Just who was Madame Grès – this secretive woman nicknamed "the Sphinx" who was fiercely opposed to any media exposure? The fashion designer – whose real name was Germaine Emilie Krebs (1903-1993) – worked with utmost discretion, avoiding social gatherings and putting her creations at the forefront. She kept her distance from journalists, cut short the rare interviews, and repeated tirelessly: "Look at my dresses, there's nothing else to see." She even went as far as buying back copies of a book about her to have them destroyed.

Uncovering the secrets of this talented artist, who aspired to be a sculptor and was globally recognized for her antique-inspired draping, is the mission Anne Graire, her granddaughter, set for herself in her biography Madame Grès le Sphinx de la haute couture ("Madame Grès, the Sphinx of Haute Couture").

"My grandmother, I know now, never opened up. She never shared her story with anyone: her personal boundaries were very clear. No one would have dared to cross them, as her natural authority demanded restraint in this area," wrote the author, who was raised by Madame Grès herself from the age of 6 months until her teenage years. Thus, she had a front-row seat to tell a personal story.

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