Maggy Rouff (September 1, 1896– August 7, 1971) was a French fashion designer of Belgian origin.

Family and early life

Maggy Rouff was born Marguerite de Wagner in 1896, to a Belgian couple (though Madame de Wagner was German-born). In 1902, Rouff's parents opened a couture house in Paris under the name Drécoll. This was a branch of the well-known Viennese fashion house Drécoll. Founded in 1896 by Christoff von Drécoll, the fashion house was a favorite of the Austro-Hungarian imperial family. Monsieur and Madame de Wagner paid for the right to use the Drécoll name in Paris while designing their own fashions.

Career

Marguerite (Maggy) de Wagner married Pierre Besançon in October 1917 in Paris and both subsequently adopted the name Besançon de Wagner. In 1929, Marguerite Besançon de Wagner opened a new fashion house at 136 avenue des

Champs Elysees Champs may refer to: Music * The Champs, a U.S. instrumental music group * Champs (Brazilian band), a Brazilian boy band * Champs (British band), a British folk- and indie rock-influenced band * The Fucking Champs, a U.S. progressive heavy met ...

under the name Maggy Rouff. Rouff was known for her understated

sportswear Sportswear or activewear is athletic clothing, including footwear, worn for sports activity or physical exercise. Sport-specific clothing is worn for most sports and physical exercise, for practical, comfort or safety reasons. Typical spor ...

designs at the beginning of her career, and later for the feminine detailing in her garments such as ruffles,

shirring Shirring is a decorative sewing technique that involves stitching together many rows of gathered fabrics. Shirring reduces the size of the original fabric while adding texture to the resulting decorative fabric. In sewing, shirring is two or more ...

, and the

bias cut For woven textiles, grain refers to the orientation of the weft and warp threads. The three named grains are straight grain, cross grain, and the bias grain. In sewing, a pattern piece can be cut from fabric in any orientation, and the chosen gra ...

. In 1937, Rouff opened a London outpost at 12a Stanhope Gate, Park Lane. The business was housed in an old home which Rouff decorated herself. In the 1930s, Rouff headed PAIS (Association pour la Protection des Arts Plastiques et Appliques, also known as the Association pour la Protection des Industries Artistiques Saisonnieres), one of the most important anti-piracy and counterfeiting trade networks in Paris couture, which was founded by

Madeleine Vionnet Madeleine Vionnet (; June 22, 1876, Loiret, France – March 2, 1975) was a French fashion designer best known for being the "pioneer of the bias cut dress". Vionnet trained in London before returning to France to establish her first fashion hou ...

in 1922.

Famous clients

Maggy Rouff is listed as costume designer or as part of the costume department for twelve films between 1938 and 1961. The latter films may have been designed by Anne-Marie Besançon de Wagner using the Maggy Rouff label. In 1938, the "children of France" gifted Princess Elizabeth and

Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. She was the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II. ...

two dresses and a set of handkerchiefs. Other well-known clients included

Grace Kelly Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982), also known as Grace of Monaco, was an American actress and Princess of Monaco as the wife of Prince Rainier III from their marriage on April 18, 1956, until her death in 1982. ...

and Clarissa Churchill Eden.

Writings

Rouff wrote two books, ''American Seen Through the Microscope'', about her travels in the United States, and ''Philosophy of Elegance''.

Later life

Rouff retired in 1948. Her daughter Anne-Marie Besançon de Wagner took over the business. The house closed in 1965 after failing to attract younger customers.

References

French fashion designers French women fashion designers 1896 births 1971 deaths French people of Belgian descent French people of German descent {{France-artist-stub