Marie-Louise Bousquet (''née'' Vallantin; 29 September 1885 – 13 October 1975) was a French fashion journalist and former Paris editor of ''

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...

''. She is credited with being one of the first to recognise the potential of

Christian Dior Christian Ernest Dior (; 21 January 1905 – 24 October 1957) was a French fashion designer, best known as the founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, Christian Dior SE, which is now owned by parent company LVMH. His fashion houses a ...

in 1938, introducing him to

Carmel Snow Carmel Snow, born Carmel White (21 August 1887 – 7 May 1961), was the editor-in-chief of the American edition of ''Harper's Bazaar'' from 1934 to 1958; and the chair of the magazine's editorial board. She was famously quoted as saying, "E ...

who in 1947, would be instrumental in publicising Dior's first couture collection. She was born in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. She married the playwright

Jacques Bousquet Jacques Bousquet (1883–1939) was a French actor and screenwriter.Waldman p.43 Selected filmography * '' Dancing Mad'' (1925) * '' A Gentleman of the Ring'' (1926) * '' Rendezvous'' (1930) * ''Love Songs'' (1930) * ''My Wife's Teacher'' (1930) ...

(1883–1939). In 1918, the Bousquets launched a salon from their Paris apartment which, every Thursday, brought together a meeting of creative minds such as

Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

Aldous Huxley Aldous Leonard Huxley (26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. He wrote nearly 50 books, both novels and non-fiction works, as well as wide-ranging essays, narratives, and poems. Born into the prominent Huxley ...

, and Carmel Snow. Thursday evenings at the Bousquets' apartment at 3 Place du Palais-Bourbon were still renowned as a "rallying point for persons of cosmopolitan quality" in 1966. While she had been affiliated with ''Harper's'' since 1937, Bousquet was only officially made Paris editor in 1946. As someone who had significant personal influence on fashion, Bousquet received the

Neiman Marcus Fashion Award The Neiman Marcus Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Fashion was a yearly award created in 1938 by Carrie Marcus Neiman and Stanley Marcus. Unlike the Coty Award, it was not limited to American-based fashion designers. Recipients of t ...

in 1956. Bousquet died at the age of 88 in Paris on October 13, 1975. In the 2014 biopic '' Yves Saint Laurent'', Bousquet was played by

Anne Alvaro Anne Alvaro (born 29 October 1951) is a French actress whose work spans from the early 1970s through to 2012. She is probably best known for her role as Eleonore in the 1983 biopic ''Danton''. She won one César Award for Best Actress in a Supp ...

References

1885 births 1975 deaths French fashion journalists French women journalists Harper's Bazaar Journalists from Paris French salon-holders {{fashion-bio-stub