Emilie Louise Flöge

Emilie Floege Louise ( born August 30, 1874 in Vienna, † May 26, 1952 ibid ) was an Austrian designer, fashion designer and businesswoman. She was the companion of the painter Gustav Klimt.

Life

Emilie Floege was the daughter of the master wood turner and meerschaum pipes manufacturers Floege Hermann (1837-1897) and initially trained as a seamstress. Later, she was a fashion designer, and together with her sisters Helene and Pauline from 1904 successful business woman, as holder of the Viennese haute couture salons " sisters Floege " in Mariahilferstraße. In this room, which had been designed by architect Josef Hoffmann in Art Nouveau style, she presented model clothes that corresponded to the fashion taste of the Wiener Werkstätte. On her travels to London and Paris, she also informed at Coco Chanel and Christian Dior about the latest fashion trends. In the best time they employed up to 80 seamstresses. After the "Anschluss of Austria" to the German Empire ( 1938) but Floege lost their most important customers. She had the fashion salon, which was previously become the leading fashion meeting place for Viennese society, close, and now worked in their house Ungargasse 39, where they lived on the top floor. In the last days of the Second World War it burned not only Flöge collection of costumes, but also valuable items from the Klimt estate.

Floege was a fascinating person Wiener Bohème and the fin de siècle. She was the companion of the painter Gustav Klimt, who was the brother of her sister Helene and previously frequent guest in the family home. This she portrayed from 1891 on many of his pictures. Experts say that he is " The Kiss " on his most famous image itself and Emilie Floege has shown as lovers. Klimt designed for Flöge salon also some " reform dress " worn by women activists propagated and from 1898, designed by artists of the Vienna Secession dresses, with a brace is loose from the shoulders drooping, with comfortable wide sleeves. However, for this new kind of dresses was at that time too few customers, so Floege earned their money with conventional fashion. Klimt portrayed many ladies of Viennese high society and was thus able to simultaneously perform his partner the wealthy clientele.

In the spring of 2006, the feature film " Klimt " premiered in which Emilie Floege of Veronica Ferres and Gustav Klimt from the U.S. actor John Malkovich will be shown.

Bathing costume from the possession Emilie Flöge, Design: Salon sisters Floege ( 1910)