Searching for Anne Marie

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>> Does anyone else spend hours on Jalou Archives (the archives of L'Officiel and Jalouse…) and does it suck away your hours as you type in terms such as Patou, Chloe par Karl Lagerfeld, Thierry Mugler and Poiret and basically go ape over the number of specific images that come up.  It also partially solves the "Where do I find pre-2000 show images?" problem.  Today, it was Anne-Marie Beretta that took over the fated archive search session.  I vaguely know of Beretta from her work for Ramosport as well as her designs for Max Mara but still, there is scant information on a designer who started her line in 1974, was wildly successful until the late 80s and has been described as a groundbreaking "fashion architect".

After spending some time investigating her voluminous ensembles, her forte in strong outerwear suddenly makes her work relevant for the cocooning shapes that have infiltrated A/W 10-11.  A quick search on eBay yields nothing either and I've yet to come across any vintage Anne-Marie Beretta, so whoever her faithful clientele were back in the 80s, they're not giving her work up easily.  Still, confining Beretta to these fashion snapshots isn't so bad when it is clear that their influence has left an indelible mark on the billowing lines of today.  Obviously, any more information that any of you might have Beretta is more than welcome on this past-gazing post…     

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27 comments

  1. I have to say that seh as some stunning pieces and that her work was pretty avant-garde for that time but i’m not so fond of it!
    xx,
    Dimogonda blog

  5. The back view of last picture looks like YOU to me….for a minute. 🙂
    Those imagines are timeless….although I wouldn’t agree much of the “styles”. Something Vintage is better left behind, style must always continuously evolve w/ new elements!!
    http://litlstrawberry.blogspot.com/

  6. these are all so perfect! i am loving all the fem fatale figures that are beginning to reemerge in coats and suits. finally, matching prints is ok! i am finally beginning to appreciate my mums cupboard of heavily padded jackets and draped dinnersuits. <3

  7. Wow!
    wow..
    it’s such a treasure to be able to browse through this..thank you so much for the link! wonderful source for research..

  9. Whoa, that’s some cool stuff. I can definitely see her influence so so many places. A revival would be pretty interesting indeed.

  11. I love these boxy shapes. I need some of these pieces in my life. My favorite is the dress with a woman’s silhouette.
    JD
    iplayface.blogspot.com

  14. the second image is of sinister beauty! just like the model stepped off this season’s Proenza Schouler catwalk: http://www.style.com/fashionshows/detail/S2010RTW-PSCHOULER
    i’m really glad to see several designers like m f pepe, veronica b vallenes and somewhat natascha stolle working with a similar attitude and styles, but in a clean modern way.
    great inspirational post, thank you susie!

  16. Amazing image finds… And thanks for the link! So many hours of fun… 😉
    Xxxc
    P.s. I’ve picked up the blog again, so do drop by! I missed the blogosphere! 😀

  18. Many thanks for your fashion historic class…and so sorry for my English…Chiqui from M√°laga.

  19. I have one of her shearling coats, the coat looks similar to some of the shapes in these photos. I bought it in Paris. She was designing coats for the company MacDouglas, they had a shop in NYC as well. It is pure luxury, voluminous amounts of shearling with a huge shawl collar. The shape is simple and elegant. It is as warm a coat as you will ever imagine. And still to this day I get compliments. It is in perfect condition thanks to the workmanship. It also cost a lot of money, but was worth it. Which makes the only problem with the coat is it so timeless I will never need another (warm) coat again. The design was copied by everyone back then. The coats were so chic for their day, even Jackie Kennedy owned an Anne M B, black shearling coat from the MacDouglas line.

  20. Lena: Ah yes… you’re right to point out those designers… they DO work in a similar vein, don’t they?
    Terry: That’s an amazing story… I knew about her work for MacDouglas… you’re so lucky to have bought the original thing!

  23. I was present at a couple of A-M-B shows in Paris inthe early ’80’s
    As a designer myself her talent was awe inspiring. Shows were different then
    it was usual to have 8 girls out on the runway

  25. Thrifted a cool Anne Marie Baretta overcoat today. Will list on ebay in a week or 2. Cheers.

  27. I found one of her belts today and it’s beyond amazing. Will share a picture if you’re interested. Let me know.

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