Ginette Spanier
| Ginette Spanier | |
|---|---|
| Born | 7 March 1904 |
| Died |
April 1988 (aged 83–84) London, England |
| Residence | Paris, France |
| Nationality | French |
| Occupation | Director of a fashion-house |
| Years active | 1947-1976 |
| Employer | House of Balmain |
| Spouse(s) | Paul-Emile Seidmann |
Ginette Spanier (1904–1988) was director of the House of Balmain, a Paris fashion-house, and was decorated for her wartime work.
Early life
Spanier was born in Paris on 7 March 1904 and raised in Hampstead, London, England and attended Frognal School there.[1]
War years
While in Paris as a buyer for Fortnum & Mason, she met Paul-Emile Seidmann, a doctor. In 1939, they married.[1] Shortly afterwards, during World War II, they fled Nazi-occupied Paris by bicycle. She was subsequently decorated for assisting the American Army of Liberation.[1] Seidmann was made a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur for his work with concentration camp survivors.[1]
Balmain
She was subsequently directrice (director) at Balmain from 1947 to 1976.[1] The first of her two volumes of autobiography, It isn't All Mink (1959), had a foreword by Noël Coward.[2]
She appeared as a "castaway" on the BBC Radio programme Desert Island Discs on 21 June 1965.[3]
Death
She retired, a widow, to London, and died there in April 1988.[1]
Bibliography
- —— (1959). It isn't All Mink.
- —— (1970). And Now it's Sables. Robert Hale. ISBN 978-0709135067.
- —— (1976). Long Road to Freedom The story of her life under the German Occupation. Robert Hale. ISBN 978-0709155928.
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rubinstein, William D.; Jolles, Michael; Rubinstein, Hilary L. (2011-03-15). The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 942. ISBN 9781403939104. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
- ↑ Spanier, Ginette (1959). It isn't All Mink.
- ↑ "Desert Island Discs - Castaway : Ginette Spanier". BBC Online. BBC. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
External links
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