Pauline Trigère

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Pauline Trigère (1909 - 2002) was a French-born fashion designer, known for her crisp, tailored cuts and innovative ideas.

The daughter of a tailor, Trigère was able to operate a sewing machine by age 10 and often assisted her dressmaker mother. Shortly after leaving school, Pauline was employed as a trainee cutter at Martial et Armand in the Place Vendome, Paris. While there, she met American buyer Adele Simpson, who told her about the wonders of the New York fashion world. In 1927, aged 25, she moved to New York where she first found work at Ben Gerschel and later became assistant designer at Hattie Carnegie.

In 1942, Trigère decided to open her own fashion house, which was managed by her brother Robert. Her first small collection of 12 custom-made dresses was bought by a group of US department store executives and by 1945, Trigère was a respected New York label. She began producing ready-to-wear lines during the late 1940s. In the 1950s she started to produce costume jewelry to accompany her outfits, like many other fashion houses at the time. Her clientele included many famous women such as the Duchess of Windsor, actress Claudette Colbert and singer Lena Horne. Trigère is also known for designing Patricia Neal's sophisticated wardrobe in "Breakfast at Tiffany's".