Charles Frederick Worth was once the most celebrated couturier in the Western world — so influential that the Petit Palais recently devoted an entire exhibition to his legacy. In this new biography, the prolific Stephen Clarke uncovers the full story: how a British draper’s apprentice and his overlooked French wife, Marie, revolutionized fashion in the 19th century, inventing the catwalk, brand labels, and the very idea of the designer as creative genius.

About the speaker:

Stephen Clarke has written 20+ books about Anglo-French relations. These include the million-selling novel A Year in the Merde and the UK number-one 1,000 Years of Annoying the French. He curated the Centre Culturel de l’Entente Cordiale at Hardelot, France. Stephen works with the world’s oldest stand-up comedian, 91-year-old D’yan Forest. He wrote her latest one-woman show, A Gefilte Fish Out of Water, which she recently performed in New York, and he co-wrote her memoirs, I Did It My Ways. He writes and occasionally performs his own songs.

Important information: Please note, this event is reserved for Friends of the Library. Learn more about supporting the Library here.

Attendance at this event constitutes permission for your photograph or video to be taken at the event and used by the American Library in Paris for marketing, promotional, pedagogical, or other purposes.