THE HOUSE OF WORTH

After the death of Charles Frederick Worth on March 10, 1895, his couture maison continued to flourish under his sons Jean-Philippe and Gaston, the founder of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture.

Gaston and Jean-Philippe Worth Carry On the Tradition
Worth's two sons Gaston and Jean-Philippe had already entered the family business by 1874. It had never been in doubt that they would enter the business; although Jean-Philippe had inherited his father's love for the art of painting, and would have perhaps followed this as career (He studied for a time under Corot). Gaston, on the other hand had inherited his father's shrewd business sense, and so the two brothers were compatibly equipped to carry on their father's business. Gaston upon his formal appointment to the house put the family activity on a firm business footing. Prior to his intervention Worth et Cie had no funded capital and no proper bookkeeping. Soon Gaston and Jean-Philippe realized a profit for the house of £50,000 a year, a phenomenal amount in those days, while the salon was producing between 6,000 and 7,000 gowns and 4,000 outer garments annually. In addition, he solidified the entire industry-at-large with the founding the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture. Later on he also founded the Societe de Secours Muteuls, an employees' association providing sickness benefits and a pension fund.

On the other hand, Jean-Philippe had his father's artistic temperament and even the same style whiskers. He had started first designing while his father was still alive, but his big opportunity came after his father's death with the Paris Exposition of 1900. Ladies dressed in his notorious spangle gowns he had just invented, and the show booth in the Exposition featured never seen before wax models. Even though a frightening debut, they were such a hit that the wooden floor of the booth was worn out by visitors and had to be replaced twice. Jean-Philippe Worth made opulent gowns of great elegance and delicacy. Never the innovator his father was, he introduced no drastic silhouette changes, but continued in the grande luxe tradition his father had established. He too dressed the greatest actresses of his age, designing Eleanora Duse's costumes from the time of her first Paris appearance in 1887 to her last American tour in 1924. As the century changed, so did the styles and the House of Worth's preeminence was threatened. Ironical it would be the young Paul Poiret, brought to the House of Worth by Jean-Philippe, who would go on to be the leading interpreter of this social change, revolutionizing fashion by freeing women from corsets and making them into exotic creatures. Poiret's admiration for the designs of Jean-Philippe Worth was not reciprocated by the latter who did not understand the younger man's ideas and was glad to accept his resignation in 1909. In spite of this, many Worth garments of the years immediately preceding the Great War bear the clear stamp of Poiret's influence.

Worth London
Worth's son, Gaston, opened the London branch of Worth in the house once occupied by the Queen of Romania at 50 Grosvenor Street, in 1898.

Worth under Jean-Charles and Jacques
 Upon the retirement of Gaston in 1920 his sons, Jean-Charles and Jacques, succeed their father to became the third generation to be in charge of the house. Like the second generation brothers, this pair neatly divided the functions of the business by temperament. Jean-Charles, the leaner of  two, was the designer and Jacques, the larger and jollier, took care of business. When younger, Jacques was a French national tennis champion and though he never became a practicing physician after studying at the Faculty de Medecine de Paris, he did go on to channel his humanitarian interests into founding a personal fund for all women who became pregnant in his employ. He also provided employees with an in-house restaurant. In 1934, five hundred meals were being served once daily - twice when the seamstresses were sewing late before the collections. At this time 1,600 are employed in the company, eight hundred in the Paris location, with the balance between its Biarritz, Cannes and London branches.

In his later years Monsieur Jean-Philippe Worth, the son of the original Monsieur Worth and uncle of Jean-Charles and Jacques, could still be seen at the establishment on certain days, attending to clients who will have no one else design their clothes. On his way through the salon, with a bolt of rare fabric over his shoulder, he would stop and talk to clients, as they choose a little frock of nothing at all that would crush into the size of a fist. Very different from Peré Worth's times when women chose trimming by the yard from strips of white muslin to put on dresses that completely filled the tray of a trunk.

