continued well after Dior's death in 1957, until the late 1990s.

Don't you just love the colour in these illustrations? The epitome of elegance and class!