Fashioning a Debate: Fashion, Gender and Literature in Noblesse de Robe by Marthe Bibesco in Context

This paper examines the echoes of Marthe Bibesco's essay collection Noblesse de Robe between 1928 and 1929, included in the Princess' notebook of clippings currently found at the Harry Ransom Center in Austin, Texas, United States of America. The aim is to compare the book's global influence post-publication with its absence from discussions on fashion and Princess Bibesco's literary works. The Noblesse de Robe project began in Vogue Paris as a part of the Princesss monthly article series throughout 1927. The essays were gathered into a volume published in 1928 by Bernard Grasset in Paris. The study uses the clippings notebook as the basis for exploring how and why a book written by a prominent author and member of the international social elite was successful for a few years before being mostly overlooked in topical and biographical evaluations. The notebook thus represents the basis of an ever-growing body of primary materials connected to Noblesse de Robe, including reviews, mentions, full-text reproductions, and translations. This research analyses interwar primary sources using an interdisciplinary, comparative approach based on cultural studies (fashion, media, gender), cultural and art history, discourse analysis, and semiotics. Keywords: elegance, Parisian spirit, Parisienne, nobility, dress, interwar, Romania, France, couture.