Perhaps it was not a coincidence that with the death of Jean-Philippe Worth in 1926 and the unleashing of Jean-Charles and Jacques enthusiasm, the house entered a period of great revitalization. The House's prominence was renewed in what had become, since the First World War, very different fashion times. Jean-Charles and Jacques Worth very ably interpreted sportswear for the more liberated, active woman and they created very substantial advertising campaigns to promote their collections. In 1936 Jacques sold the London branch of Worth, that his father Gaston had opened in 1898, to the London management.

Worth Parfums
 A range of Worth fragrances were introduced in the early 1900's. Jean-Charles founded a separate business, Worth Parfums, in 1925 to exclusively manufacture and market the range of perfume products. Maurice Worth, a great-grandson of the famous couturier, served on the Board of Directors for many years, even after his departure from the House of Worth. Parfums Worth, still continues today.

Worth - Post Second World War
The House of Worth in London, entered the Second World War in a stronger financial position than its Parisienne counterpart. Upon re-opening after the War it quickly regained business and, in fact, developed a strong following as the European economy recovered towards the end of the 1950's. The House of Paquin, a successful British conglomerate, was instrumental in this development, having gained control of the House in 1946. It was, however, a different situation for the House of Worth in Paris after the Second World War, business in Paris proved more difficult to regain. Roger Worth, son of Jacques and the fourth-generation of the Worth family to hold a position in the House, ceded design duties in 1951, at the age of 43, to his brother Maurice. This was the house's 376th seasonal showing but it would be only a few more seasons that the House remained independent, being purchased by Worth (London), a subsidiary of Paquin Ltd., in 1954. Throughout this period of upheaval in the post-war period, continuity and direction of the house was provided by Mrs. Mortimer, who had been with the House of  Worth since the 1930's. She had become Directress of the house in 1936 when Worth's grandson, Jacques, sold the London branch to it's management.

In fact, it was Mrs. Mortimer who presided over  the House of Worth centenary celebrations at the Dorchester Hotel in London, in 1958. By this time commercial activities had ceased in Paris.

 House of Worth - The 1960's Revival
In March 1968 the House of Worth was purchased from Paquin Ltd. by Mr. Sidney Massin, a successful London entrepreneur who had created a number of successful fashion enterprises in the post-war period. Mr. Massin brought together a team of brilliant young designers to create a related group of collections under the Worth name. The collections included couture, furs, jewelry, hats, resort wear and men's wear. Worth's jewelry designer was Alan Gard, a successful modern jewelry designer in his own right. The designer of the Worth resort collection and Worth Esq. was Finnish-born Sighsten Herrgard, a member of the Swedish Design Group who, in 1969, designed the first menswear collection presented by the House under the label of  Worth Esq.. Hylan Booker, a graduate of the Royal College of Art, winner of the Yardley Award for the Best Young British Designer in 1967, designed the women's collection. The Worth fur collection was designed by Marc Massin. Mrs. Norma Ward, a leading impresario in Britain and Europe, was fashion directress for the House of Worth.

House of Worth Today
The remains of the Worth business were purchased in 1999 from Mr. Sidney Massin and Mr. Marc Massin and are presently being used under agreement by the Worth Boutique, which under its auspices, is presently effecting a complete commercial revival under the House of Worth and other Worth trade marks. An audacious collection of couture offerings and custom pieces bring the House full circle in its history. Further information and contact is available at: www.houseofworth.co.uk and www.worthboutique.com.


The Charles Frederick Worth Organization was formed with the purpose of celebrating Charles Frederick Worth’s and The House of Worth’s history and achievements. The Organization is presently pursuing a program of activities that are designed to preserve the values and standards of luxury that Charles Frederick Worth subscribed to, which it believes remain relevant in today's world. Going forward, the Organization will also establish initiatives aimed at preserving the luxury crafts and, most importantly, supporting the craftspeople working in the luxury sector. The charlesfrederickworth.org site is the first of the Organization's initiatives.