For most of the 20th century, tastemakers seeking eternal sunshine turned to the fabrics of Paule Marrot. From her sart as a 22-year old prodigy in the 1920s until her death in 1987, the French designer's whimsical patterns attracted a following that included Jacqueline Kennedy, Billy Baldwin, and Babe Paley. "Marrot's fabrics appealed to the über-WASP jet set", says decorator James Andrew, who worked on Bergdorf Goodman's exhibit, pictured here, of six of her designs that Brunschwig & Fils will reissue this month.
Marrot also caught the attention of artists like Raoul Dufy, whose work shared her insouciant spirit. The automaker Renault even hired her to fit out car interiors. The appeal of her patterns, after all, in universal. "Revisiting them or discovering them ", says Andrew, "will make you smile."
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