Marcel Proust was inspired by the Countess Greffulhe when he created the character of the Duchesse de Guermantes. But he also drew on elements of her style for another character, the Princesse de Guermantes. In one scene in The Guermantes Way, he placed the two women together: the former “typically French” in her “exquisite refinement,” the latter more “poetic” and “dressed up.” This evening ensemble, with its motif of hieroglyphics inspired by the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, seems more in accordance with the style of the Princesse de Guermantes.

Evening ensemble (no label), circa 1925
Bolero: gold and green lame, metallic lace, pink silk crepe de chine lining
Dress: gold and silver metallic lace, silk tulle embroidered with metallic threads
Foundation: Gold and green lamé
GAL1964.20.23ABC, gift of the Gramont family to the Palais Galliera